The McCarthy Clinic : Anaesthetic surgery clinic based in Bristol

The Clinic

The McCarthy Clinic is a local anaesthetic surgery clinic based in Bristol. They specialise in colorectal surgeries and offer private medical and surgical treatment for piles, anal conditions, rectal problems and gut disorders. The McCarthy Clinic surgeries are all performed under local anaesthetic and patients benefit with quick and painless surgeries, that avoid the need for hospital admissions.

The McCarthy Clinic understand these conditions can be embarrassing and difficult to talk about, but they also understand the importance of providing the service. That’s why the clinic also offers specialist advice, all of which is provided by an accredited specialist colorectal surgeon. The McCarthy Clinic also understands that any operation around the anal canal can affect future continence. They take every step to ensure continence is preserved, whichever treatment option you choose.

The McCarthy Clinic was established by Kathryn McCarthy, a Bristol based colorectal surgeon with a special interest in pelvic floor conditions, particularly anal incontinence.

Meet the Surgeon

Besides having a special interest in colorectal conditions as well as pelvic floor conditions, Kathryn also has a special interest in anal incontinence. She qualified from University College London in 1998 and has been a consultant surgeon at North Bristol NHS Trust for 8 years. She works as a private surgeon treating painful anal disorders, anal fissures, haemorrhoids and the removal of anal and vaginal skin tags.

She is an active member of the Bristol wide Pelvic Floor MDT, which was one of the first UK centers to be accepted by the National Pelvic Floor Society (www.tpfs.org) as a nationally accredited center for peritoneal surgery.

Kathryn is actively involved in research and has 60 peer reviewed publications. Her research interests include surgical outcomes in older, frail patients and translational research into colorectal cancer. You can find out more about Kathryn’s experience and training here: https://themccarthyclinic.org/meet-the-surgeon/

Training and experience

Miss Kathryn McCarthy qualified in medicine from University College London in 1998. She undertook her higher surgical training in London and Wessex, including a year of specialist training in gynaecology at the Princess Ann Hospital in Southampton. She completed her training with a fellowship in advanced laparoscopic colorectal surgery in Glasgow.

Kathryn has been a Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at North Bristol NHS Trust since 2012, where she specialises in laparoscopic colorectal surgery, pelvic surgery and endometriosis. Since taking up her post, she has furthered her practice with another secondment into gynaecology in order to develop services for women with bowel symptoms who have experienced obstetric and sphincter injuries, those with complex endometriosis and to further the management of women who have pelvic organ prolapse affecting the bowel and vagina.

Kathryn has also established a dedicated service for patients with faecal incontinence and evacuatory disorders at North Bristol NHS Trust. She is an active member of the Bristol Pelvic Floor MDT, North Bristol Continence Group and is co-director for the Bladder and Bowel Confidence Health Integration Team, Bristol Health Partners. She is also a proctology committee member for the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (Royal College of Surgeons).

The McCarthy Clinic offers specialist treatments for the following conditions in a comfortable and supporting environment:

Specialist treatments

Removal of anal skin tags - £500(one), £600(2-3)

Anal skin tags can be very bothersome. They are usually the leftover feature of large fleshy haemorrhoids or a chronically healed anal fissure. They can interfere with effective wiping after passing a motion, particularly looser motions. Small amount of faecal leakage can lead to itchiness and a permanent sense of not being clean. Surgery to remove this skin can be straightforward and easily performed under local anaesthetic. The procedure takes approximately 10-15 minutes and may be sore afterwards. There may be a small dissolvable stitch and some glue as a waterproof dressing.

Removal of Vaginal skin tags - £350 (3 or less), £475 (4 or more)

Surgical treatment of haemorrhoids

Banding of haemorrhoids - £500

A straight forward procedure that takes less than 10 minutes. It is indicated for haemorrhoids that are not fully prolapsed, all the time. Rubber bands are applied to the fleshy piles, inside the anal canal. Up to 3 rubber bands can be applied at one treatment setting. The strangulated piles will then slough off, with the rubber band, into the toilet in 3 days. It may be that you do not notice this at all. This treatment is the most effective outpatient treatment of haemorrhoids with 2 in 10 patients requiring a second banding within 6 months.

Injection of haemorrhoids - £497

A traditional outpatient treatment of haemorrhoids. Phenol in oil is injected into the base of up to 3 haemorrhoids. This stops the blood supply to the haemorrhoid and causes the haemorrhoid to shrink away over 3-4 days. It takes 5-8 minutes and is usually well tolerated and effective in most patients.

HALO procedure haemorrhoids - £1700

(HALO procedure) is a newer minimally invasive treatment for haemorrhoids. It can be performed in clinic under local/topical anaesthetic. The aim of the procedure is to identify the main artery feeding each pile and stitch it closed. This is a well-tolerated procedure and is effective for piles where bleeding is the most bothersome symptom.

Surgical treatment of anal fissures - £575

Anal fissures are very painful conditions. They are tears that occur right along the opening of the anal canal. They usually occur as a result of hard stool and evacuatory disorders. Their symptoms usually include extreme pain on opening bowels and for 1-2 hours afterwards. Treatment usually involves softening the stool and specific topical cream. After 6-8 weeks if the fissure is still problematic, it is then referred to as a chronic fissure. The investigation of this condition requires anorectal physiology testing of the pressures in the muscles of the pelvic floor. It is important to know if there is a high pressure within the anal sphincter before any surgical treatment is offered. These treatments include; Botox injection to the anal sphincter and lateral sphincterotomy (small cut to the internal anal sphincter).

Treatment of painful anal disorders

Initial consultation + anoscopy + rigid sigmoidoscopy - £291

Anal irrigation therapy can be an effective treatment for some patients with stubborn constipation that affects their left colon and rectum. There are multiple functional bowel disorders that reduce the rectum ability to effectively evacuate a bowel motion. Usually, this situation has developed over many years with patients trying many different laxatives.
* Removal of lesion may incur a histology cost of £150-250 (depending on size of sample)

Private practice

Kathryn is available for private consultation at Litfield House Medical Centre in the Clifton area of Bristol, where she endeavours to offer clinic-based medical and surgical treatments for anal problems.

Fees

For more information on procedure prices visit The McCarthy Clinic.

Research interests

Kathryn is actively involved in research and has 60 peer reviewed publications. Her research interests include surgical outcomes in older, frail patients and translational research into colorectal cancer. She is an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Bristol and has supervised PhD studentships, as well as nurse-led research projects.

Kathryn is a member of the University of Bristol’s Scientific Board for the Integrative Cancer Epidemiology Programme and has been NIHR lead for surgical research, West of England since 2015.

What patients say about Kathryn McCarthy

Read more reviews