IN GOOD HEALTH We explore the finest in London’s private healthcare

SPECIALIST CARE

This page: Lanserhof at The Arts Club is one of the finest medical and health facilities, specialising in preventative medicine, rehabilitative care, nutrition, fitness and holistic wellbeing

The luxury goodof health

Offering services from Long Covid clinics to state-of-the-art diagnostics, London has become the capital of private medical treatment, discovers Harriet Griffey

Health care in prime central London is second to none. Whether it is urgent treatment for serious illnesses, treatment for mental health or discreet aesthetic care, the choice and quality of private services in London is world class (and that’s in addition to our outstanding NHS).

New hospitals and clinics from all over the world are arriving in the capital to meet the rising demand and London now has one of the largest concentrations of paying patients in the world. Covid has also contributed to a surge in self-paying patients, owing to long NHS waiting lists for diagnostic and elective procedures, according to medical consultancy LaingBuisson. Being able to walk in and have fast treatment is, for a growing number, well worth the cost.

Although the private health market contracted by around 30 per cent during the pandemic because elective surgery all but stopped and there was no overseas market after travel

restrictions were imposed, according to Laing-Buisson’s most recent Private Acute Healthcare UK Market report published in November of this year, it seems that confidence in the excellence of London’s private healthcare provision has never been an issue.

The London branch of the world-famous Mayo Clinic, ranked no.1 for its Model of Care in the US six years in a row, opened in London’s Portland Place in February 2020, just before the first UK lockdown for Covid-19. However, like other essential services that remained open, the Mayo Clinic continued to provide care in cardiac, gastroenterology and pulmonary medicine together with diagnostic testing. And the pandemic saw the introduction of its Long Covid clinic.

Close collaboration with their US counterparts means that when it comes to expertise in respiratory and cardiac health, both of which can be affected by Covid, the Mayo Clinic’s physicians have global access to the latest developments in treatment and care to which any selfpaying client can self-refer. “The Long Covid service was introduced in October 2021,” says associate medical director Dr Sandeep Kapur. “We had been seeing Long Covid patients prior to that as general patients but created a specific clinic for this because of demand, with many patients expressing concerns.”

Being able to self-refer for routine diagnostic tests is an important aspect

CONFIDENCE IN EXCELLENCE Clockwise from top left: AM Aesthetics offers wellness and injectable treatments; Mayo Clinic opened in February 2020; the plush reception space

FIVE-STAR CARE

The Soke provides a warm and welcoming space for you and your family’s private mental health care needs

“Iwant my child to see someone, but I don’t want to scare her or encourage an idea that there’s something wrong with her.” Maryam Meddin had heard this from so many people considering psychotherapy over the years that she decided to do something about it. Welcome to The Soke, a beautifully designed, warmly welcoming centre perched on a corner of Fulham Road (say “the one with the flower stand” and everyone will know which corner you mean).

Looking more like a boutique hotel than a mental health centre, the team here also provide the same level of service that you would expect of any five-star establishment. Gone are the days when the only care you could expect from your therapist or psychiatrist was inside the practice room. At The Soke everyone is a client services provider. This includes the CEO and COO, who are just as likely to pick up the phone when it rings and who are there to provide answers, gently guide you through the process and make sure that you feel informed, safe and properly looked after at every stage of your therapeutic journey, from the minute you make that first call until the day you complete your course – however long or short that may be.

With its desire to shake up the sector and drag mental health care into the 21st century, The Soke has managed to attract major talent to its roster of practitioners. The best part is that they are contracted – not paid by the hour. “We did this solely for the benefit of clients. We wanted them to have the assurance that their psychiatrist or psychotherapist wasn’t in any way influenced by the financial aspect of the relationship. It makes a huge difference, enabling a development of trust,” says George Broke, COO.

With clients ranging from four to 84 years old, this is a centre that understands the varied needs of individuals and works hard to meet as many of them as possible. From children with eating disorders to adolescents with anxiety to adults with depression and – at the other end of the spectrum – corporate clients who have needs around professional development, The Soke sees it all and welcomes everyone with expertise, compassion and a can-do attitude. Oh, and dogs are welcome too. Call The Soke on 020 7139 5051 or contact the team on reception@thesoke.uk The Soke, 241 Fulham Road, SW3 6HY

THESOKE.UK

STATE-OF-THE-ART Above: The sumptuous interiors at mental health practice The Soke feel nothing like a clinic Below: Icaros, the virtual-reality machine that allows you to swoop through the Alps as you build core strength at The Lanserhof at the Arts Club in Dover Street

of managing health. “We see many patients self-refer for health screening services such as mammography or bowel screening,” says Craig Abrahams, commercial director of One Welbeck, a specialist facility for minimally-invasive day surgery and outpatient diagnostics. “With the Covid-19 pandemic still having an effect on waiting times for screening appointments, we believe it is more important than ever for patients to take control of their own health and book themselves in for necessary screening services.”

