Growwell London Early access

Paediatrician-led check-up packages, birth to five · London

Don’t leave your child’s health to chance.

In many other countries, a child sees a paediatrician 10 to 15 times before school. The UK is an outlier: after birth, a healthy child is examined once, at six to eight weeks, by a GP.

Free to join, with a welcome credit towards the first year for founding families.

See the full country comparison ↓

The evidence

What a healthy child receives, country by country

The routine care a healthy child receives under each country’s national programme.

Compare the UK with

Germany France Russia United States Japan Switzerland

United Kingdom

2doctor check-ups by age five
by a GP or nurse, never a paediatrician

All bars share the same scale.

Germany

10check-ups by age five
all with a paediatrician

See what’s checked, age by ageHide the age-by-age breakdown

Routine check-ups from birth to five: the UK compared with the selected country.
Age	United Kingdom	Germany
Who examines your child	GP (family doctor) Health visitor (nurse) Paediatrician: not routine	Paediatrician Dentist
Newborn (first days)	GP or midwife Physical examination Hip check by hand Basic eye check Hearing test Heel-prick blood test (9 conditions; a 10th is being added)	Paediatrician, two examinations (at birth, and days 3–10) Physical examination Hearing test Heel-prick blood test (about 19 conditions)
4–8 weeks	GP (6–8 weeks) Physical examination Hip check by hand Basic eye check Growth check	Paediatrician (weeks 4–5) Physical examination Hip ultrasound scan Basic eye check Growth check
2–4 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (months 3–4) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Growth check
6–9 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (months 6–7) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Basic eye check Hearing test Dental check (from 6 months)
12 months	Health visitor (nurse) Growth check Development questionnaire completed by the parent	Paediatrician (months 10–12) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Growth check
18 months	No check scheduled	No check scheduled (the next examination is at 21–24 months)
2 years	Health visitor (nurse) Growth check Development questionnaire completed by the parent	Paediatrician (months 21–24) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Growth check
3 years	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (months 34–36) Physical examination Sight test with instruments Development assessed by the doctor
4–5 years	School nurse Growth check Sight test with instruments (delivery varies by area)	Paediatrician, two examinations (age 4 and age 5) Physical examination Sight test with instruments Hearing test Urine test Development assessed by the doctor

Heel-prick blood test note: The NHS is piloting genomic screening for over 200 conditions in a research study (the Generation Study). It is not yet part of the routine newborn programme.

France

15check-ups by age five
all with a paediatrician

See what’s checked, age by ageHide the age-by-age breakdown

Routine check-ups from birth to five: the UK compared with the selected country.
Age	United Kingdom	France
Who examines your child	GP (family doctor) Health visitor (nurse) Paediatrician: not routine	Paediatrician
Newborn (first days)	GP or midwife Physical examination Hip check by hand Basic eye check Hearing test Heel-prick blood test (9 conditions; a 10th is being added)	Paediatrician, two examinations (day 8, and week 2) Physical examination Hip check by hand Growth check Hearing test Heel-prick blood test (16 conditions) Official health certificate issued
4–8 weeks	GP (6–8 weeks) Physical examination Hip check by hand Basic eye check Growth check	Paediatrician (month 1) Physical examination Hip check by hand Growth check
2–4 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician, one examination every month (months 2, 3, 4 and 5) Physical examination Hip check by hand Basic eye check Hearing test Development assessed by the doctor Growth check
6–9 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (month 8) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Official health certificate issued at 9 months
12 months	Health visitor (nurse) Growth check Development questionnaire completed by the parent	Paediatrician (months 11 and 12) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Growth check
18 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (months 16–18) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor
2 years	Health visitor (nurse) Growth check Development questionnaire completed by the parent	Paediatrician (months 23–24) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Official health certificate issued at 24 months
3 years	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (once a year) Physical examination Sight test with instruments Hearing test Development assessed by the doctor Anxiety and behaviour screening Growth check School health check at ages 3–4
4–5 years	School nurse Growth check Sight test with instruments (delivery varies by area)	Paediatrician (once a year, ages 4 and 5) Physical examination Sight test with instruments Hearing test Development assessed by the doctor Growth check

Heel-prick blood test note: The NHS is piloting genomic screening for over 200 conditions in a research study (the Generation Study). It is not yet part of the routine newborn programme.

