We look at every symptom across every body system, then research the most likely explanations in depth.
Your symptoms have been seen in pieces, in different rooms, by different people. A Medical Investigation sees them as one.
Your whole story heard in full, and every record read and set in order.
Research into what could explain your symptoms, across every body system.
The most likely cause, explained, and a clear pathway towards a diagnosis.
Before the records and the research, there is your story.
Many of the people we meet have spent years trying to be understood. A symptom leads to a referral. A specialist examines one part. The tests come back normal. Then comes a medication to ease it, another referral, or a discharge. And still the symptoms remain, or slowly grow worse, because the reason behind them is still to be found.
Some conditions, particularly rare and under-recognised ones, are genuinely difficult to see in a short appointment. They reveal themselves only when the whole history is laid out, in order, in one place.
That is the work we do. And being heard in full, often for the first time, we find, can bring its own relief.
It usually begins with symptoms that are entirely physical. As they carry on, and no one can yet say why, their reach widens. Energy that once went into work, family and friends goes into getting through the day. Doing less can mean feeling worse, and feeling worse can mean doing less, until it is hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.
Many of the people we meet once had full, demanding lives: careers they had built, families they cared for, plans they were making. Losing so much of that, without an explanation, is a grief of its own. When low mood or worry follow, as they so often do, the symptoms themselves can come to be put down to them, rather than to a physical cause still waiting to be found.
This is what a long, unexplained illness can do. It deserves to be understood, and so do you.
A standard GP appointment in the UK is ten minutes1. A review of 67 countries found that the average UK consultation lasted a little over nine minutes1, and the British Medical Association now recommends that practices move to an average of fifteen2. GPs do remarkable work in that time, and for most short-term illnesses, or those that are immediately identifiable, it serves people well.
A chronic or long illness that crosses several systems is different. There is rarely time to read years of letters and results, and each specialist, rightly, focuses on their own area. The person living with it carries the story from one appointment to the next.
Our Medical Investigation gives your history a minimum of 165 hours. That is the equivalent of at least 990 ten-minute appointments, every second of which is dedicated to you.
With that time, we can ask a different question.
When an illness goes on for years, care often settles into managing symptoms, one at a time, and the question of why they began, and what they may be pointing to, can quietly be set aside.
We start from the view that symptoms have a reason, even when it has not yet been found.
An investigation goes back to the beginning: when each symptom first appeared, what was happening at the time, and how things have changed since.
It may mean the right test has not yet been done, or that the answer lies between systems, where no single test is designed to look.
We work hypothesis by hypothesis, across systems rather than by specialty. We read your history as a whole, looking for the threads that tie your symptoms together.
Rare and under-recognised conditions are unfamiliar to many clinicians, which is one reason they can take so long to recognise. Each possibility is set out with its reasoning and its evidence, weighed with care, so that you and your clinicians can see how strong the case is for each one.
Most symptoms do not belong to one part of the body. Fatigue or brain fog, for example, can involve several systems at once.
When each specialist looks only at their own system, the thread that connects them can be missed. An investigation follows that thread across every system it touches.
Rest on any system in the diagram to see the everyday symptoms that can involve it.
Then everything is laid out side by side.
Most appointments see one letter, one result, one system at a time. An Investigation lays every piece side by side: every letter, scan and result, and everything you have told us, so that what connects them can be seen.
It begins with a single clinic letter, the kind of document most appointments rely on. Then every other record joins it, one by one, in the order it was written, each placing its symptoms on the chart beside the rest.
Each symptom sits in the row of the body system it belongs to. Read across the years, some moments stand out: times when several systems changed together. Seen in separate clinics, they are easy to miss. They are where an Investigation looks first.
Each specialty’s view moves across the chart in turn, showing only what one appointment could see. Then the view opens to every system and every year at once. That is where an Investigation begins.
Here is what happens once you get in touch.
A Medical Investigation is not a single appointment. It is weeks of listening, reading and research, all of it dedicated to you, and all of it turned into clear reports, for you and for your clinicians.
Most of the people we work with live with fatigue, pain or post-exertional malaise, where doing too much on one day can mean paying for it for days afterwards. Everything we ask of you is shaped around that.
Why you are getting in touch, what you would like help with, and what you hope to gain. Everything that follows is shaped by this call.
From childhood to today, in your own words, in person, by phone or by video. We reserve six hours for this conversation, so there is never any rush. You can rest whenever you need to, and pick up where you left off.
Every record read in full and put in order, wherever it is held: your GP practice, hospitals, private clinics, the ambulance service, care abroad, and anyone else you have seen about your health. Every test is analysed and charted over time, and all of it is written up for you with every term explained. Your report reaches you within three weeks.
Every symptom considered across every body system, rather than one specialty at a time. We work hypothesis by hypothesis, researching the most likely cause, or causes, in depth and weighing each against your whole history. We keep our own ranked list of other possibilities.
The most likely cause, explained: our reasoning, the evidence behind it, and the tests your clinicians could arrange to confirm it.
