Blood tests, joint ultrasound and a GP consultation · Harley Street, Central London & St Albans · 7 days a week
A rheumatology screening is a complete first check for joint pain that combines a 7-marker rheumatology blood test, a joint ultrasound and a 30-minute GP consultation.
It is used to find the cause of persistent joint pain, morning stiffness and suspected inflammatory arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus and psoriatic arthritis.
At London Private Ultrasound the package costs £699 all-inclusive, with no GP referral needed, blood results in 2 working days and a referral letter if you need a specialist.
A single MSK ultrasound is from £199, without the blood tests or GP consultation. See our MSK scans.
| Price | £699 all-inclusive: blood tests, joint ultrasound and GP consultation |
|---|---|
| Blood tests | 7 markers: full blood count, ESR, CRP, uric acid, rheumatoid factor, anti-CCP and ANA |
| Ultrasound | Up to 2 joints, checked for joint inflammation, fluid, early bone damage and crystal deposits |
| GP consultation | 30 minutes, bringing your scan, bloods and symptoms into a working diagnosis and plan |
| Time | Visit one (scan and blood test) about 45–60 minutes, then a second visit for your GP consultation |
| Results | Scan explained on the day · blood results in 2 working days · GP consultation within about a week |
| Referral | No GP referral needed · referral letter to NHS or private rheumatology at no extra charge, if needed |
| Where & when | 27 Welbeck Street, W1G 8EN · 54–56 Victoria Street, St Albans AL1 3HZ · 7 days, 9am–7pm |
The ultrasound shows inflammation in the joint, the blood tests show the immune pattern, and the GP consultation brings both together into a working diagnosis.
Pick a clinic and a time for your scan and blood test. Your GP consultation follows once your results are back.
Continue to our secure booking page to choose your clinic and appointment time.
Book Rheumatology Screening · £699Seven markers cover the four main groups of rheumatology diagnosis: rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus and connective tissue disease, and general inflammation. Results are back within 2 working days.
Shows anaemia of chronic disease, which is common in rheumatoid arthritis, a raised white cell count from infection or inflammation, and platelet changes.
A general marker of inflammation that rises in active rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, vasculitis and connective tissue disease. Useful for tracking disease activity.
A faster, more sensitive inflammation marker than ESR. It rises in active inflammatory arthritis, infection and tissue injury, and is read together with ESR.
The key blood test for gout. A raised level strongly suggests gout in the right setting, especially in a single hot, swollen joint.
A long-established marker for rheumatoid arthritis. It can also be raised in other conditions and in some healthy people, so it is read alongside anti-CCP.
A highly specific marker for rheumatoid arthritis, more specific than RF, and often positive before symptoms are obvious, which helps early diagnosis.
The first-line screen for connective tissue disease, including lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome and scleroderma. A positive result leads to more specific antibody tests where needed.
Other blood tests. If your symptoms suggest ankylosing spondylitis, your GP may recommend an extra test such as HLA-B27. It costs extra and is discussed in your consultation.
No waiting list and no scattered appointments. Your blood tests, ultrasound and GP consultation are arranged together.
Blood tests can be normal in some people with early rheumatoid arthritis. Ultrasound can show joint inflammation and early bone damage before it appears on X-ray.
A 30-minute consultation turns your results into a working diagnosis in plain language, with a clear plan for what to do next.
If you need NHS or private rheumatology, your GP writes a referral letter at no extra charge, with your scan and blood results, so your first specialist appointment is more productive.
Blood results within 2 working days, and your GP consultation typically within about a week of your first visit.
Central London and St Albans, open 9am to 7pm every day. CQC-registered, established 2012 and rated 4.8 from over 1,300 reviews.
The screening takes two visits: one for your scan and blood test, and a second for your GP consultation once your results are back.
Book online or by phone with no GP referral. Bring any previous blood tests or scan reports. We will confirm any preparation for the blood test when you book.
Wear loose sleeves or shorts so the painful joints are easy to reach. Your ultrasound and blood sample are done at the same visit, and the scan findings are explained before you leave.
Results are back within 2 working days. There is nothing you need to do, and we will arrange your GP consultation.
Typically within a week of your first visit, your GP brings the scan, bloods and your symptoms together. Your written report and any referral letter follow within 24 hours.
Rheumatology screening can help if you have joint pain that has not settled and you want a clear answer without waiting for a referral. You do not need a GP referral, and you do not need to know what is wrong before you book.
