Working alongside you
Some patients leave your clinic still in pain, and still not sure why. From 12 April 2027, Project Sherlock will give them a clear, written, clinician-reviewed explanation of what is most likely going on — and what the sensible next steps are.
Why it helps
A patient who is not improving does not always get a second opinion. Often they get the same plan again, a referral that takes months, or reassurance that does not feel like an answer. A dedicated second-opinion service will give that question somewhere to go.
A 60-minute appointment with a specialist physiotherapist, with the reports, scans and letters the patient already has, is a different exercise from a fifteen-minute slot inside a busy clinic. The written opinion goes back to the patient in their own words, and to you if they consent to that.
Many of the patients who feel stuck are not under-treated — they are under-explained. Knowing which pathway is most likely, and which are worth ruling out, is often enough to move forward.
Nobody is referred on by us, and we do not approach your patients. A patient who wants a second opinion will book one themselves, once the service opens.
Your treatment plan, your imaging and your follow-up continue. We are an extra opinion, not a replacement for the care you provide.
We share the written opinion with you only if the patient asks us to. We never contact a clinician about a patient who has not asked us to.
How to raise it
Most patients who come to us have been told to wait, or to keep doing the same thing. From 12 April 2027 there will be a second opinion for them to consider, and they will book it themselves. A second opinion is a reasonable thing for them to consider, and it is reasonable for you to say so.
Working together
Where you have treated a patient, they have plateaued, and you are both fairly sure the picture is more complicated than a standard pathway. You can mention that an independent second opinion exists. You are under no obligation to, and no obligation to refer to us in particular.
Where a patient is waiting on a pathway and the waiting itself is a problem. Again, patient-initiated: they will look into it themselves once the service opens, and it does not add work to your list.
Where a person off work, or off the pitch, needs an independent view of a musculoskeletal problem before a return plan can be made. Those enquiries come to us directly, and we will answer them now — ahead of the service opening.
Start a conversation
If you would like to know how the service works, what it costs patients, or whether it makes sense for your patients and your service, email [email protected]. A short, direct answer is what you will get.