BLADDER • Platinum Medical Centre, London
Haematuria (Blood in the urine) in London — Platinum Medical Centre
Medically reviewed by Mr. Harshawardhan Godbole, MS, MCh, FRCS.Ed, DNB(Urol), FRCS(Urol)
Last medically reviewed: 21 May 2026
Last updated: 21 May 2026
For patients in St John's Wood, Maida Vale, Marylebone, and Hampstead — where expectations of private healthcare are high and the tolerance for diagnostic uncertainty is low — haematuria demands immediate specialist assessment, not a NHS waiting list. Platinum Medical Centre on Lodge Road NW8, 3 minutes from St John's Wood Underground, provides private haematuria investigation at the highest specialist standard: cystoscopy performed personally by Mr. Harshawardhan Godbole FRCS, Cancer Lead at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust, within days of first contact. For international patients who develop haematuria while in London, the complete investigation — cystoscopy, CT urography, and cytology — can be structured within a single concentrated visit schedule, with written results suitable for sharing with overseas physicians.
Haematuria — blood in the urine — is classified as visible (frank haematuria, seen with the naked eye) or non-visible (microscopic, found on dipstick or laboratory testing). Any episode of visible haematuria in an adult over 40 requires urgent cystoscopy and CT urography to exclude bladder cancer and kidney cancer — regardless of any apparently benign explanation. Non-visible haematuria in symptomatic adults or those with risk factors (smoking, age over 40, occupational exposure) also warrants investigation. Causes include bladder and kidney cancer, kidney stones, UTI, BPH, IgA nephropathy, and anticoagulant use. Investigation establishes the source and cause.
### Haematuria in the Context of Previous Urological History
A specific patient group at Platinum Medical Centre presents with haematuria in the context of a previous urological history — patients who have had bladder cancer treated with TURBT and BCG and now present with haematuria between surveillance cystoscopies; patients with a history of kidney stones who are uncertain whether the blood is from a stone or a new tumour; and patients who have had previous kidney surgery and develop haematuria from the remaining kidney. For each of these scenarios, the haematuria investigation is contextualised by the prior history — and Mr. Godbole's Cancer Lead experience provides the oncological judgement needed to interpret the findings appropriately.
### Painless Haematuria in Active Central London Patients
Platinum Medical Centre's NW8 patient community is physically active — runners, cyclists, and gym users who may attribute haematuria to exercise. Exercise-induced haematuria is real, but it is a diagnosis of exclusion: cystoscopy and CT urography must confirm the absence of tumours before exercise is accepted as the cause. An active man of 50 who attributes haematuria to his running training and then presents 6 months later with a bladder tumour that was present at the time of the attributed episode has been significantly harmed by the assumption. At Platinum Medical Centre, every haematuria receives full investigation regardless of the apparent lifestyle explanation.
### Travel and Parking Guide – Platinum Medical Centre
15–17 Lodge Road, St John's Wood NW8 7JA. Underground: St John's Wood (Jubilee Line), 3 minutes walk. From Baker Street: 2 stops. Metered parking on Lodge Road; NCP at Clarence Gate.
Why choose Platinum Medical Centre for haematuria (blood in the urine)?
- St John's Wood and Maida Vale patients choose Platinum Medical Centre for haematuria investigation because St John's Wood Underground is 3 minutes walk — the most accessible private Cancer Lead cystoscopy in Central London for NW8 and surrounding postcodes, with same-week appointment availability.
- Patients with previous urological history — prior bladder cancer, kidney stones, previous kidney surgery — receive contextualised haematuria assessment from a Cancer Lead specialist with the oncological background to interpret findings in the context of their prior pathology.
- Exercise-attributed haematuria receives full investigation at Platinum Medical Centre — cystoscopy and CT urography confirming the absence of tumours before a lifestyle explanation is accepted.
Haematuria (Blood in the urine) cost at Platinum Medical Centre
Private consultation: £300 at Platinum Medical Centre. We accept Bupa, AXA Health, Vitality and Aviva. Call +44 (0)7884 183968 for a treatment cost estimate. [INTERNAL LINK → /fees/]
Causes of Heamaturia
- Cancer
- Urinary stones
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Injuries
- Kidney injury
- Medications such as blood thinning agents
- Certain food as beet root may stain urine red
- Indwelling catheters
Management of Heamaturia:
Treatment for hematuria should be sought urgently. After detailed history and through physical examination appropriate investigations are to be undertaken which would include relevant blood tests, urine tests, imaging and endoscopy for initial assessment. This symptom should not be disregarded and urgent urological review is to be sought.
Coming in for your haematuria (blood in the urine) appointment
Platinum Medical Centre serves haematuria patients from St John's Wood, Maida Vale, Marylebone, Primrose Hill, Swiss Cottage, Hampstead, Kilburn, and internationally from Central London hotels and serviced apartments. The Jubilee Line provides rapid access from Canary Wharf, Westminster, and Heathrow.
