Coblation Tonsillectomy (Intracapsular)
Coblation tonsillectomy procedure is now available for children and the procedure of choice for preschool children with massive tonsil hypertrophy causing sleep disordered breathing. The cold diathermy wand, when used to perform intracapsular tonsillectomy (tonsillotomy), has been shown to be associated with less pain and earlier return to activity and school in large prospective studies. Speak to your surgeon about suitability for your child. Read more about it here
Inpatient / daycase treatment
If your child requires an operation, Mr Trimble will provide the relevant procedure codes and fees, etc, to pass on to your insurers. If you are self-paying, he will be able to provide the fixed price surgery hospital fee option as well. Information leaflets are available on this page for common operations.
Once your child has been added to the surgical list the UIC Appointments office will send formal admission details. This sets out the following:
- Date of admission
- Time of arrival at hospital: usually 11:00-12:00 UIC for afternoon surgery.
- Procedure being undertaken & procedure code
- Fasting times:
- No food 6 hours prior to surgery (usually 07:00 for UIC)
- No milk or breast-milk 3 hours prior to surgery
- Clear fluids & water may be taken up to 2 hours prior to surgery (11:00 UIC)
- If any food or drink is taken after these times your child’s operation may be cancelled.
- Date of discharge
- Estimates fees of the Hospital (if self-paying), Mr Trimble & the anaesthetist
- Post-operative appointment, if required.
Return of routine cases during pandemic
The COVID 19 pandemic has had a huge impact on elective ENT surgical procedures which often relate to conditions affecting quality of life. ENT surgeons have been variously redeployed to the Nightingale hospital or based at their home unit providing urgent consultations and procedures on a face to face basis and virtual clinic appointments for more routine cases. The Ulster Independent Clinic (UIC) has been contracted to the NHS during the pandemic with limited access for private patients to those with urgent conditions during this time. From the start of July, the board have approved recommencing elective surgical procedures for paid or insured patients at UIC, even though some hospital trusts are still only providing urgent or red flag procedures.
Outpatient clinic consultations will be provided remotely if possible, to reduce footfall and enable social distancing to occur.
Despite the low community prevalence of COVID 19 in Northern Ireland we are taking some extra pre-operative precautions which will involve isolation for a child and one parent for seven days and COVID-19 testing before surgery. Part of the consent procedure will include a discussion around increased risks of procedures during the pandemic. Theatre lists have been impacted due to cancellations and pent-up demand for theatre space with reduced caseload due to restrictions in theatre related to aerosolization of the virus.
June 2020
NHS Clinic visits
Mr Trimble sees mostly children at the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) and Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC) in the Belfast Trust on Mondays and Thursdays.
Young children with ear or hearing problems are seen on Monday morning with paediatric audiologists and Teachers of the Deaf.
General paediatric patients are seen on Monday afternoon and the airway clinics run on Thursday afternoons in the Children’s hospital.
Multidisciplinary clinics occur monthly for tracheostomy patients in RBHSC or children and adults with vascular anomalies in the Head and Neck (Level 5 RVH OPD).
Contact ear / hearing secretary Marie (028 96156814) or Airway / Head & Neck secretary Denise (028 96155961).
Medicolegal Appointments – suspended during pandemic – hopefully restarting Autumn 2020
*** Medicolegal consultations on hold from March 2020 until further notice*** Please call home office on 02890996911 towards end of week to arrange medicolegal instructions for personal injury or medical negligence cases. Mrs Trimble arranges appointments and can respond to email or voicemail messages left at other times. Medicolegal consultations are face to appointments arranged by appointment at Wing F Belfast City Hospital tower block with audiologist Warren Dale.
Private ENT Clinic visits
Appointments for children or adults are available on Tuesday mornings at the Ulster Independent Clinic, Belfast by booking in advance with Appointments at 028 90687444 (until 6pm each week day). Please bring GP letter and pre-authorisation details with you if insured. Clinic facilities may attract a supplementary fee for nasal endoscopy, flexible laryngoscopy, debridement of ears, oto-endoscopy, pure tone audiometry, tympanometry, skin prick tests and olfaction testing. The price for new and review self-payer appointments is 160 and 120 pounds respectively. Otherwise insured patients are billed according to scheme maxima. Paediatric testing for under 4s is available most Tuesday mornings but please check in advance if travelling long distance.