Pain that has lasted weeks, or stiffness that lasts more than 30 minutes in the morning. The screening looks for an inflammatory cause.
A relative with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or psoriatic arthritis. The screening shows whether you have early signs.
A hot, swollen joint, or symptoms you suspect point to gout, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. The blood tests and scan work together to check.
Raised inflammation markers, RF or ANA on an earlier test. The screening investigates what they mean.
You want answers sooner. You get a working diagnosis in about a week, and a referral letter if you need a specialist.
Joint pain together with a rash, psoriasis or nail changes can point to psoriatic arthritis. The screening checks for it.
What the screening looks for. Rheumatoid arthritis (including seronegative), psoriatic arthritis, gout and pseudogout, lupus and other connective tissue disease, Sjögren’s syndrome, polymyalgia rheumatica, reactive arthritis and undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis. If a different service would suit you better, call us and we will advise.
Rheumatology screening at both clinics, 7 days a week from 9am to 7pm, with appointments including weekends.
27 Welbeck Street, London W1G 8EN
Two minutes from Bond Street (Elizabeth, Central and Jubilee lines), five from Oxford Circus and eight from Marylebone. Close to Cavendish Square, Wigmore Street and Marylebone High Street, and to Marble Arch, Great Portland Street and Regent’s Park stations. One stop from Paddington or Tottenham Court Road on the Elizabeth line. Easy to reach from Mayfair, Fitzrovia, Soho and Baker Street.
54–56 Victoria Street, St Albans AL1 3HZ
A short walk from St Albans City station, with parking nearby. Serving Hertfordshire and North London, and easy to reach from Harpenden, Hatfield, Radlett, Watford, Borehamwood, Hemel Hempstead, Welwyn Garden City and Luton. Direct Thameslink trains from London St Pancras, Farringdon and Blackfriars.
Knee tendons, bursae, joint fluid and a Baker’s cyst, useful for a painful or swollen knee.
The Achilles tendon, ankle ligaments and heel, for pain or swelling in the foot and ankle joints.
Scan, specialist review and a plan in a single pathway when you want to move from diagnosis to treatment quickly.
London Private Ultrasound is a CQC-registered clinic, and the clinicians who scan you, take your blood and review your results are on the UK’s professional registers. This is who stands behind your screening.
Care Quality Commission
London Private Ultrasound is a CQC-registered clinic, so your ultrasound, blood tests and GP consultation are delivered to national standards for safe, effective care.
General Medical Council
Dr Babak Soleimanpour (GMC 6060555), the GP who interprets your results and runs your consultation, is on the GMC register.
Health & Care Professions Council
Our Lead MSK Consultant Clinician, Mr Paul Watson (HCPC PH105122), is on the HCPC register and performs joint ultrasound.
Royal College of General Practitioners
Dr Soleimanpour is a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP), the UK body that sets standards for general practice.
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
Mr Watson is a CSP member, so MSK and physiotherapy expertise sits behind your joint ultrasound and your next-step advice.
Mr Paul Watson
Lead MSK Consultant ClinicianHCPC · NMP · DipMSK · DFSEM · CSP · PgCert
Dr Adil Naeem
Medical DoctorMBChB · FRANZCR · musculoskeletal radiology
Dr Reza Salehi
Medical DoctorMBChB · FRANZCR · musculoskeletal radiology
Mr Benjamin Iyenkutty
Musculoskeletal SonographerPgCert MSK Ultrasound (UEL) · RCT · SoR
Dr Babak Soleimanpour
Medical Director & GPMD · MRCGP · DRCOG · GMC 6060555
On the NHS it is free, but you usually need a referral from your GP. Privately, a first appointment with a consultant rheumatologist typically costs a few hundred pounds, before any blood tests or scans, and the price varies by clinic and specialist.
Our rheumatology screening is £699 all-inclusive and is GP-led rather than a consultant rheumatologist appointment. It includes a 7-marker blood test panel, a joint ultrasound and a 30-minute GP consultation, and your GP can write a referral letter to rheumatology if you need one.
On the NHS, your GP can arrange first-line blood tests such as ANA and inflammation markers and refer you on if needed. Privately, you can book a rheumatology or autoimmune blood test profile directly with a clinic.
At London Private Ultrasound our rheumatology screening includes ANA, the first-line screen for lupus and other connective tissue disease, with rheumatoid factor, anti-CCP, ESR, CRP, a full blood count and uric acid, plus a joint ultrasound and a GP consultation. If your ANA is positive, more specific tests, such as an ENA panel, may be recommended.
