For (U)HNWs and those in the public eye, finding a doctor who delivers world-class care with absolute discretion isn’t just important – it’s essential. From routine check-ups to serious health scares, private GPs and surgeons are often by their patients’ side during life’s most challenging moments. In such sensitive circumstances, the guidance of a trusted doctor becomes invaluable.
The Spear’s index highlights leading practitioners with proven experience in caring for UHNW families and direct access to state-of-the-art medical care. From GPs dedicated to continuity of care in an increasingly demanding landscape to surgeons pioneering new techniques to ease patient suffering, our index spans the full spectrum of private medicine.
The GPs featured provide medical consultations, vaccinations, prescriptions and minor illness management. When needed, they connect patients with a wide network of top consultants and private hospitals, offering fast-tracked access to specialist care. ‘We have an extensive network of specialists in London, but we’ve got the ability to find the right person elsewhere in the world depending on where the patients are,’ says Dr Willoughby Morgan of King-Lewis Family Practice.
The surgeons included this year occupy a wide range of disciplines, from orthopaedics to cancer treatments. They are frequently sought after for their expertise and reputation for exceptional care. Many, such as Dr Vanash Patel, are embracing modern technology, including AI note-taking and virtual surgical follow-ups. Patel, who is a new addition to the 2025 edition of the index tells Spear’s: ‘We’ve begun using digital rehabilitation and remote monitoring at home to treat patients, meaning they have their bowel cancer operations and can often go home the next day and be looked after there.’
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Patient-oriented, personalised care is a guiding principle of private medicine. This often includes longer appointment slots, direct and ongoing access to a specific doctor or scheduled annual check-ups.
‘I’m now vaccinating the children of the babies I vaccinated 25 years ago,’ says Dr Tim Ladbrooke of Courtfield Private Practice. A new addition to this year’s rankings, Ladbrooke works alongside his wife, daughter and daughter-in-law at his South Kensington practice.
For patients with demanding careers or public profiles, additional measures are often in place, such as remote consultations while abroad and the use of pseudonyms in medical records to protect privacy. ‘I have a large proportion of international patients,’ says Dr Tim Lebens of The Wellington Hospital. ‘I do virtual consultations in the afternoon, which tends to be best if [the patients] are in the States, India, Asia, Nigeria and the Middle East.’
Staying at the cutting edge of technological developments within medicine is vital for private doctors. For those regularly performing surgery, advancements in robotics and AI body scanning have allowed for more minimally invasive procedures and reduced recovery times. Dr Andrew Goldberg, featured in our index, is a leading voice in the development of 3D printing for use in ankle replacements and regenerative treatments.
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What unites the doctors in this year’s index is their commitment to excellence, discretion and innovation. Whether offering long-term, personalised care with a family feel or pioneering surgical techniques that redefine recovery, these practitioners set the standards for private medicine in the UK and beyond.
Click the links below to jump to a section of this article:
- Methodology
- The best private doctors & surgeons: some names to know
- The best private doctors & surgeons: the complete list
- Contact us
Methodology
Each year, the Spear’s Research Unit reassesses and refreshes its rankings of the leading providers in each sector by gathering data from and about the advisers and firms themselves, assessing submission forms, collating nominations, carrying out peer reviews, reviewing data from third-party sources, gathering references and recommendations, canvassing experts and conducting hundreds of interviews.
Advisers are evaluated using a proprietary scoring system that assigns different weightings to certain attributes. These scores feed directly into each new set of rankings in the Spear’s Indices. Each of these indices are published first online (according to the research calendar) and then in print. Print publication takes the form of the annual Spear’s 500 directory, which includes the top advisers in every index.
[See also: A guide to the Spear’s 500: Everything you need to know]
Each featured adviser is profiled on spears500.com. The site allows users to search the Spear’s database of more than 4,000 entities to find one (or more) to meet their specific requirements by filtering for specific attributes such as an adviser’s location, their specialist expertise and information about their client base.
The best private doctors & surgeons: some names to know
Andrew Goldberg
- Focus: Foot and ankle surgery
- Position: Consultant orthopaedic surgery
- Firm: HCA Healthcare
Mr Andrew Goldberg OBE is a highly regarded consultant orthopaedic surgeon, one of the top specialists in the UK for foot and ankle conditions, and honoured for his services to medicine.
His clients include elite athletes, high-net-worth individuals looking for the best care, top executives, business owners and celebrities. His clinics are based at the Wellington Hospital in St John’s Wood; in Canary Wharf; and in Elstree, Hertfordshire, as part of HCA Healthcare.
In addition to his private practice, Goldberg is an active researcher, at the forefront of developments such as 3D printing for use in ankle replacements and regenerative treatments. Considering the whole patient rather than rushing to follow a surgical path, Goldberg estimates that he avoids surgery on more than 85 per cent of the patients he sees.
