Blood tests and diagnostics
Blood tests taken here six days a week. Results in about 48 hours, explained by a doctor.
Tired all the time
It is the most common thing we are asked about, and the one most often waved away.
"Tired all the time" is a real presentation with a real differential, not a complaint about modern life. In general practice it accounts for a meaningful share of appointments, and the honest position is that a cause is found in only about a third to a half of cases — but when it is found, it is usually straightforward to treat.
The problem with a ten-minute appointment is that it forces a choice between taking the history and doing the tests. A forty-five-minute first appointment does not.
What we look for first
Iron deficiency without anaemia, an underactive thyroid, coeliac disease, vitamin D and B12 deficiency, undiagnosed diabetes, sleep apnoea, depression, and the medications you are already on. Between them these account for most of the findable causes.
We also ask about the things nobody asks about: what time you actually fall asleep, how much you drink in a week counted honestly, whether you snore, and what happened in the six months before it started.
The tests that are worth doing
A first-pass panel of full blood count, ferritin, thyroid function, HbA1c, B12 and folate, coeliac screen, vitamin D, kidney and liver function will find the great majority of treatable causes. That is nine tests and £456 bought one at a time. Six of the nine are already inside the Foundation health check at £395, so most people are better off starting there and adding the other three; the Health Check Builder prices the exact combination.
What we do not do is run forty tests and hand you a printout. More tests on a well person mostly generate false alarms.
What we will probably not test for
Chronic adrenal fatigue, food intolerance panels, and most private "wellness" screens sold direct to consumers. They are not recognised diagnoses or validated tests, and a result from one of them tends to send people down an expensive road that ends where it started.
When tiredness needs to be seen quickly
Tiredness with unexplained weight loss, night sweats, a new lump, bleeding, or breathlessness on mild exertion is a different conversation and should be seen this week. Say so when you phone and we will find you something.
Where we treat this
The clinics involved
Private GP appointments
A 30-minute appointment with a GP. Same doctor each time if you want one.
Weight and metabolic health
A programme for prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, cholesterol and weight. Monthly reviews for six months.
FAQs
Questions people ask
How long should I have been tired before I come?
If it has lasted more than a month and it is not explained by something obvious, it is worth a proper look. Sooner if it came on suddenly or is getting worse.
Can I just book the bloods?
Yes. Book the Foundation health check or ask for the fatigue panel at reception. A GP reviews the results and calls you either way.
Will you check my thyroid properly?
TSH and free T4 as standard, with antibodies added if the picture suggests it. We do not routinely add free T3, because in most cases it does not change what we do.
Book an appointment
Most appointments are available within five working days. Book online or call us.