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 very closely 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 relationship with 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. 

 Experience

Mr Sundaram has more than 20 years of experience in spinal disorders.  His 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 the most 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 he was appointed as the Spine Lead for Gloucestershire NHS Foundation Trust.  Since then, following the new guidelines there have been many positive steps forwards within 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 Awards, 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. 

Quality Assurance

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.  Mr Sundaram keeps up to date with the latest evidence and follows the National Spinal GIRFT guidelines in providing best care for patients.  He is renowned surgeon with a low complication rate and excellent interventional outcomes.  His outcome data is registered with the British Spinal Registry and shows excellent outcomes in the top 2.5% of surgeons nationally.

Mr Sundaram has received numerous testimonials from patients which are posted on his website http://www.itsmyspine.co.uk/testimonials/.  Patients can also write reviews on the website ‘i want great care’ for any Consultant which he is thankful for the number of positive reviews on https://www.iwantgreatcare.org/doctors/mr-rathnam-sundaram, and also on the Vitality Doctify website https://vitality.doctify.co.uk/specialist/mr_rathnam_sundaram_1?hospitalList=27

Mr Sundaram has also been awarded the ‘Certificate of Excellence’ from ‘i want great care’ in 2021 and 2022 for providing excellent care to his patients.

Mr Sundaram is affiliated with Top Doctors https://www.topdoctors.co.uk/doctor/rath-sundaram and is honoured to have practicing privileges in the two large NHS hospitals in Gloucestershire and the peripheral hospitals in Cirencester and Tetbury.  Due to the excellent care he delivers to his patients, since 2011 his practicing privileges have been renewed year on year by the local private hospitals.  Therefore he is able to keep his patients’ care local to Gloucestershire.

A Consultant for All Patients

As Mr Sundaram has both an NHS and Private Practice, he is able to see all patients regardless of their financial situation.  Patients who see him privately who’s insurance policy or funding has expired, or self-pay patients can easily transfer to the NHS under his care without a problem.  He has developed an excellent reputation over the years amongst his colleagues and patients and is determined to give the best quality of care to them.

Health and Fitness

Mr Sundaram is a keen sportsman and knows the importance of keeping fit and leading a healthy lifestyle, to enable good quality meaningful life in the latter years.  He regularly engages in about 8-10 hours of physical activity per week which includes running, cycling, gym work, stretching, Pilates, and tennis.  He is very proud of his best 10K time of 46:28 mins!  He is very keen and competitive tennis player and in 2021 his best National LTA tennis ranking was 32 in the over 35’s age group and 28 in the over 40’s.  In 2021 he was crowned Gloucestershire Men’s over 35 county tennis champion. He also achieved his lifetime ambition of obtaining an ITF world tennis ranking for his age group.  As a doctor, he fully understands the importance of staying in good health.