Testament to London’s continuing reputation for excellence in healthcare is the new 184-bed Cleveland Clinic at 33 Grosvenor Place. Originating in Cleveland Ohio a century ago, this new facility in London, with its outpatients centre in Portland Place, will care for a complex patient population, providing a broad range of brilliant medical services with a focus on heart, vascular and thoracic, digestive disease, neurosciences and orthopaedics.

“As an integrated healthcare delivery system, we take on the most complex patient care across the globe and provide collaborative, multidisciplinary care supported by cutting-edge research and technology,” says CEO Dr Brian Donley. “Cleveland Clinic is a doctor-led hospital, where we put great emphasis on patient outcomes and experience and patient inclusion to ensure patients are active participants in their plan of care.”

An extension of Germany’s largest family-owned hospital group, the Schoen Clinic opened in Wigmore Street in 2018, bringing its expertise in spinal and orthopaedic care to a London base along with an outpatient mental health facility in Chelsea. “The Schön family was looking to enter the UK market, and mental health and orthopaedics are two specialist areas in Germany where there is in-depth expert knowledge,” says Andy Davey, MD of the clinic that was Laing-Buisson’s Private Hospital Group of the Year in 2020. “Another key contributing factor to the success of this particular model is that we employ consultants, both in our orthopaedic hospital and mental health facilities, that focus on a multidisciplinary team approach.”

Mental healthcare provision is another area where London’s private sector excels and it’s an area that often requires urgent action. “Our priority is the accessibility of a client-led service from that first phone call to the first appointment, and the creation of a warm and welcoming space for everyone, to the point where we have teenagers happy to come and see their therapist on their way home from

TEMPLE of RELAXATION

Inspired by the thermal practices of ancient civilisations, AIRE London offers an oasis with salt baths and plunge pools lit by candlelight

People have been visiting thermal baths for millennia, and AIRE Ancient Baths is a place where you can reap the beneficial properties of this practice in the modern world.

ROMAN ROOTS

The AIRE experience has been designed to bring you true relaxation, allowing you to disconnect from the busy London lifestyle. AIRE adopts a silence policy to maintain a tranquil atmosphere, and the entire space is candlelit to take you back to the ancient world. From a wellbeing perspective, bathing in hot water is proven to ease muscle tension and reduce inflammation. Cold water increases circulation and stimulates the vagus nerve, helping to move the body into the parasympathetic nervous system. Massage therapy is fantastic for easing muscle tension too, aiding circulation and lymphatic drainage as well as reducing stress levels. They also offer signature experiences that use argan oil, green tea, Himalayan salts and other natural actives that improve the health and appearance of the skin. For the ultimate relaxing experience, spend some extra time in the flotarium bath (a salt bath with the same density as the Dead Sea). TOTAL RELAXATION

The Ancient Thermal Bath Experience includes a round of several baths at different temperatures: an ice bath (10ºC), cold bath (14ºC), warm bath (36ºC), hot bath (40ºC), the flotarium, as well as the bath of a thousand jets (36ºC), a steam room with aromatherapy, and the relaxation area. The bath experience can be enhanced with a wide range of body treatments, massages and rituals.

HISTORICAL SETTING

Every AIRE location across the world has been considered down the last detail and are all within unique spaces related to the city they are in. AIRE London is situated on historic Robert Street, in the 18th century townhouse author J.M.Barrie called home and wrote Peter Pan. The building was designed by Robert Adam, a neoclassical architect who drew inspiration from the Greeks and Romans. This is reflected in the classical architecture and original features. Visit AIRE Ancient Baths at 2-3 Robert Street WC2N 6BH

BEAIRE.COM

school,” says Maryam Meddin, founder of The Soke, which has a centre on the Fulham Road, Chelsea. “Everyone needs to pay attention to their mental health and what attention is needed can vary from addressing a particular problem or issue, or tackling change – we’ve seen a lot of interest from clients wanting to re-evaluate their lives and negotiate a fresh start following Covid – and our services in psychiatry, adult therapy, family therapy and wellbeing cover this range.”

