Mr Rathnam Sundaram

Mr Sundaram was appointed as a Consultant Trauma, Orthopaedic and Spine Surgeon in Gloucestershire in 2010 and has received world class extensive training and experience. He graduated from the University of Leeds Medical School and trained in the Liverpool Region, Nottingham and Exeter. He is the Spinal Lead for Gloucestershire Hospitals and works veryclosely with his other 25 Consultant Orthopaedic colleagues as well the neurology and oncology specialists in the NHS and private sector. He also maintains a close relationshipwith the General Practitioners throughout Gloucestershire and the neighbouring counties as well as other health care professionals such as physiotherapists, chiropractors and osteopaths, and knows how working with a team best helps patients’ recovery. Mr Sundaram’s practice consists of both emergency and elective spine conditions. The majority of the emergency work is for metastatic tumours, spinal fractures, spinal infections, cauda equina syndrome and progressive cord compression. The elective work is mainly for sciatica, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy. More details are on his website www.itsmyspine.co.uk. Details of his practice data are also available on the national PHIN website https://www.phin.org.uk. He is recognised by all health insurance providers. Mr Sundaram undertakes more than 3000 patient consultations per year, making him themost experienced spine surgeon in Gloucestershire as his NHS and private practice exposes him to the vast array of both elective and emergency spine pathology. In 2015 Mr Sundaram was appointed as the Spine Lead in Gloucestershire NHS Foundation Trust. Since then, following the new guidelines there have been many positive steps forwardswithin the service development, such as - A reduction in the variation in spinal surgery - Lowered length of stay postoperatively - Reduced spinal implant costs, saving £400000 year on year since 2015 for the NHS Trust - A reduction in re-operation rates - A reduction in unnecessary spinal injections These achievements have led him to receive 3 Clinical Excellence Award, as well as being shortlisted for the People’s Choice Award and Team of the Year Award which he was delighted to be involved in. From November 2016, there has been a significant national change in the management of spinal disorders led by the Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) project, NICE and the British Association of Spine Surgeon (BASS). This has led to better management of patients and the reduction of spinal procedures which have limited clinical benefits. This is not rationing by the NHS or by private insurance companies, but has been implemented to reduce ineffective procedures and improve the quality of the interventions we are delivering to further improve patient care.