Memory Clinic
Specialist cognitive assessment for memory concerns on Harley Street, led by Prof Arshad Rather. Memory assessment from £2,499, arranged by enquiry.
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Est. 1984
Trusted clinical caresince 1984
UKAS-accredited labsGP & consultant pathways
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Should you request a private memory assessment on Harley Street?
A private memory assessment is for ongoing cognitive change that is affecting everyday life, whether the enquiry comes from the person themselves or from a relative. Prof Arshad Rather leads the clinic, with assessment starting from £2,499 and the visit arranged after the team has discussed what is needed.
The first step is to send a memory clinic enquiry. The clinic then contacts you to arrange the visit and talk through what the assessment would cover.
Memory problems are not always caused by dementia, and some causes can be treated. A structured clinical assessment can therefore help even when the findings are reassuring.
Price and how to enquire
- Price: Memory assessment from £2,499.
- Clinical lead: Prof Arshad Rather, Consultant Geriatrician and General Physician, GMC 6035767.
- Location: Harley Street, London.
- How to start: Send a memory clinic enquiry using the enquiry form, or call 0207 499 1991.
- Enquiry types: Memory Assessment Consultation, Cognitive Screening, or Dementia Risk Assessment, matching the reason for contact.
Why have this assessment at Medical Express Clinic
Prof Rather takes a full clinical history, examines you when that is useful, and plans the assessment around your symptoms and background.
The clinic coordinates the assessment as one piece of care. What further investigation might help, if any, is discussed with you before anything is arranged. The aim is a clear clinical picture and a practical plan you can follow.
Care here
- Assessment is led by Prof Arshad Rather, Consultant Geriatrician and General Physician, GMC 6035767.
- The service is based at Medical Express Clinic on Harley Street.
- When you enquire, you can ask for a Memory Assessment Consultation, Cognitive Screening, or Dementia Risk Assessment.
- Appointments are arranged after enquiry, according to clinical need and current availability.
What happens after you enquire
Memory assessment at this clinic starts from £2,499. The exact steps are agreed after the enquiry, when the clinic understands who the assessment is for and what has already been checked elsewhere. Many people arrive unsure whether the changes are normal ageing, stress, a reversible medical problem, or something that needs longer-term planning, and a firm diagnosis is not needed before contact.
Who the assessment is for
A memory clinic enquiry is the first step to arrange consultant-led assessment for memory or cognitive concerns, including dementia and Alzheimer's assessment when that is clinically appropriate.
When you enquire, the clinic contacts you to:
- confirm who the assessment is for and the main concern;
- arrange an appointment with Prof Rather on Harley Street;
- explain what the assessment is likely to involve in your case;
- discuss any letters or results you already have from your GP or another clinician.
Bring any referral letters or previous results you already have. They save time on facts that are already known.
The clinic considers specific tests or investigations during assessment planning when they would help answer the clinical question.
What happens from enquiry to follow-up
Send the enquiry
The form offers Memory Assessment Consultation, Cognitive Screening, or Dementia Risk Assessment, or you can call 0207 499 1991. The clinic contacts you to arrange the appointment.
Meet Prof Rather
Prof Rather reviews the history with you, and with a family member or carer when you agree that would help. He examines you when that is clinically useful and decides what further assessment would answer the question properly.
Assessment planning
There is no single test that tells the whole story on its own. The assessment plan is built around your symptoms, examination findings and any results already available. Further steps, if needed, are explained before they go ahead.
Results and follow-up
How results are shared and how soon follow-up happens depend on what was done and what those results show. This is discussed with you during the assessment process. Ongoing review is arranged when it is clinically appropriate.
Or call 0207 499 1991.
When to consider a memory specialist
Occasional forgetfulness happens to most people. Specialist assessment is worth considering when memory or thinking changes start to interfere with everyday life, or when a family member is clearly more confused, disorientated or unable to manage familiar tasks than before.
Signs that warrant a conversation
- memory loss that affects work, finances, medication or safety at home;
- increasing difficulty with planning, language or decision-making;
- repeated confusion about place or time;
- personality or behaviour change that is out of character;
- concern from a partner, family member or carer that something has shifted beyond normal ageing.
Sudden confusion or other sudden neurological symptoms need urgent assessment rather than a routine memory clinic appointment.
How findings are discussed
There is no one reporting window that fits every assessment. Some answers are clear at the consultation. Others depend on further information that takes time to gather and interpret.
Prof Rather explains findings in plain language and agrees next steps with you. That may include further investigation, referral onward, follow-up at the clinic, or liaison with your GP when that would help continuity of care.
