Second Medical Opinion

If you have been diagnosed with a condition but would like a second opinion on the diagnosis or treatment, we can organise face-to-face, telephone or video consultations with a specialist consultant.

Being diagnosed with a serious condition can be confusing and stressful. It can be difficult to understand the diagnosis, treatment plan and risks. The second medical opinion service is designed to offer a supplementary expert opinion from a different specialist to patients who have received a diagnosis of a critical condition from a treating consultant or specialist, or when a firm diagnosis has not been provided following completion of appropriate diagnostic investigations.

We work with an extensive network of clinical specialists across the UK, which means experts, particularly in cancer care, cardiology and orthopaedics, are available to provide patients with more clarity regarding treatment options and diagnosis. The second medical opinion service provides a patient with access to an experienced specialist with relevant experience in the appropriate medical specialty.

A second opinion can offer patients peace of mind about a diagnosis, provide an opportunity to ask unanswered questions about any proposed treatment, or discuss if there are alternative treatment options available.

Patients typically seek a SMO review by an independent specialist clinician for:

Peace of mind about diagnosis
To ask unanswered questions about and proposed treatment
To discuss if there are alternative options available

Example Eligible conditions:

Alzheimer's disease
Heart attack
Multiple sclerosis
Aortic Surgery
Heart valve replacement
Occupational HIV injection
Bacterial meningitis
Kidney failure
Paralysis
Blindness
Loss of limbs
Parkinson's disease
Cancer (life-threatening)
Loss of speech
Severe burns
Coma
Major organ transplant
Stroke (Cerebrovascular accident)
Deafness
Motor neuro disease

Dedicated telephone number for patients to make enquiries into the SMO service and book appointments.
SMO service availability between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, UK time, excluding Bank Holidays.
Consultation with a HealthHero GP via phone/video is the first step - obtain an understanding of the patient's condition and areas of concern, assess suitability for a SMO.
The GP will capture the required information to initiate the SMO process and handover to the SMO provider, where appropriate.
SMO provider manages the case, liasing with the patient to obtain the full medical documentation and assigning an expert consultant specialist.
Consultant specialist completes an independent and expert review of the patient's case.

Criteria to Access the SMO Service:

All investigations requested by the patient's treating consultant have been completed and the results are available and accessible.
The patient's treating consultant has made a firm diagnosis, or concluded that he/she is unable to explain the cause of the condition and has exhausted all relevant and available diagnostic tests.
The patient can gain access to the relevant medical records from the treating consultant, which explains the results of all the tests and the diagnosis.

Access Online GP Service Here