Russia

about 20paediatrician exams by age five
plus about 11 specialist appointments

See what’s checked, age by ageHide the age-by-age breakdown

Routine check-ups from birth to five: the UK compared with the selected country.
Age	United Kingdom	Russia
Who examines your child	GP (family doctor) Health visitor (nurse) Paediatrician: not routine	Paediatrician Neurologist, surgeon, eye specialist, ear-nose-throat specialist, bone and joint specialist, dentist
Newborn (first days)	GP or midwife Physical examination Hip check by hand Basic eye check Hearing test Heel-prick blood test (9 conditions; a 10th is being added)	Paediatrician Physical examination Hearing test Heel-prick blood test (36 conditions)
4–8 weeks	GP (6–8 weeks) Physical examination Hip check by hand Basic eye check Growth check	Paediatrician (1 month) Physical examination Hip ultrasound scan Ultrasound scans of tummy, kidneys, heart and brain Neurologist examination Paediatric surgeon examination Eye specialist examination (pupils dilated) Dental check Hearing test
2–4 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician, one examination every month (months 2, 3 and 4) Physical examination Blood test (full blood count) Urine test Bone and joint specialist examination Development assessed by the doctor Growth check
6–9 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician, one examination every month (months 5 to 9) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Growth check
12 months	Health visitor (nurse) Growth check Development questionnaire completed by the parent	Paediatrician (months 10, 11 and 12) Physical examination Neurologist examination Paediatric surgeon examination Ear, nose and throat examination Eye specialist examination (pupils dilated) Blood test (full blood count) Urine test Heart trace (ECG) Hearing test
18 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (15 and 18 months) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Growth check
2 years	Health visitor (nurse) Growth check Development questionnaire completed by the parent	Paediatrician Physical examination Dental check
3 years	No check scheduled	Paediatrician Physical examination Neurologist examination Eye specialist examination (pupils dilated) Sight test with instruments Ear, nose and throat examination Dental check Development assessed by the doctor
4–5 years	School nurse Growth check Sight test with instruments (delivery varies by area)	Paediatrician (once a year, ages 4 and 5) Physical examination Specialist review panel Sight test with instruments Growth check

Heel-prick blood test note: The NHS is piloting genomic screening for over 200 conditions in a research study (the Generation Study). It is not yet part of the routine newborn programme.

United States

15check-ups by age five
all with a paediatrician

See what’s checked, age by ageHide the age-by-age breakdown

Routine check-ups from birth to five: the UK compared with the selected country.
Age	United Kingdom	United States
Who examines your child	GP (family doctor) Health visitor (nurse) Paediatrician: not routine	Paediatrician Dentist
Newborn (first days)	GP or midwife Physical examination Hip check by hand Basic eye check Hearing test Heel-prick blood test (9 conditions; a 10th is being added)	Paediatrician, two examinations (at birth, and days 3–5) Physical examination Hearing test Heel-prick blood test (38 conditions; 30–60+ depending on the state)
4–8 weeks	GP (6–8 weeks) Physical examination Hip check by hand Basic eye check Growth check	Paediatrician (1 month) Physical examination Basic eye check Growth check
2–4 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (months 2 and 4) Physical examination Basic eye check Growth check
6–9 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (months 6 and 9) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Growth check
12 months	Health visitor (nurse) Growth check Development questionnaire completed by the parent	Paediatrician Physical examination Blood test (anaemia and lead) Growth check
18 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Autism screening Dental check (first visit recommended by age 1)
2 years	Health visitor (nurse) Growth check Development questionnaire completed by the parent	Paediatrician (24 and 30 months) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Autism screening
3 years	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (once a year) Physical examination Blood pressure check Development assessed by the doctor
4–5 years	School nurse Growth check Sight test with instruments (delivery varies by area)	Paediatrician (once a year, ages 4 and 5) Physical examination Sight test with instruments Hearing test Blood pressure check Development assessed by the doctor

Heel-prick blood test note: The NHS is piloting genomic screening for over 200 conditions in a research study (the Generation Study). It is not yet part of the routine newborn programme.

Japan

about 7check-ups by age five
two statutory deep checks

See what’s checked, age by ageHide the age-by-age breakdown

Routine check-ups from birth to five: the UK compared with the selected country.
Age	United Kingdom	Japan
Who examines your child	GP (family doctor) Health visitor (nurse) Paediatrician: not routine	Paediatrician Public-health nurse Dentist
Newborn (first days)	GP or midwife Physical examination Hip check by hand Basic eye check Hearing test Heel-prick blood test (9 conditions; a 10th is being added)	Public-health nurse, home visit within the first month Paediatrician, hospital examination at 1 month Physical examination Growth check Hearing test Heel-prick blood test (about 20 conditions)
4–8 weeks	GP (6–8 weeks) Physical examination Hip check by hand Basic eye check Growth check	No check scheduled
2–4 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (months 3–4; offered in 99.5% of areas) Physical examination Hip check by hand Basic eye check Growth check
6–9 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (months 6–7 and 9–10; offered in 81% of areas) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Basic eye check Hearing test
12 months	Health visitor (nurse) Growth check Development questionnaire completed by the parent	No check scheduled (the 9–10 month examination covers this stage)
18 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (18 months, required by national law) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Autism screening Dental check Growth check
2 years	Health visitor (nurse) Growth check Development questionnaire completed by the parent	No check scheduled
3 years	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (3 years, required by national law) Physical examination Sight test with instruments Hearing test Urine test Dental check Development assessed by the doctor
4–5 years	School nurse Growth check Sight test with instruments (delivery varies by area)	Paediatrician (5 years, being rolled out nationally) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor

