Courtfield Private Practice

11/01/2026

Dr Jill Harling, our menopause GP expert, tells us why vaginal oestrogen is so important - both for women who are taking HRT and for those who aren’t.

Vaginal oestrogen acts locally to replace the oestrogen in vaginal and urethral tissues which normalises flora, thickens and supports tissues and reduces dryness.

This helps to treat and prevent vaginal pain, irritation and dryness, painful in*******se, and also very importantly, helps to prevent urinary tract infections. As we age, urinary tract infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality - something we want to avoid!

09/01/2026

We know how stressful it is when you or a loved one are unwell and at Courtfield we are here to put your mind at rest by providing:

- Same day appointments
- ⁠Saturday morning appointments
- ⁠Late evening appointments on a Tuesday
- ⁠30 minute face to face consultations as standard
- ⁠Home visiting service*

We are open Monday-Saturday but even outside of normal surgery hours, you will be cared for by one of our Courtfield GPs – Dr Krishan Joseph is available for telephone advice or home visits on 07960 460 204.

*Please see our website for further details

09/01/2026

Est. 1997, Courtfield Private Practice has provided the highest standard of care to our patients for over 25 years. We are an independent, family-owned and family-run Private GP in South Kensington, London with an in-house out of hours service.

Dr Tim Ladbrooke and Dr Jill Harling, husband and wife team, founded Courtfield Private Practice over 25 years ago, with Tim and Jill’s daughter, Dr Sophie Ladbrooke, joining the team in 2022.

Between us, our team of seven Courtfield GPs have over 125 years of experience working as private GPs in London. We see patients of all ages and are especially known for our work with families, often caring for several generations.

As an independent organisation our Courtfield doctors have the freedom to refer to the top specialists in their fields, across the range of private hospitals in London, to ensure our patients receive the best care.

In addition to routine family practice, we have particular expertise in paediatrics as well as health screening for both men and women.

29/12/2025

A New Year message from Dr Jill.

We are not a “bums on seats” practice.

When Tim and I set up the Courtfield Private Practice in 1997, first and foremost we wanted people to feel cared for and have a sense of belonging.

The Courtfield family.

We didn’t want to rush people. Appointments are at least 30 minutes long. Mine are 45 mins and my new patients have an hour. I have a lot of patients with complex health histories and I don’t want to rush them. I want them to feel they’ve had an opportunity to raise their concerns in an unhurried way. Often my patients bring to me extensive past medical notes which I then carefully study that evening.

We have very loyal staff. Our reception team have regular training updates and we have practice meetings involving both our clinical and admin team every month.

Our doctor colleagues have been with us many years. We work as a team and have regular evening meetings where we share challenging medical problems and course learning. We do not employ locum doctors as that wouldn’t work for the detailed care we need to give our patients.

Looking back over the last 28 years, and thankfully through a lot of hard work with all our colleagues, we have achieved our aim - a Courtfield family. My dear sister came up with our logo, “A commitment to Care”. It perfectly expresses our philosophy.

We look forward to many more years looking after you.

A very happy New Year to you all.

07/12/2025

It’s the peak of Winter bugs currently! Dr Sophie talks through what signs to look out for if your child is unwell (above guidance applies to children rather than babies).

Many of our Courtfield GPs have a special interest in paediatrics, in particular Dr Sophie Ladbrooke, Dr Tim Ladbrooke, Dr Clare Thompson, Dr Krishan Joseph and Dr Ebba Khalil.

Dr Sophie Ladbrooke, Dr Tim Ladbrooke and Dr Clare Thompson have a higher qualification in paediatrics - the Diploma in Child Health.

Do have a look at the Courtfield website where you’ll find our paediatrics page and also information on all our available services.

24/11/2025

At Courtfield we offer bespoke 90-minute health screens for a truly personalised and comprehensive experience.

The consultation includes:
-Discussion of general medical history, family history and lifestyle/dietary advice
-Cardiac risk assessment
-Detailed physical examination including skin check
-Measurement of height, weight & blood pressure
-Lung function test
-Urine test
-Full general blood profile
-Prostate cancer screen
-Bowel cancer screen (stool test)

We can also organise any additional tests we feel are appropriate based on your risk factors and health screen findings.

A written health report containing a summary of our discussions and recommendations will be provided along with a detailed analysis of your results.

https://www.courtfieldpp.co.uk/health-screening

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06/11/2025

Lipoprotein(a) is a type of cholesterol that is genetically determined and needs to be measured on a blood test only once in a lifetime. A raised level is independently linked with an increased risk of heart attacks and other vascular diseases such as stroke, sometimes even at a young age.

The article below strongly recommends that a one-time Lp(a) measurement should be conducted as early as childhood/adolescence and that everyone should know their Lp(a) level. This certainly seems a sensible suggestion.

Currently there isn’t a specific drug available to reduce Lp(a) levels. Though this may sound disheartening, knowing you have an elevated level means we should focus even more on optimising other cardiovascular risk factors that we can control - such as raised blood pressure, raised levels of other cholesterol markers, being overweight or diabetic, excess alcohol and being inactive - and really ‘go for it’ with getting the rest of your cardiovascular health on track.

Having a raised Lp(a) level is also more common than initially thought, e.g. according to a Danish study, approximately 20%-24% of Caucasians have critically elevated Lp(a) levels.

Finally and in good news, there are drug trials happening right now to reduce Lp(a) with two promising therapeutic strategies in development. The initial results are expected in 2026-2027 so watch this space!

12/10/2025

A fantastic learning session for The Courtfield GP Team.

We welcomed Hasina Shah and Ali Abbas for a captivating session on 'Eye Pain: diagnostic clues and management strategies'.

Our GPs were bursting with questions while sharing first-hand ophthalmology experiences in our practice.

A highly rewarding session 🏆

24/09/2025

They grow up so quickly!

We wanted to share with you what goes into our 8 month check-up, which our superstar (and future GP no doubt) Freddie is about to have.

A long watch, but totally worth it - Thanks to our very own Dr Tim Ladbrooke for sharing this insight.

11/09/2025

01/09/2025

We are delighted to share that Courtfield has been selected to be in The Spears 500 list of best private Doctors in London.

A huge thank you to Spears Magazine for this recognition.

The article is in our bio.

01/09/2025

We are delighted to announce that Courtfield has been recognised by The Spears 500 as one of the best Private Doctors in London.

Congratulations to our wonderful GPs.

Full article in our bio.