Patient reviews — haematuria (blood in the urine) at Platinum Medical Centre
Alexander Hughes
St John's Wood
I am an active runner and had haematuria after a marathon. My sports physician suggested it was runner's bladder and advised rest. Coming to Platinum Medical Centre for cystoscopy overturned that assumption — a small bladder tumour was found. TURBT performed. Ta low-grade cancer. The exercise attribution that my sports physician made without cystoscopy would have left a cancer uninvestigated. Full investigation first, explanation second.
March 2026
Francesca Romano
Maida Vale
I am Italian and was in London on business when I noticed blood in my urine. Platinum Medical Centre arranged cystoscopy within 4 days and CT urography within the week. Both were clear — haematuria from a kidney stone identified on CT. Mr. Godbole's written report, sent digitally to my urologist in Milan, covered all investigation findings clearly. The complete investigation completed within 10 days in London, results communicated internationally.
February 2026
Tariq Hassan
Marylebone
I had bladder cancer treated 18 months ago and found haematuria 3 months before my next scheduled surveillance cystoscopy. Coming to Platinum Medical Centre for an unscheduled urgent cystoscopy was the right response. An early recurrence was found — Ta low-grade, caught at first recurrence rather than at a more advanced stage. The cancer-contextualised interpretation of my haematuria — immediately recognised as requiring urgent assessment — was what defined the outcome.
March 2026
Sophie Laurent
Hampstead
My husband had haematuria that his GP attributed to his kidney stone history without arranging cystoscopy. Coming to Platinum Medical Centre, the cystoscopy showed a bladder tumour alongside a kidney stone on CT urography. Both conditions found simultaneously — both requiring treatment. The assumption that the stone explained the haematuria would have left a bladder cancer uninvestigated.
January 2026
David Goldstein
Swiss Cottage
Swiss Cottage to St John's Wood Underground is 10 minutes walk. I had non-visible haematuria on a blood test. My GP said it was insignificant. Mr. Godbole at Platinum Medical Centre applied the correct clinical threshold: symptomatic microscopic haematuria in a 51-year-old former smoker warrants full investigation. Cystoscopy: CIS found. BCG therapy started. A 'clinically insignificant' finding was a bladder cancer.
February 2026
Frequently asked questions
I had blood in my urine after a long run — could it just be exercise-related?
Possibly, but exercise-induced haematuria is a diagnosis of exclusion — it can only be attributed as the cause after cystoscopy and CT urography have excluded bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and kidney stones. An active man over 40 who attributes haematuria to running without investigation risks a delayed cancer diagnosis. At Platinum Medical Centre, exercise history is noted as a possible contributing factor, but it does not replace the full investigation. Call +44 (0)7884 183968 to book.
I had bladder cancer treated 2 years ago and now have haematuria between my surveillance cystoscopies — what should I do?
Contact HRG Urology at Platinum Medical Centre immediately on +44 (0)7884 183968. Any haematuria in a patient with a history of bladder cancer requires an urgent unscheduled cystoscopy — it may represent recurrence. Do not wait for your next scheduled surveillance appointment. Mr. Godbole's team will arrange priority cystoscopy within days.
Is a flexible cystoscopy at Platinum Medical Centre performed under general anaesthesia?
No. Flexible cystoscopy is performed under local anaesthetic gel instilled into the urethra — no general anaesthesia and no hospital admission required. The procedure takes 10–15 minutes. You remain awake throughout and can discuss findings with Mr. Godbole immediately after the procedure. Flexible cystoscopy is an outpatient procedure — you can take the Underground home to St John's Wood, Maida Vale, or Marylebone within 30 minutes of the procedure.
What written reports are provided after haematuria investigation at Platinum Medical Centre?
A comprehensive written haematuria investigation report is provided, including: cystoscopy findings and interpretation, CT urography findings, urine cytology result, clinical diagnosis or differential, and recommended management plan. This report is suitable for sharing with your GP, oncologist, or overseas physician if required. For international patients, the report is written in English in a format compatible with international medical record systems.
Can I have my haematuria investigation at Platinum Medical Centre if I am currently on an NHS waiting list for cystoscopy?
Yes. Private haematuria investigation at Platinum Medical Centre is completely independent of your NHS referral. You can have your private cystoscopy and CT urography at Platinum Medical Centre — receiving diagnostic clarity within a week — while remaining on the NHS waiting list. If a cancer is found, you can then decide whether to pursue private or NHS treatment. If the investigation is clear, you can cancel your NHS referral with the reassurance of a negative private investigation.
Causes of Heamaturia
Cancer Urinary stones Urinary tract infections (UTIs) Injuries Kidney injury Medications such as blood thinning agents Certain food as beet root may stain urine red Indwelling catheters
Management of Heamaturia:
Treatment for hematuria should be sought urgently. After detailed history and through physical examination appropriate investigations are to be undertaken which would include relevant blood tests, urine tests, imaging and endoscopy for initial assessment. This symptom should not be disregarded and urgent urological review is to be sought.