Wellbeing is the ultimate focus of The Lanserhof at the Arts Club in Dover Street, an extension of the Austrian health resort renowned for its detox and fitness programmes. “We opened less than a year before the first lockdown but as a medical clinic we were able to stay open to offer our members and patients urgent care, which they found absolutely invaluable,” says Hattie David-Wilkinson. “And as restrictions ease, we are certainly seeing an increase in demand for medically guided programmes. In the club we integrate state-of-the-art diagnostics with our interdisciplinary team of specialists, medical practitioners, therapists and personal trainers to create targeted and personalised health programmes.”

Feeling good and looking good often go hand in hand and after months of lockdown stress and working from home, there’s an emerging trend in aesthetics. “We know that stress negatively impacts our appearance,” says Dr Yusra Al-Mukhtar, medical director of the eponymous Dr Yusra aesthetic clinic, who identified ‘pandemic droop’ in her recently published report. “After seeing their reflection on video conferencing apps like FaceTime and Zoom for hours on end, people are now much more aware of how they look at rest and when speaking, making them more aware of the appearance of their teeth and skin, leading them to seek treatment.”

AM Aesthetics in Marylebone (@am. aesthetics) is another popular clinic for aesthetic treatments and combating ‘pandemic droop’, and one of the first in the UK to offer the Jowl Lift and jaw contour. While Ida Banek, psychologist and co-founder of the luxurious, doctorled aesthetics clinic Ouronyx is seeing people seeking treatment for a variety of reasons. “At Ouronyx, most of our clients are not interested in unnatural ‘frozen’ looks or extreme lips, but rather subtle changes to address emotional expressions driven by the natural ageing process.” L mayoclinichealthcare.co.uk; onewelbeck. com; clevelandcliniclondon.uk; schoen-clinic. co.uk; thesoke.uk; lhtac.com; dryusra.com; amaesthetics.clinic; ouronyx.com

LUXURY AESTHETICS Above: Ouronyx in St James’s, where luxurious surroundings and a bespoke approach meet to create an elevated client experience Below: Ouronyx’s cherry imagining machine, which has recently arrived in the UK, offers a 3D facial scanning system

EMPOWERING Transformations

A London clinic providing excellence in health and skincare, specialising in rejuvenating and restoring patients’ glow

Internationally renowned Harley Street aesthetics and wellness expert, Dr Yusra specialises in non-surgical aesthetics procedures, with her plethora of awards earning her the nickname, ‘The Glow Doctor’.

AESTHETICS & SKINCARE EXPERT

Dr Yusra has been practising facial aesthetics from a clinic in Harrow on the Hill since 2013 and Harley Street since 2019. Dr Yusra’s philosophy is ‘radiance on the outside, wellness on the inside’. This approach has made her a favourite with those looking for more rejuvenating and fresh-looking enhancement. Passionate about the link between psychological health and wellbeing, Dr Yusra takes a holistic approach to aesthetics. She begins all treatment journeys with an assessment of each patient, including lifestyle and skin type, before advising on bespoke treatments.

THE CLINICS

The clinics are based in Harley Street and Harrow on the Hill in London, and the North West branch has recently opened a fully equipped, five treatment room clinic in Blundellsands, Liverpool. At the Londonbased clinics, Dr Yusra’s team of experts offer body sculpting, skin tightening and a range of injectables for facial rejuvenation and skin boosters for skin glow.

THE TREATMENTS

Conditions treated include double chin reduction, fat reduction in the abdomen and the arms, reduction in stretch marks, tightening sun damaged skin and jowls and acne scar treatment. Visitors can try non-surgical rhinoplasty, face balancing skin peels, Morpheus8 microneedling radiofrequency for skin tightening, and endolift – a treatment that helps to tighten up the tissues with no needles or stitches and no downtime. CoolSculpting® is another nonsurgical fat reduction treatment and Dr Yusra’s clinics host two of only 110 CoolSculpting cryolipolysis machines in the country. Contact the team on info@dryusra.com or call 033 3224 4666 Follow on Instagram @dryusraclinic

DRYUSRA.COM

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