A GP referral for private MRI through Vista Health, with the radiologist's report reviewed with you afterwards.
Referred by a GMC-registered GP, results reviewed by the same doctor
Taken at a partner site near you
Results explained in plain English, not just a number
Your NHS records in the room, with your consent
Care led personally by Dr Khan
Attentive, unhurried care that listens properly
Five-star Google reviews from the people we have looked after
Registered with the Care Quality Commission
MRI is the most detailed imaging available for soft tissue — joints, spine, brain and internal organs — and it uses no radiation at all.
Most private imaging providers require a referral from a doctor before they will scan you. The consultation establishes whether MRI is the right investigation, and which body part actually needs scanning.
Detailed cross-sectional images of soft tissue using a strong magnetic field and radio waves. Particularly good for ligaments, cartilage, discs, the spinal cord and the brain.
MRI shows soft tissue — discs, ligaments, cartilage, nerves, brain — far better than X-ray or CT, and uses no radiation at all. For most musculoskeletal and neurological questions it is the right scan.
MRI finds things. Disc bulges, minor tears and degenerative changes are extremely common in people with no symptoms whatsoever, and seeing them on a report can cause worry out of proportion to their significance. Part of the results review is putting findings in context rather than handing you a list.
A radiologist reporting "MRI lumbar spine" produces a different report from one answering "45-year-old with six weeks of left L5 radicular pain, no red flags — disc protrusion?" The second gets you an answer. The first gets you a list of findings.
Consultation to confirm MRI is appropriate, referral issued to Vista Health, you book a convenient location and time. The radiologist's report comes back to us and is reviewed with you.
You may also take the referral to an imaging provider of your own choosing.
Tell us about any metal in your body — pacemakers, implanted devices, surgical clips, metal fragments in the eye. Some of these make MRI unsafe.
The scanner is enclosed and noisy. Tell us if you are claustrophobic, as open or wide-bore scanners can be requested.
A radiologist reports the images, and that report is written for a clinician. It uses language that reads far more alarmingly than it is meant to.
This matters more with MRI than almost any other test, because MRI sees a great deal — and much of what it sees is ordinary wear that everyone has.
MRI of the spine in people with no back pain at all shows disc bulges, degeneration and protrusions in the majority by middle age.
"Degenerative change", "disc desiccation" and "mild disc bulge" are descriptions of a normal spine that has been alive for forty years. They are not injuries, and they are frequently not the cause of the pain.
Being told you have a "crumbling spine" makes people move less, and moving less makes back pain worse. The words on a report can do real harm, which is why they need explaining.
An abnormality only means something if it matches your symptoms. A disc bulge on the left when the pain is on the right is a coincidence, not a diagnosis.
The scan is one piece of evidence, read against the history and examination.
That the things MRI looks for are not there — which is genuinely reassuring for the serious causes.
It does not mean your pain is imaginary. Most back pain, most headache and most joint pain have no visible cause on any scan, and are no less real for it.
MRI's sensitivity is its main drawback. It finds things that were never going to cause trouble, and once found they are difficult to ignore.
That leads to further scans, specialist appointments, occasionally procedures — and a lasting sense of being damaged. Scanning without a clear question is how that starts.
Certain pacemakers, implanted devices, cochlear implants, some aneurysm clips and metal fragments in the eye are absolute contraindications. Tell the unit about any metal anywhere in your body, including from old injuries or occupational exposure.
Many modern implants are MRI-safe, but this is checked beforehand, not assumed.
We do not perform scans — we refer to imaging providers. And an urgent problem belongs on an NHS urgent pathway, which moves faster than a private referral and comes with the specialist attached.
NHS MRI is free where clinically indicated, and for anything urgent it is both faster and better connected — the scan comes with the specialist who acts on it.
Ask your GP about waiting times before assuming they are long. They vary enormously by area and by body part, and are often shorter than expected.
Right to Choose also lets you pick a different NHS provider with a shorter wait, at no cost. It is under-used because few people know it exists.
A genuinely long local wait for a non-urgent problem, where knowing sooner would change what you do — a decision about surgery, or about work.
Where it makes less sense is reassurance, because MRI so reliably finds incidental things that the scan often creates more worry than it removes.
A private scan finding something unexpected leads to onward investigation, and that is where the expense accumulates.
Worth asking before booking: what happens if something is found? Some providers include a specialist consultation; many do not, and you re-enter the NHS at the beginning of a queue.
