LogoFlare
Private Rheumatology Practice

Your immune system is speaking.
We translate.

Specialist rheumatology care for the symptoms that have been dismissed, misread, or quietly endured. Precise diagnosis. A named condition. A plan.

MRCP(UK) · CCT Rheumatology · NHS Consultant · Private Practice Est. 2018
Metacarpophalangeal
joint inflammation
Synovial
tissue analysis
3 yrsAverage wait for correct diagnosis
87%Report improvement within 8 weeks
48 hrsTypical time to first appointment
14+Autoimmune conditions treated
Conditions
1 in 4

autoimmune patients wait over 3 years for a correct diagnosis.

The conditions below are frequently misread as fibromyalgia, anxiety, or "unexplained fatigue." Each has a name, a mechanism, and a treatment pathway. The first step is getting the right specialist in the room.

Book a diagnostic consultation
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JointsSystemic

Rheumatoid Arthritis

The immune system attacks the joint lining. Morning stiffness lasting over an hour is the telling signal — not "just getting older."

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Multi-systemAutoimmune

Lupus (SLE)

A condition of disguises — fatigue, rashes, joint pain, and organ involvement that mimics a dozen other diagnoses.

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SkinJoints

Psoriatic Arthritis

Skin and joints speaking the same inflammatory language. Often present years before the skin findings appear.

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SpineSacroiliac

Axial Spondyloarthritis

The back pain that wakes you at 3am and improves only with movement. Not a disc. Not posture. Inflammation.

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CrystalAcute

Gout & Crystal Arthritis

The most treatable of all arthritides — if diagnosed correctly. Uric acid levels alone do not tell the story.

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ExocrineFatigue

Sjögren's Syndrome

Dry eyes, dry mouth, and a fatigue so profound it redefines the word. Frequently misattributed to anxiety or menopause.

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VascularSystemic

Vasculitis

Inflammation of blood vessel walls — from skin rashes to kidney involvement. Rare, serious, and requires specialist eyes.

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MuscleEnzyme

Inflammatory Myopathy

Proximal muscle weakness — difficulty climbing stairs, lifting arms — combined with raised muscle enzymes. Not fatigue. Inflammation.

Approach

Medicine that earns its conclusions.

Three appointments. Three distinct phases. Each one designed to eliminate ambiguity and arrive at a diagnosis that will hold.

01
75 minutes

The Diagnostic Consultation

The first appointment is not a triage. It is a full clinical history — from the first symptom to now. Every dismissed test result, every "normal" blood panel, every GP note reviewed. Patterns emerge when given time.

  • Full rheumatological history from symptom onset
  • Review of all prior investigations and imaging
  • Targeted examination of affected joints and systems
  • Same-day provisional assessment with next steps
Doctor reviewing medical records and imaging in a clinical consultation room
01
02
1–2 weeks

Precision Investigation

Not every autoimmune marker is in a standard blood panel. We order the specific serology, imaging, and sometimes tissue analysis that confirms — or confidently rules out — each differential.

  • Specialist serology: ANA, ANCA, anti-CCP, complement levels
  • Musculoskeletal ultrasound for synovitis and enthesitis
  • MRI referrals with rheumatology-specific protocols
  • Same-laboratory consistency for reliable trending
Medical laboratory equipment and specialist blood test panels
02
03
Follow-up appointment

A Named Diagnosis

The result of this process is not a management plan for "inflammatory arthropathy." It is a named condition, an explained mechanism, and a prognosis that accounts for your specific disease profile — not the average patient's.

  • Written diagnosis with ICD-10 coding for insurance and GP records
  • Disease activity scoring at baseline (DAS28, SLEDAI, BASDAI)
  • Personalised treatment pathway with evidence base explained
  • Shared decision-making — you understand every option
Doctor discussing diagnosis and treatment options with a patient in a clinical setting
03
Outcomes

Numbers that come from patients, not brochures.