An overview of your history, and our referenced findings: the pathway to a diagnosis, which doctor or specialist could help at each step, the tests in detail, and a separate section written for your GP. Everything reaches you within eight weeks.
All of that time becomes something you can keep.
Every Medical Investigation includes a set of documents, each written for the person who will read it. All of them come to you first, and you decide where each one goes.
Would you like to see a real report first? Some of our past clients have kindly given their written consent for their report to be shared, with every personal detail removed, to help others decide whether our services are right for them. Ask us, and we will send you one.
Your whole history in one indexed document: every record put in order, every symptom grouped by body system, every medication past and present, every clinician and service involved, and every result charted over time, with why it was checked and what it means. Every finding is labelled established, probable or open, and every medical term is explained. It reaches you first.
A structured summary of your history, written for the professionals caring for you: the chronology, your symptoms by body system, your medications, every result to date, and what remains open, set out to be read before an appointment.
The most likely cause, or causes, of your symptoms, explained in plain words: our reasoning step by step, the evidence behind it, and the tests that could confirm it, with what each one looks for. Fully referenced, with every source listed, and every medical term explained.
Our findings and the pathway to confirm them, written for your doctors and specialists: the evidence for each finding, which of them could help at each step, and every test in detail. Fully referenced and cited throughout, with a complete index.
A much shorter letter that brings everything together, so that your GP stays fully in the loop of your care: what we found, what we suggest next, and where the full detail can be found.
Every document is written with clarity and care, so that you can find and understand any part of it, whenever you need to.
The Investigation stage fee, £12,800. Full terms on our refunds page.
We always keep our own ranked list of possibilities. If the most likely cause is not confirmed, we look at the next, at no extra charge. If a suggested test is not available on the NHS and you choose not to arrange it privately, we treat that possibility as explored and move on.
If no cause has been confirmed 18 months after your Investigation Report, you choose: we keep going, or you take the refund. If we reach the point where we do not believe we can find a cause, we tell you in writing and return the Investigation stage fee within 30 days. You do not need to ask.
The fees for your Introductory consultation, your Complex Medical History Review and its Clinician Overview are not part of the refund, as that work is complete and yours to keep.
This is our refund guarantee. Read our refunds and cancellations policy.
Every Medical Investigation is shaped around you: your history, the records you hold and the questions that matter most to you. Your fee is clear and agreed with you before we begin, fixed once agreed, and covers our time. Any laboratory or testing costs are separate.
Where you tell us, in your own words:
It helps us agree with you which service suits you best, and it is how we prepare the personalised questions for your Symptom and Medical History consultation.
Your whole story, from the very beginning, in your own words:
Anything you would rather answer afterwards, you can, in your own time.
Everything a Medical History Review includes, and it reaches you first:
A structured overview of your history, written for your clinicians. You choose whether to share it, and with whom.
The most likely cause of your symptoms, explained: our reasoning, the evidence behind it, and the tests that could confirm it.
The pathway to a diagnosis, fully referenced and cited:
You choose whether to share it, and with whom.
A much shorter letter that brings everything together, so that your GP stays fully in the loop of your care. You choose whether to share it.
We agree with you after the Introductory consultation whether your records need an extensive review.
Medical Investigations are covered by our refund guarantee. Read our refunds and cancellations policy.
Every Medical Investigation begins with a one-hour Introductory consultation, £250, credited if you go ahead.
Request a consultationTaking on new clients from January 2027 · waitlist open
Everything begins with your Introductory consultation. Get in touch, and we will arrange yours and tell you the next available start date. You can also join our cancellation waitlist, and we will be in touch if an earlier place becomes available.
The people who most need a Medical Investigation are often the least able to pay for it. We set aside a limited number of pro bono places for people facing financial hardship, given the same time and the same care.
If you receive a means-tested benefit, or cost would otherwise stand in the way, you are welcome to ask.
Read about pro bono placesAn Investigation is designed to help you reach one with your clinicians. Your Investigation Report names the most likely cause of your symptoms, with our reasoning, the evidence behind it and the tests that could confirm it. Your Clinician Investigation Report gives them a clear, referenced pathway to follow, step by step. The diagnosis itself is made by your clinicians.
We always keep our own ranked list of possibilities. If the first is not confirmed, we look at the next, at no extra charge. A cause is confirmed when one of your clinicians makes the diagnosis in writing, or a test result establishes it. If a suggested test is not available on the NHS and you choose not to arrange it privately, we treat that possibility as explored and move on. If no cause has been confirmed 18 months after your Investigation Report, you choose: we keep going, or you take the refund. If we reach the point where we do not believe we can find a cause, we tell you in writing and return the Investigation stage fee, £12,800, within 30 days. You do not need to ask for it. The fees for your Introductory consultation, your Complex Medical History Review and its Clinician Overview are not part of the refund, as that work is complete and yours to keep. Read our refunds and cancellations policy.
We suggest the tests that could confirm or rule out each possibility, explain why each one matters, and guide you through how to arrange them. Your reports set them out in detail, with which of your doctors or specialists could help at each step. The tests themselves are arranged by you, your carers or your clinicians.