When this clinic is not the first step
Sudden confusion, severe illness, chest pain, stroke symptoms, or any situation where you fear someone is acutely unwell, is an emergency. Call 999 or go to A&E. A memory clinic enquiry is not the right first step for that.
Other routes
For urgent symptoms that are not life-threatening, use NHS 111.
A GP consultation can be the better first visit for a new memory symptom when a general medical review, routine blood tests, or a GP letter before specialist referral would help. This memory clinic enquiry is for consultant-led assessment with Prof Rather at Medical Express Clinic.
If the main concern is low mood, anxiety, psychosis or a psychiatric presentation without clear cognitive decline, a psychiatry consultation may be more suitable.
Standalone blood tests to look for reversible medical causes sit on standalone blood tests. Blood results still need clinical interpretation in context; they are not a memory diagnosis on their own.
Prof Arshad Rather
Prof Arshad Rather is Consultant Geriatrician and General Physician at Medical Express Clinic. He leads this memory clinic service. You can read his clinic profile on meet the team.
Your clinician
- Prof Arshad Rather, Consultant Geriatrician and General Physician
- GMC 6035767
- Memory clinic, Harley Street, London
- Telephone 0207 499 1991
Medical Express Clinic is CQC-registered and has practised at 117a Harley Street since 1984.
Send a memory clinic enquiry
The assessment is for persistent memory or cognitive concerns that you or a family member want Prof Rather to review, with a plan agreed afterwards. The clinic contacts you after the enquiry to arrange the appointment.
Memory assessment · From £2,499
Prof Arshad Rather, GMC 6035767. Consultant-led assessment on Harley Street. By appointment after enquiry.
A memory clinic enquiry can be sent using the form above, or call 0207 499 1991.
Request Appointment
Sources & References
- GMC registration 6035767 can be checked on the GMC register. — General Medical Council register[Link]
- Care Quality Commission location record for Medical Express Clinic, 117A Harley Street, London, W1G 6AT. Telephone (020) 7499 1991. — Care Quality Commission location contact[Link]
- Call 999 or go to A&E for life-threatening emergencies. NHS 111 can advise on urgent symptoms that are not life-threatening. — NHS: when to call 999[Link]
Prof Arshad Rather
Consultant Geriatrician and General Physician • GMC 6035767
“Prof Rather is a consultant geriatrician and general physician who treats older adults with complex medical conditions. He is head of geriatric medicine at University College London Hospitals and an honorary clinical associate professor at UCL Medical School, with over a decade of consultant experience.”
Common questions
Q.How much does a private memory assessment cost at Medical Express Clinic?
Memory assessment at this clinic starts from £2,499. Send a memory clinic enquiry using the enquiry form, or call 0207 499 1991. The clinic contacts you to arrange the appointment and discuss what the assessment would involve.
Q.What happens after I send a memory clinic enquiry?
The clinic reviews your enquiry and contacts you to arrange an appointment with Prof Arshad Rather on Harley Street. You can say whether the enquiry is for yourself or someone else, and share any letters or results you already have.
Q.What is included in a private memory assessment?
Assessment is consultant-led by Prof Arshad Rather, Consultant Geriatrician and General Physician, GMC 6035767. The exact steps depend on your symptoms and background and are agreed during assessment planning. Specific tests or investigations are discussed with you when they would help answer the clinical question. The assessment is tailored to the clinical question rather than sold as a fixed bundle.
Q.When should I worry about memory loss?
Consider specialist assessment when memory or thinking changes affect daily life, safety or independence, or when a family member has clear, persistent confusion or disorientation. Sudden onset, fever, severe headache, weakness on one side or slurred speech needs urgent care. Call 999 or go to A&E for emergencies. Use NHS 111 for urgent symptoms that are not life-threatening.
Q.Is dementia the same as Alzheimer's disease?
Dementia describes a syndrome: a group of symptoms that affect memory, thinking and daily function. Alzheimer's disease is one cause of dementia, but not the only one. Accurate assessment looks at the full clinical picture rather than assuming one label from symptoms alone.
Q.Should I see a memory specialist or my GP first?
A GP consultation can be the right first step for a new symptom when general medical review or routine blood tests would help first. This memory clinic enquiry is for consultant-led assessment with Prof Rather at Medical Express Clinic on Harley Street.
Q.When should I choose psychiatry instead of the memory clinic?
If the main problem is mood, anxiety, psychosis or psychiatric symptoms without clear cognitive decline, a psychiatry consultation may be the better first specialist route. The memory clinic is for when memory, thinking or confusion is the primary concern.
Q.How quickly can I get an appointment?
Call 0207 499 1991 for current availability. Appointments are arranged after enquiry according to clinical need and the clinic timetable.
