Knowing what to expect can make attending a private ENT appointment feel much more straightforward. Our treatment process is designed to give you a clear understanding of what happens from your initial booking through to assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and, where appropriate, follow-up care.
Dr Eirini Lentari provides consultant-led care for ear, nose, throat, voice and swallowing concerns in London. The exact pathway will depend on your symptoms and whether you need additional investigations, but every appointment begins by understanding your concerns and medical history before discussing appropriate next steps.
This page explains the typical patient journey so you can prepare for your appointment and understand how decisions about investigations and treatment are made.
How Our Process Works
Step 1 – Booking Your Appointment
The first step is arranging your private ENT consultation with Dr Eirini Lentari. Self-funding patients can book directly without obtaining a GP referral first. If you are using private medical insurance, your insurer may require a referral or pre-authorisation before your appointment.
When booking, you can provide information about the reason for your consultation so that the appointment can be arranged appropriately.
Appointments are available for general ENT concerns as well as specialist voice, swallowing and related assessments.
If you are using insurance, check your individual policy requirements with your provider before attending.
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Step 2 – Preparing For Your Visit
A little preparation can help Dr Lentari understand your symptoms and medical history as fully as possible.
Before your appointment, it is useful to bring or have available:
Current Symptoms: Details of what you have been experiencing and when the symptoms began.
Medication Information: A list of medicines you currently take.
Medical Records: Previous scan results, test results or GP letters where available.
Allergy Information: Details of any known allergies.
Insurance Details: Authorisation information where you are using private health insurance.
For symptoms relating to voice, swallowing or tinnitus, it can also be helpful to note whether symptoms are constant or intermittent, what appears to trigger them and any previous treatments you have tried.
Step 3 – Your ENT Consultation
Your appointment starts with a detailed discussion about your symptoms and relevant medical history.
General ENT consultations typically last around 30 minutes, while specialist voice consultations typically allow around 40 minutes. This gives Dr Lentari time to understand the problem, carry out an appropriate examination and discuss the findings with you.
Your consultation may include:
A detailed symptom history
Review of relevant medical information
A focused ENT examination
Discussion of initial findings
Consideration of whether further investigation is needed
Dr Lentari has more than 25 years of international ENT experience and specialist expertise in voice and swallowing disorders.
Step 4 – Further Assessment If Needed
Not every patient requires additional testing. The investigations recommended will depend on your symptoms and findings during the consultation.
Where clinically appropriate, further assessment may include:
Microscopic Ear Examination: For a closer assessment of the ear.
Audiometry: To assess hearing levels across different frequencies.
Tympanometry: To assess middle-ear function.
Nasal Endoscopy: To examine the nasal passages and related structures.
Laryngostroboscopy: For detailed assessment of vocal cord vibration and function.
FEES: Fibreoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing where swallowing function requires assessment.
Any proposed procedure or investigation is explained beforehand and carried out only with your consent.
Some investigations may form part of the same visit, while the scheduling of others will depend on the assessment required.
Step 5 – Understanding Your Diagnosis
Once the relevant examination and investigations have been completed, Dr Lentari will explain the findings and what they may mean for your symptoms.
The purpose of this stage is to give you a clear understanding of the diagnosis where one can be made, rather than moving directly into treatment without discussing the clinical findings first.
You will have the opportunity to discuss:
What has been identified
How the findings relate to your symptoms
What treatment or management options may be appropriate
Whether any further investigation is recommended
Whether referral to another professional may be helpful
Where multidisciplinary support is appropriate, this can include input from professionals such as speech and language therapists for certain voice or swallowing conditions.
Step 6 – Your Treatment Plan
Following assessment, Dr Lentari will discuss a personalised treatment plan based on your symptoms, diagnosis and individual circumstances.
Treatment recommendations vary depending on the condition. The practice provides both surgical and non-surgical ENT care, with non-surgical or minimally invasive approaches considered where clinically appropriate.
Your plan may include treatment, medication, monitoring, further investigation or referral to another healthcare professional where necessary.
Prescriptions may be provided when required, alongside advice about your next steps.
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Step 7 – Fees And Payment
The current published fee for an initial ENT consultation is £250. This includes a detailed history, ENT examination, diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
Certain additional investigations have separate fees. For example, the published fees currently include:
Audiogram: £80
Tympanogram: £75
Follow-Up Consultation: £175
The follow-up fee applies to appointments within three months for the same condition.
Secure payment is available through Stripe. Dr Lentari also works with major UK private health insurers, although patients using insurance should confirm their individual cover and obtain any required pre-authorisation directly from their provider.
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Step 8 – After Your Consultation
Your care does not necessarily finish when the consultation ends.
Following your appointment, you will receive clear advice about what should happen next. A letter containing your consultation notes is also sent to you after the appointment.
Depending on your assessment, the next step may involve:
Starting the recommended treatment
Monitoring symptoms
Completing further investigations
Seeing another healthcare professional
Returning for review
If additional investigations or referrals are required, these are discussed as part of the treatment plan so you understand why they are being recommended.
Step 9 – Follow-Up When Appropriate
A follow-up appointment may be recommended when Dr Lentari needs to review your progress, reassess symptoms or adjust your treatment plan.
Follow-up consultations are generally available within three months for the same condition, where appropriate.
Whether you need another appointment depends on your diagnosis, treatment and progress. Some concerns may require ongoing review, while others may not need further specialist input after the initial assessment and treatment plan.
If your symptoms change significantly or you develop a new concern, this may need to be assessed separately rather than treated as a routine follow-up.
What You Can Expect
Do I Need A GP Referral?
What Should I Bring?
How Long Is The Consultation?
Will I Need Tests?
Will I Receive A Treatment Plan?
What Happens After My Appointment?
Get Started
If you have been advised to see an ENT specialist or would like a private assessment for an ear, nose, throat, voice or swallowing concern, the first step is to arrange a consultation.
Phone: 020 38709973
Email: lentari.admin@lips.org.uk