Yes — there is no radiation involved at all. It uses a magnetic field and radio waves, which is what makes it preferable to CT where either would answer the question.
Say so when booking, because it is common and there are options.
Open and wide-bore scanners are available at many centres, some scans can be done feet-first, and a mild sedative can be arranged in advance — though you would then need someone to drive you home.
It is also noisy, loud enough that you are given ear protection. Knowing that beforehand helps.
It depends entirely on what and where — and it must be checked, never assumed.
Tell the unit about pacemakers, defibrillators, cochlear implants, aneurysm clips, joint replacements, surgical clips, and any history of metal fragments in the eye, including from grinding or welding work.
Many modern implants are MRI-safe. Some are absolutely not.
Usually 20 to 45 minutes depending on the region, and you need to stay still — movement blurs the images and can mean repeating a sequence.
A gadolinium injection used for certain questions, particularly where inflammation, tumours or blood vessels are involved.
Tell the unit if you have kidney problems or have reacted to contrast before. Most scans do not need it.
Almost certainly not in the way it sounds.
The majority of people with no back pain at all show exactly these findings by middle age. They describe an ordinary spine that has aged, not an injury.
Radiology reports are written for doctors, and they read far more alarmingly than they are meant to. That is precisely what the results review is for.
Because a scan without a clinical question produces findings nobody can interpret — and MRI finds something in almost everyone.
The consultation decides whether a scan will actually answer your question, and sometimes the honest answer is that it will not.
That is common, and it does not mean the pain is not real.
Most back pain, most headache and most joint pain have no visible cause on any imaging. A normal scan rules out the serious explanations — which is worth having — but the pain still needs treating.
Sudden severe symptoms do not belong in a private imaging queue.
New weakness, numbness in the saddle area, loss of bladder or bowel control, or severe sudden headache need A&E today — the NHS urgent pathway is faster than any private referral and comes with the specialist attached.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Mohammad Zubair Khan, GMC 7563469
Last reviewed
August 23, 2026
On this page
Ongoing
Time to be seen
Appointment length
Your NHS record in the room
Written treatment plan
Told when a test isn’t needed
Cost
Same day, usually
20 minutes
Yes, with your consent
Included
Yes, and told why
£40 for 20 minutes
Varies by practice
Typically 10 minutes
Yes, your full record
Not routinely
Usually
Free
Same day
Often 10 to 15 minutes
Usually not
Sometimes charged
Varies by provider
Often a subscription
Same-day access is usually available, from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week. You choose a time that suits you rather than waiting on hold at 8am.
Yes. Care is led personally by Dr Mohammad Khan, so you are not passed between clinicians. Continuity is the point of a small practice: someone who knows your history and is listening attentively rather than working through a checklist.
Yes, with your consent. We can access your Summary Care Record during the consultation, so your current medications, allergies and significant history are in the room. That means fewer questions you have already answered elsewhere, and safer prescribing.
No. We are not here to replace GPs, only to support them. Your NHS practice remains responsible for your ongoing care, and with your consent we write to them after the consultation. We are useful when you need to be seen sooner, or want more time than a standard appointment allows.
Twenty unhurried minutes and a comprehensive assessment. A written treatment plan is included, along with any prescription, sick note or referral letter arising from the consultation, at no extra charge.
£40 for 20 minutes, self-pay. Membership is optional and never required. Priced for fairness, because we are not here to charge extortionate amounts for access to a doctor.
It means the diagnosis can usually be made from your history and photographs, and that treatment can be arranged safely without examining you. Where a condition is not marked treatable online, it is because examination is the diagnosis — listening to a chest, feeling an abdomen, examining an ear or a joint — or because a procedure or device is needed.
Yes, where there is a genuine bacterial infection — cellulitis, impetigo, bacterial urine infections, confirmed strep throat. We will also frequently tell you that you do not need one. Most sore throats, coughs, colds and earaches are viral, and an antibiotic gives you the side effects with none of the benefit.
If your problem turns out to be genuinely outside what we can do remotely, the doctor will tell you straight away, point you to the right service, and refund your fee in full. We would rather do that than fill twenty minutes to justify the charge.
Call 999 or go to A&E — do not book an online appointment and do not wait for a reply to an email. For urgent problems that are not emergencies, NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, online or by phone, and can direct you to the right service.
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