Outcome data collected from patients seen in this practice. Anonymised, audited, and published without editorial selection.

87%

of patients report measurable symptom improvement within 8 weeks of starting treatment

23 days

median time from first appointment to confirmed diagnosis — versus a national average of 3+ years

94%

of patients who presented with "unexplained" symptoms received a specific named diagnosis

What the first 8 weeks look like.

Week 1

First consultation

Full history, clinical examination, and provisional assessment. Investigation plan agreed.

Week 2–3

Investigation phase

Specialist blood panels, ultrasound, and imaging completed. Results reviewed as they arrive.

Week 3–4

Diagnosis appointment

Named diagnosis delivered in writing. Treatment options presented with evidence base.

Week 5–8

Treatment initiation

First-line therapy started. Monitoring protocol established. GP letter sent same day.

Week 8

First review

Disease activity scored against baseline. Treatment adjusted if needed. Most patients notice change.

In their own words.

“Three GPs, two years, and a referral to a psychiatrist. Flare gave me a diagnosis in three weeks. Rheumatoid arthritis — something with a name, a mechanism, and a treatment.”

Catherine M.
Marathon runner, age 34 · RA diagnosed 2024

“My hands had been stiffening for eight months. I was told it was stress. Within four weeks of my first appointment here, I was on a biologic. Within eight, I was back at the piano.”

Bernard O.
Retired teacher, age 67 · Psoriatic arthritis

“The fatigue was the worst part — that wet concrete feeling. Nobody took it seriously. Here, it was the first thing they asked about.”

Priya S.
Marketing director, age 41 · Sjögren's syndrome
About

Credentials first. Warmth follows.

This practice was built on a specific frustration: the diagnostic gap between when autoimmune disease starts and when it is named.

Dr. Eleanor Whitfield, Consultant Rheumatologist, in clinical consultation room
Dr. Eleanor Whitfield
MRCP · Consultant Rheumatologist

I trained at University College London and completed my rheumatology fellowship at the Hammersmith Hospital. For the past nine years I have held an NHS consultant post, where I see the full complexity of inflammatory and autoimmune disease — including cases referred from across the country after years without diagnosis.

I opened this private practice because the NHS waiting list means that early inflammatory arthritis — the window where treatment changes outcomes permanently — is consistently missed. A patient who waits 18 months for a rheumatology appointment has often already developed joint damage that is irreversible.

I do not offer wellness consultations or lifestyle advice. I offer diagnostic rigour, evidence-based treatment, and the time that a 12-minute GP appointment cannot provide.

Credentials & Training

Fellowship
MRCP (UK), 2012
CCT
Rheumatology, 2016
NHS Post
Consultant Rheumatologist, University Hospital
Private Practice
Est. 2018
Special Interest
Early inflammatory arthritis, Connective tissue disease
Research
24 peer-reviewed publications in rheumatology

Wait time, compared.

NHS rheumatology wait (England, 2025)18–24 wks
Flare: time to first appointment48 hours
NHS time to diagnosis (complex cases)3.2 years
Flare: median time to diagnosis23 days
GMC Registered · Specialist Register (Rheumatology) · Registered with all major insurers including Bupa, AXA, Aviva
Book

The first appointment is the hardest step.We make it easy.

Click below to be taken to our booking system, pre-filtered for new-patient rheumatology consultations. You will see available appointments in the next 48 hours.

No GP referral needed
Results within 3 weeks
Registered with Bupa, AXA & Aviva

What to expect when you book.

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75-minute appointment

Not 12 minutes. The first consultation is protected time.

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Bring everything

GP letters, blood results, imaging reports — all of it. We will review it all.

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Central London clinic

Harley Street, W1G. Direct access by tube and Marylebone station.

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Self-pay or insured

We accept all major insurers. Self-pay rates published on the booking page.

Flare Rheumatology
12 Harley Street, London W1G 9PF
Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00 · Sat 9:00–13:00
+44 (0)20 3456 7890