FAQs

You can book an appointment with Dr Monica Chogle by contacting Kingsbridge Private Hospital directly via this link [Dr Monica Chogle] or by phone at 028 90667878. Appointments at Medical Associates can be booked via their booking line at 028 90382202.

Appointments with Dr Niranjan Chogle can be arranged by contacting the Ulster Independent Clinic booking line at 028 90661212. Appointments at Kingsbridge Private Hospital can be booked via the website [Dr Niranjan Chogle] or by calling 028 90667878.

Yes, we welcome patients with private medical insurance. Please check with your insurer regarding your level of cover and any referral requirements before booking an appointment. We are recognised by the major private medical insurers, including BUPA, AXA Health, Aviva, Vitality Health and WPA. Please obtain pre-authorisation from your insurer before attending your appointment. Please note that not all chronic pain consultations, investigations or procedures are covered under every policy, and the level of cover varies between insurers and individual plans.

Initial consultation: £250; Follow-up consultation: £180

A referral is preferred, as we do not have access to your NHS medical records, including your medical history, medications, imaging or previous treatments. A referral is particularly helpful if you are using private medical insurance, have complex medical conditions, take multiple medications, or are being assessed for a specific treatment or procedure. We welcome referrals from GPs, surgeons, rheumatologists, neurologists, dentists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals.

Yes, through our enquiry form. We aim to respond most enquiries within 10 working days. A comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment is necessary before recommending a treatment plan.

Please bring the following to your appointment (where applicable): -Referral letter, a list of your current medications, any allergies, a list of any questions you would like to discuss, copies of relevant MRI or CT scans, blood test results, and previous clinic or hospital letters. You also need to provide private medical insurance details and pre-authorisation number (if applicable).

We follow a biopsychosocial approach. We will ask about your symptoms, pain locations, duration, aggravating/relieving factors, previous treatments, and how pain affects daily life, mood, sleep, and energy levels. You may be asked to complete a questionnaire and pain diagram.

Yes, and we encourage you to be accompanied. We recommend bringing a family member, friend or carer to your appointment. Having someone with you can provide support, help you remember the information discussed, and assist with any decisions about your treatment. If a procedure is planned on the same day, we prefer that you are accompanied and have someone available to drive you home, as you should not drive for 24 hours after your procedure.

Generally not. Most procedures are scheduled for a future date. Occasionally, simple procedures may be offered during the clinic visit, but this is not standard practice.

Please tell us if you are taking any blood-thinning medications, such as warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, clopidogrel, ticagrelor or prasugrel, before your appointment. For most minimally invasive pain procedures, your blood-thinning medication can usually be continued. This includes procedures such as: Lidocaine infusions, trigger point injections, sacroiliac joint injections, facet joint injections, bursa injections and Botox® injections. However, for higher-risk procedures—such as epidural injections, nerve root injections, stellate ganglion blocks and lumbar sympathetic block. It may be necessary to stop certain blood-thinning medications beforehand to reduce the risk of bleeding. However, never stop your anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication without advice provided by our team. We will advise you whether any changes are required, taking into account the type of procedure, your medication and the reason it has been prescribed.

If you are unwell or taking antibiotics for an active infection, or have completed a course of antibiotics within the previous week, please contact us before your procedure. We usually recommend waiting at least one week after finishing a course of antibiotics before proceeding. This does not apply to long-term low-dose antibiotics taken for prophylaxis. Your procedure may need to be rescheduled.

Yes, written consent is required. Make sure to ask any questions if you're unsure about anything.

Yes. Like all medical treatments, pain procedures carry some degree of risk. However, they are performed by experienced specialists using ultrasound or X-ray guidance where appropriate and following techniques that are evidence-based and widely accepted in clinical practice. Before recommending any procedure, we carefully assess whether the potential benefits are likely to outweigh the risks. The expected benefits, possible complications and any alternative treatment options will be discussed with you in detail, allowing you to make an informed decision before proceeding.

How you perceive risk is influenced by your personality, previous experiences and the stories you hear from others. Some people are naturally more cautious, while others are more comfortable with uncertainty. Media reports, online information, and conversations with friends or family can also influence how risks and benefits are viewed. Our role is to explain the expected benefits, possible risks and available alternatives as clearly and honestly as possible, based on the best available evidence and your individual circumstances. We encourage you to ask questions and take the time you need to make an informed decision. The final decision is always yours. We are here to provide information, guidance and recommendations, but we cannot make the decision on your behalf.

No. For your safety, please arrange for someone to drive you home after your procedure.

The effectiveness of pain interventions varies from person to person. Many patients experience worthwhile pain relief and improved function, but individual responses differ. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that a pain intervention will be successful or predict how long any benefit will last.

If an intervention is helpful, the duration of benefit can vary considerably—from a few weeks or months to much longer. The length of benefit depends on several factors, including the duration of your pain, whether your pain is localised to a single site or involves multiple body regions, the type of procedure performed, the underlying pain mechanism, and individual biological factors. Your clinician will discuss the expected outcomes based on your diagnosis, clinical assessment and the best available evidence.

Fasting is not required as most pain interventions are performed under local anaesthesia.

Most pain procedures are performed under local anaesthesia. Botox® injections do not usually require any local anaesthetic. Sedation may be offered for selected hospital-based procedures but is not available in the clinic. General anaesthesia is not routinely required for pain procedures.

Where possible, we recommend leaving a two-week interval between a steroid injection and a vaccination. Please let us know if you have recently received, or are due to receive, a vaccination so that we can advise you on the most appropriate timing.

No. Private treatment does not usually speed up access to NHS pain services or other NHS treatments. You may return to NHS care at any time, and with your consent we can write to your GP or refer you back to your local NHS pain clinic if ongoing NHS management is appropriate. Please note that NHS clinicians are not obliged to provide treatments recommended following a private consultation. Decisions regarding NHS investigations, medications and procedures are made in accordance with local NHS policies and clinical judgement.