Read Andrew Goldberg’s full profile at Spears500.com
Michael Beckles
- Focus: Respiratory conditions
- Position: Consultant respiratory and general physician
- Firm: HCA Healthcare
Dr Michael Beckles is an experienced lung cancer specialist who offers services through the Royal Free Hospital and at his own private practice on Devonshire Street. He is also affiliated with the Wellington Hospital (run by HCA Healthcare), where he was the former chair of the respiratory group.
Appointed a consultant physician at the Royal Free Hospital in 2001, Beckles has expertise in lung cancer, pneumonia, bronchoscopy and sarcoidosis.
Beckles has supported a number of figures in the public eye with their healthcare concerns, and has acted as an expert witness in civil cases about asbestos exposure in the workplace. He has a wide interest in medical education and has been involved with the creation of international guidelines for lung cancer management.
Read Michael Beckles’ full profile at Spears500.com
Liza Osagie-Clouard
- Focus: Respiratory conditions
- Position: Consultant respiratory and general physician
- Firm: Solice Health
‘I started the company because I’ve got this thing about my old-school GP listening to me. It’s at least a 90-minute consultation,’ Dr Liza Osagie-Clouard tells Spear’s when asked about Solice Health, the private GP and medical concierge service she founded and runs.
Every client is assigned a doctor, a nurse and a medical secretary who are constantly available for clinic or home visits, wherever a patient may be in the world. This personal GP service is combined with preventative medicine and predictive testing, and the ability to find and supply the world’s top specialists whenever needed.
Solice directly employs a team of GPs, and specialists are employed on a case-by-case basis to ensure optimal care and flexibility for every patient.
Read Liza Osagie Clouard’s full profile at Spears500.com
Ying-Young Hui
- Focus: Early detection and prevention
- Position: Medical director
- Firm: Preventicum
Dr Ying-Young Hui, medical director at Preventicum, presides over a clinic of 11 doctors who perform and analyse a series of scientifically tuned tests on their clients every 12 months, building an enviable body of data aimed at preventing illness for as long as possible.
‘Everything is completed on the same day in the same building,’ Hui says. ‘We can offer a prospective client a very detailed consultation with a dedicated doctor at the beginning of their day, going through their concerns, their past history and their family history – anything relevant to their current health, but also potentially what could affect their health in the future.’
Following a comprehensive series of tests, the client’s dedicated doctor will discuss the results and offer a health programme, including referrals to a network of trusted specialists where necessary.
Read Ying-Young Hui’s full profile at Spears500.com
Paul Ettlinger
- Focus: Preventative medicine
- Position: GP
- Firm: The London General Practice
Dr Paul Ettlinger is founder and medical director of The London General Practice, a clinic of 11 doctors on Harley Street offering a comprehensive service from initial GP appointments to referrals to an international network of specialists for onward care.
Ettlinger has particular interests in men’s health and preventative medicine, providing assessments for individuals and corporate clients. His paper on the importance of personal continuity in general practice was published in the British Medical Journal.
The practice aims to provide same-day appointments, for a minimum of 30 minutes, to allow its consultants to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of a patient’s health.
Read Paul Ettlinger’s full profile at Spears500.com
Hugo Henderson
- Focus: Ophthalmology
- Position: Consultant ophthalmic and oculoplastic surgeon
- Firm: The London Clinic
An expert in complex facial procedures, The London Clinic’s Mr Hugo Henderson tells Spear’s he’s among the few pioneers in the medical world to marry plastic surgery techniques with specialist eye management procedures. He is proud of the ‘premium level of care’ his HNW patients receive, which often leads to lasting relationships. He also provides patients with a discreet service, particularly where high-profile individuals such as politicians are concerned.
Henderson completed specialist training in ophthalmology at Moorfields Eye Hospital and has completed fellowships at Moorfields and in the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. He is currently based at The London Clinic in Harley Street. He is also a consultant specialising in oculoplastic service and direct referral cataract service at the Royal Free Hospital.
Read Hugo Henderson’s full profile at Spears500.com
Catrin Bevan
- Focus: Women’s health
- Position: GP
- Firm: The London General Practice
With more than three decades of medical expertise to her name, Dr Catrin Bevan is a trusted practitioner who leads a highly skilled team covering the full range of women’s health issues, from contraception and reproduction to sexual health, gynaecology and screening services.
As a GP, Bevan acts as a safeguarding lead and steward for The London General Practice’s women’s health programme, which endeavours to provide same-day appointments where patients can access comprehensive support. Typically, patients spend an average of half an hour discussing their care options with practitioners, then access personalised testing, treatments and advice in a welcoming yet professional environment.
Read Catrin Bevan’s full profile at Spears500.com
The best private doctors & surgeons: the complete list
Click on the individual names to be directed to more detailed profiles of each adviser on The Spear’s 500 website. The table is ordered by ranking and then alphabetically by surname.
Contact us
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