No. Many people come to us with no diagnosis at all, or with several that do not seem to explain everything.
Yes. Every kind of long or unexplained illness is welcome, including symptoms that began after a viral infection, and symptoms that have never had a name. Your Introductory consultation is where we agree together which service suits you best.
Not ordinarily for a Medical Investigation, but in some cases we can. If you are a parent or guardian, please get in touch, and we can talk it through with you.
A Medical History Review brings your whole history together in one clear report. A Medical Investigation includes a Complex Medical History Review, then researches the most likely cause of your symptoms in depth, with reports for you, your clinicians and your GP.
Your GP and specialists remain in charge of your care. Your reports give you, and them if you choose, one clear account of your history and a referenced way forward, so that every appointment can start with the whole picture.
You do. Every report is written for you, and it is entirely your choice whether to share any of them, and with whom. They come to you alone, and you decide where they go next.
Your reports come to you, and you share them with your doctors if you choose. Everything they need is written for them: your Clinician Overview, your Clinician Investigation Report and your GP Summary Letter.
Decisions about prescription medications rest with your prescribing clinicians. Your Medical History Review Report notes anything about your medications that is worth discussing with them, so that you can raise it.
Your reports are yours to keep, to return to and to share. If new records or results arrive later, a Report Update can add them. If you would like ongoing support, Ongoing Care can begin from your Medical Investigation.
Not when you first get in touch. Many people are still gathering theirs. In the UK you have the right to ask for a copy of your health records, usually free of charge. If you do not already have your records to hand, we can explain how to request them, and guide you through the process.
We do need them before your Symptom and Medical History consultation. We read every record first, and together with what you tell us in your one-hour Introductory consultation, they shape the personal questions for that second conversation.
It begins with your one-hour Introductory consultation. Then comes your Symptom and Medical History consultation, for which we reserve six hours, with rests whenever you need them.
Once we have your complete records and have held that consultation, we aim to send your Medical History Review within three weeks. Your Investigation Report and Clinician Investigation Report follow about five weeks later, within eight weeks in all.
We know a long conversation can take a lot out of you, and that the days afterwards can be the hardest part. We reserve six hours so that there is never any rush, and so that your story can be told at your own pace.
Everything we do is shaped around you. You can rest whenever you need to, someone close to you can speak for you, and you can answer some questions afterwards, in your own time. If anything would make it easier, such as shorter sessions or spreading the conversation over more than one day, tell us, and we will arrange it.
Wherever suits you: by phone, by video, at our London office, or in your own home. Home visits outside London carry a travel charge, which we agree with you in writing beforehand.
Yes. Many people find it helps to have a parent, partner, relative, friend or carer with them, especially during a long consultation. They can also speak on your behalf, if you would like them to.
After your Introductory consultation, we agree together which service suits you best, and once it is confirmed and paid for, we give you a secure way to send us your records.
Every document is then redacted: your name, address, date of birth and any other identifying details are removed, and you are given a client reference number that is used in their place. This is for your safety and security. Every medical record we hold while we prepare your reports is pseudonymised. Your reports carry only your client reference number, and they hold everything we need if we later look at the next possibility on our list. Once your reports are written, the redacted records are deleted from our systems.
We never share client information with Synomics Labs.
Everything begins with your Introductory consultation. Get in touch, and we will arrange yours and talk you through what comes next.
Request a consultation through our enquiry form, and we will reply to arrange a time for your Introductory consultation.
Yes. Many people first get in touch for someone they care for: a partner, a parent, or an adult son or daughter. You are welcome to make the enquiry, to join every conversation, and to speak for them if they would like you to. The reports are theirs, and they decide who sees them.
Before we begin, we ask the person to confirm that they are happy for you to act with them, by signing a short form, which they can withdraw at any time, and, if they can, by joining the start of the first call. If you hold a Lasting Power of Attorney for their health and welfare, or are their court-appointed deputy, please get in touch, and we will talk through how best to work together.
Please get in touch first. Consultations take place by phone or video, and we will talk through whether we can help, including how your records can reach us.
Yes. You can pause at any point, for as long as you need, at no cost, and we pick up where we left off when you are ready. Your right to cancel, and what happens if you cancel later on, are set out on our Refunds and cancellations page.
Medical Investigations start from £26,750. Your exact fee, set out above, is agreed with you before we begin, and is fixed once agreed. It covers our time; any laboratory or testing costs are separate.
Medical Investigations are paid in stages: you pay for each stage before it begins, and your written agreement sets out each stage and its fee. If you would like to spread the cost differently, please get in touch and we will talk it through.
Yes. The fee for your earlier Medical History Review is credited towards your Medical Investigation, up to the fee for a Complex Medical History Review.
Yes. We set aside a limited number of pro bono places for people facing financial hardship. If you receive a means-tested benefit, or cost would otherwise stand in the way, you are welcome to ask.
Yes, and thank you. If you would like to contribute towards a pro bono place for someone else, please get in touch and we will explain how.