The thyroid and endocrine surgery department at UCLH is one of the largest endocrine surgical services in the UK.
We provide a high level of care for patients who require surgical advice and management of benign and malignant endocrine conditions affecting the thyroid, parathyroids and adrenal glands. We are also specialised in the treatment of patients who require re-operative management.
As well as treatment for adults, we also provide care for young adults and children. Although most of our activity takes place at UCLH, we also work alongside the paediatric endocrinology team at Great Ormond Street Hospital to treat children with benign and malignant thyroid and parathyroid conditions. This includes children affected by genetic diseases such as multiple endocrine neoplasia.
The team works closely with colleagues from other specialities including endocrinology, radiology, nuclear medicine, pathology, and oncology. We meet regularly in our thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal multidisciplinary meetings. This allows us to provide a comprehensive service and ensure each patient receives the best possible care, tailored to their needs.
At UCLH, we perform more than 400 thyroid and endocrine surgery operations per year. This includes a wide variety of procedures, from minimally invasive day parathyroid surgery to major cancer and neck dissection interventions. These are performed with the assistance of high-quality technology such as intra-operative nerve monitoring, intra-operative parathyroid hormone measurements and indocyanine green fluorescence state of the art intra-operative cameras to optimise and improve surgical outcomes.
The surgical team participate and contribute data to the British Association of Endocrine and Thyroid Association national audit as well as the European Society of Endocrine Surgery.
The team is supported by endocrine surgical fellows and residents who work alongside the consultants. They participate in the development of research projects while training in this specialty. The clinical nurse specialists and support workers within our team help to support and co-ordinate the care of patients on the outpatient pathway, and perioperatively, with both benign and malignant endocrine diagnoses.
We have an established a weekly one-stop thyroid clinic service for new or concerning thyroid nodules, which provides patients with a full assessment and diagnosis of thyroid nodules with results discussed with the patient on the same day. This is especially important for those patients who suffer thyroid cancer and require expedited diagnosis and treatment.
We are very pleased to offer patients scarless thyroid and parathyroid surgery - transoral thyroid and parathyroid endoscopic (keyhole) surgery. This is a technique that removes the thyroid or parathyroid gland without leaving a visible scar on the neck.
The endocrine surgery team has also worked closely with the radiology team to offer non-surgical treatment of thyroid nodules. This is performed as a joint procedure with radio-frequency ablation of suitable thyroid nodules.
Other conditions treated include:
- Thyroid nodules
- Thyroid cancer
- Graves´ disease
- Thyrotoxicosis
- Multinodular goitre
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Parathyroid cancer
- Adrenal tumours
- Adrenal cancer
- Cushing syndrome
- Conn's Syndrome
- Secondary hyperparathyroidism
- Tertiary hyperparathyroidism
- Phaeocromocytoma
- Paraganglioma
The clinical nurse specialists and support workers within our team help to support and co-ordinate the care of patients on the outpatient pathway, and perioperatively, with both benign and malignant endocrine diagnoses.
Macmillan Support and Information Service provides further support and advice on cancer-related conditions to patients and relatives.
You will receive two appointments for the 1-stop clinic. Your first appointment will be with our endocrine clinical nurse specialist who will arrange for an ultrasound of your thyroid. A fine needle aspiration may be performed at this time. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a procedure used to get a cell sample from a suspicious area of the thyroid. FNA involves using a thin needle and a syringe to pull out cells, tissue and fluids. FNA is the least invasive type of biopsy.
This will then be sent to the cytology lab for analysis and the results discussed at the multidisciplinary meeting (MDT) on the same day.
You will then attend a second appointment following the MDT with one of our surgeons to receive the results and any treatment plans that may be indicated.
MyChart is an app which can be downloaded onto your phone here. This is a patient portal which gives you the ability to view information about your care including appointments, letters and some test results. We may also send you questionnaires to complete to check in on your state of health. Please do not try to contact us via this app as we are currently unable to reply to these messages.
Other contact information
Tel: 020 3456 2061, option 5
The phone lines are open 9.30am - 12.30pm and 1.30pm - 5pm, Monday - Friday, excluding bank holidays.
Referral
Other referral information
Tel: 020 3456 2061, select option 5
Our geographical catchment area for referral is not restricted. We accept Two Week Wait referrals for new or concerning thyroid lumps and run a weekly One-Stop Thyroid Clinic service for these and other suitable patients. We also take urgent and regular endocrine referrals.
e-RS advice and guidance may be useful for such issues as:
- Uncertainty about the need for referral
- Need for/usefulness of tests
- Interpretation of results of tests already performed
- Medical management queries
- General advice and guidance about the optimal management of a patient
How to find us on e-RS
Specialty: Surgery - Not otherwise specified
Clinic Type: Endocrine Surgery
Organisation/Location: University College Hospital (RRV03)
Service name: Endocrine Surgery Service (RAS) - General Surgery Dept - UCLH - RRV
Referral address
Thyroid and Endocrine Surgery
GI Services,
UCLH Ground Floor West,
250 Euston Road,
London,
NW1 2PG
FAQs
To enable us to provide a quick response when you need it most we have developed these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). We kindly ask you to read through these before contacting the advice line as you may find the answer to your question here. If, after reading these FAQs, you still need help with a specific question, please contact us and we will endeavour to respond.
If your query is the responsibility of another department such as pharmacy or changing a clinic appointment, or radiology appointment – we will not be able to help with this query.
We hope this will improve our ability to answer clinical questions more efficiently and provide you with a better service.
We have a central booking team who look after new patient referrals. You can contact them via 020 3447 9393 to chase the status of your referral.
We understand that there are times when you want to be seen sooner than the appointment we have given you. If this is the case, please email uclh.
Please note that if you miss your appointment without informing us beforehand, you may receive a letter to say you have been discharged from our service. We normally allow patients to cancel an appointment twice before discharging patients back to the care of their GP. If this happens, you will be asked to arrange a new GP referral back into the service.
If you are signed up to the MyChart app, you should be able to see a copy of your clinic letter on there. If you need a letter from the doctors in charge of your care, please contact the admin team via uclh.
Please note that we are unable to provide a ‘sick note’ for your work or university. Only a GP can provide this.
To contact the administrators in the team, please contact uclh.
Blood tests and imaging reports are available to see via the MyChart app. Below show the timeframes in which you can expect to receive these results via the app:
- Blood tests – up to four weeks after you have had your blood test.
- Imaging reports – between six - eight weeks after your procedure.
- X-ray, MRI and other results - The majority of scan results can be discussed with you at your next clinic visit and do not require you to be contacted in the interim. The results of scans are reviewed once available and you will be contacted directly if there are any concerns. If there is a specific reason why you would like a copy of the results then please contact the admin team via uclh.
endocrinesurgery .@nhs.net
Please notify us via email at uclh.
Anyone who has questions about the impact of medication on fertility or pregnancy can discuss this at your next clinic appointment or contact us via the advice line or email address. If you find out you are pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant, please keep us informed so we can update your records and plan when we should review you.
Prior to surgery taking place, you will receive a pre-assessment appointment where you will be informed of all the information you need for your specific procedure.
Most routine medicines should be prescribed by your GP. We are unable to prescribe medicines your GP is able to prescribe.
Please make sure your blood tests are always up-to-date to avoid any delays to your treatment. These will normally need to be done one week prior to your outpatient appointment. For more information on arranging your blood test, please visit here.
Please note repeat blood tests are routinely requested on the system following your previous appointment. If you are unable to book blood tests, please contact the team on uclh.