On the NHS you usually need a referral from your GP or another clinician. Privately, many clinics let you book directly.
At London Private Ultrasound you can self-refer for the rheumatology screening with no GP referral. You can book online or call 020 7101 3377. If you then need a rheumatologist, your GP writes a referral letter at no extra charge.
NHS waiting times vary by area and by how urgent your case is, and routine rheumatology appointments can take weeks or months after a GP referral.
Our screening is designed to give you a working diagnosis in about a week: your scan and blood test at the first visit, blood results in 2 working days and your GP consultation within about a week.
The package combines three parts in one pathway: a joint ultrasound of up to two joints, a 7-marker rheumatology blood test panel and a 30-minute GP consultation that brings the findings together into a working diagnosis and plan.
You also get a written report, and a referral letter to NHS or private rheumatology where one is needed, at no additional charge.
The package costs £699 all-inclusive. That covers the ultrasound, the blood test panel, the GP consultation, the written report and any referral letter.
Blood-only rheumatology profiles in London are advertised from around £165 plus a collection fee, but they do not include a scan or a GP consultation. If your symptoms suggest extra tests, such as HLA-B27, these are ordered separately and discussed in your consultation.
The profile has seven markers: full blood count, ESR, CRP, uric acid, rheumatoid factor, anti-CCP antibodies and ANA. Together they cover rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus and connective tissue disease, and general inflammation.
Results are usually back within 2 working days.
Rheumatoid arthritis is checked with rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-CCP antibodies, alongside ESR, CRP and a full blood count. Anti-CCP is the more specific marker and is often positive early on, while RF can also be raised in other conditions and in some healthy people.
Some people with rheumatoid arthritis have normal blood results, which is why the scan matters. Your GP explains what your results mean in your consultation.
Early diagnosis uses your symptoms, such as joint swelling and morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes, together with blood tests (anti-CCP, RF, CRP, ESR) and an ultrasound. Ultrasound can show joint inflammation and early bone damage before they appear on X-ray.
Early diagnosis matters because the timing of treatment affects long-term outcomes. A rheumatologist confirms the diagnosis where needed, and your screening results speed that up.
The ultrasound checks up to two joints for synovitis (inflammation of the joint lining), tendon sheath inflammation, joint fluid, early bone erosions, active blood flow on Power Doppler and crystal deposits from gout or pseudogout.
It is painless, uses no radiation and the findings are explained before you leave.
A rheumatology screening can include an ultrasound of the hand or wrist joints that hurt, together with blood tests such as RF and anti-CCP. This shows whether the joints are inflamed and whether the pattern fits rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis.
If you only need a scan of the hand and wrist, a hand and wrist ultrasound is from £199.
It screens for the main inflammatory and metabolic joint conditions: rheumatoid arthritis (including seronegative), psoriatic arthritis, gout and pseudogout, lupus and other connective tissue disease, Sjögren’s syndrome, polymyalgia rheumatica, reactive arthritis and undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis, as well as persistent joint pain of unknown cause.
The scan findings are explained on the day. Blood results are back within 2 working days, and your 30-minute GP consultation is typically within about a week of your first visit.
Your written report, including any referral letter, follows within 24 hours of the consultation.
In most cases it gives a working diagnosis and a clear next-step plan. Where the scan and bloods give a clear picture, your GP can explain the condition and start a plan or an onward referral.
For complex or unusual cases, such as suspected lupus or vasculitis, a specialist rheumatologist may still be needed to confirm the diagnosis. Your results make that appointment faster and more useful.
Coming to us does not stop you using the NHS. If your screening finds a condition that needs NHS rheumatology care, your GP writes a referral letter at no additional charge, with your scan and blood results attached.
That makes the referral stronger and your first specialist appointment more productive.
Our Central London clinic is at 27 Welbeck Street, W1G 8EN, in the Harley Street Medical District, two minutes from Bond Street on the Elizabeth line. Our second clinic is at 54–56 Victoria Street, St Albans AL1 3HZ, near St Albans City station.
Both offer rheumatology screening seven days a week, 9am to 7pm, including weekends.
Medical disclaimer. This page is general information and does not replace individual medical advice. Rheumatology screening is a first-line check, and some conditions need a specialist rheumatologist to confirm the diagnosis. Go to A&E or call 999 for a hot, red, swollen joint with a fever, sudden severe joint pain after an injury, or chest pain or breathlessness. Blood and scan results are explained in your consultation and set out in your written report.
