Perhaps you can access some EMG studies to see the extent of dysfunction caused by the pressure on the nerve roots. This may assist to understand whether surgery is more or less a warranted option, despite us all wanting to try the conservative approach first. Peripheral dysfunctions are very hard to generalize in terms of recovery, even with surgery at this later stage. I have seen full recover with and without surgery in patients with similar Wikipedia reference-linkMRI presentations. That said some have taken 12-18 months to begin the return of functional. Others have not had their function returned following surgery.

As an aussie myself I thought the national hospital system provided pretty good care in the orthopaedic areas, especially simple decompressions. Perhaps if surgery is a consideration you need not go private.