Personal Profile
Dr Matthew Burn is a Consultant Stroke Physician based in Buckinghamshire and East Berkshire, where he has been a Consultant since 2005.
Training and Appointment
After medical school in Cambridge and London, Dr Burn continued his training in General Medicine and Elderly Medicine in London, before sub-specialising in Stroke Medicine. He did a Stroke Fellowship in St George’s Hospital and worked as a Consultant in the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital before moving to Buckinghamshire in 2005 where he founded the Wycombe Stroke Unit. The unit is now the largest Stroke Unit in Thames Valley, serving Buckinghamshire and East Berkshire including Windsor and Maidenhead, and regularly receives a national ‘A’ rating.
Dr Burn has been director of the department of Stroke, Neurology, and Neurorehabilitation in Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust since 2011, and since 2014 he has been the regional clinical lead for Stroke for Thames Valley, covering Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire. He has a strong interest in research and has held posts as the research director for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, and as stroke research lead for Thames Valley Clinical Research Network.
Current Practice
Dr Burn has been seeing patients privately since 2007. He now focuses both his NHS and private practice exclusively on patients with Stroke and TIA and associated conditions. His private practice is based in the Buckinghamshire Stroke Clinic at the The Shelburne Hospital, where he aims to provide timely, specialised clinical care of the highest standard while offering a personalised service.
His approach to clinical care is characterised by:
- A careful diagnosis, facilitated by having seen thousands of patients with Stroke/TIA and with conditions mimicking Stroke/TIA over 15+ years as a Consultant
- A detailed evaluation into the underlying cause of the Stroke or TIA, including in cases of “Young Stroke” (<60 yrs) where the causes are often different
- An individualised treatment plan, tailored where possible to the precise cause of the Stroke or TIA
- Intensive risk factor control to minimise the risk of Stroke or TIA recurrence
- A team approach to clinical care, for example involving neurological physiotherapists and neuropsychologists as necessary
- Where appropriate, such as in the frail elderly, a more pragmatic approach which may include reducing medication
In addition he has built up strong links with other medical specialists in Buckinghamshire and Thames Valley, and in particular Radiologists, Vascular Surgeons, and Cardiologists specialising in procedures to prevent stroke such as closure of a “hole in the heart” (Patent Foramen Ovale).
Clinical Interests
Dr Burn has extensive experience in managing all aspects of Stroke and TIA (Transient Ischaemic Attack or “mini-stroke”):
- Prevention of Stroke and TIA, including management of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat)
- Acute treatment of Stroke
- Assessment of patients with suspected TIA, including conditions that can “mimic” TIA, such as migraine, syncope (fainting), or partial seizures
- Investigation into the underlying cause of Stroke and TIA
- Stroke rehabilitation
Professional Memberships
- British Association of Stroke Physicians
- General Medicine Council
- British Medical Association