Heel-prick blood test note: The NHS is piloting genomic screening for over 200 conditions in a research study (the Generation Study). It is not yet part of the routine newborn programme.

Switzerland

11check-ups by age five
all with a paediatrician

See what’s checked, age by ageHide the age-by-age breakdown

Routine check-ups from birth to five: the UK compared with the selected country.
Age	United Kingdom	Switzerland
Who examines your child	GP (family doctor) Health visitor (nurse) Paediatrician: not routine	Paediatrician
Newborn (first days)	GP or midwife Physical examination Hip check by hand Basic eye check Hearing test Heel-prick blood test (9 conditions; a 10th is being added)	Paediatrician (week 1) Physical examination Hearing test Heel-prick blood test (about 10 conditions) Parent wellbeing and family support review
4–8 weeks	GP (6–8 weeks) Physical examination Hip check by hand Basic eye check Growth check	Paediatrician (1 month) Physical examination Hip ultrasound scan Growth check
2–4 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (months 2 and 4) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Basic eye check Hearing test Growth check
6–9 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician (months 6 and 9) Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Growth check
12 months	Health visitor (nurse) Growth check Development questionnaire completed by the parent	Paediatrician Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Growth check
18 months	No check scheduled	Paediatrician Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Growth check
2 years	Health visitor (nurse) Growth check Development questionnaire completed by the parent	Paediatrician Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Growth check
3 years	No check scheduled	Paediatrician Physical examination Development assessed by the doctor Growth check
4–5 years	School nurse Growth check Sight test with instruments (delivery varies by area)	Paediatrician (age 4) Physical examination Sight test with instruments Hearing test Development assessed by the doctor

Heel-prick blood test note: The NHS is piloting genomic screening for over 200 conditions in a research study (the Generation Study). It is not yet part of the routine newborn programme.

The early years

Caught early, most things are simple.

In the first few years, most of what shapes a child’s health is straightforward to put right, and much harder once the window has closed. Three examples:

Hips

A soft fabric harness if found early. Surgery if missed.

Vision

Glasses and a patch if found early. Weaker sight for life if missed.

Development

Support in the key window if found early. Catch-up at school if missed.

These are three of many. It’s the pattern across most of what matters in early childhood: simple when it’s caught early, far harder when it’s missed. Routine paediatrician checks are how many other countries catch them in time.

The service

What Growwell is.

Growwell brings that standard to London: thorough, paediatrician-led check-ups from birth to five, held in one health record that grows with your child.

A paediatrician, every time

Your child sees a paediatrician in person at every visit, on the schedule many other countries treat as standard, not a questionnaire you fill in at home.

Doctors you would choose yourself

Every Growwell paediatrician is a senior consultant, GMC-registered, and the kind of doctor families seek out privately in Harley Street and at London’s leading children’s hospitals.

Everything in a single day

Every check for a visit happens in one day, around Harley Street, at times that fit around family life, with no coming back on separate mornings.

Clear answers, and time to ask

Appointments aren’t rushed. The paediatrician explains what each check looks for and what the results mean, and leaves time for your questions.

One health record from birth

Every report, result and growth chart from every visit, in one place, from the first check. The paediatrician reads it before you sit down. You can share it with any doctor, take it anywhere, and keep it after your child turns five. Encrypted and never sold.

Alongside the NHS

Growwell is a preventative level of care. It works alongside your GP and urgent care, not instead of them, so if you’re ever worried, contact your GP or call 111.

Packages

Choose the level of care you want.

We’ve done the deciding for you. Every check, and the right age for it, is already planned around the programmes that protect children in many other countries, and it comes at one clear price for the year with nothing hidden.

Recommended

Gold Standard

The full international standard, paediatrician-led, birth to five.

Ten paediatrician checks, birth to five.

Founding families: £50 towards your first year

See the full scheduleHide the schedule ▾

Year one from £1,495

Five paediatrician checks: at 6 weeks, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months
Hip ultrasound at 6 weeks
Haemoglobin screening at 12 months
Development assessed and psychosocial review at every visit

Year two from £625

Two paediatrician checks: 18 months (including autism screen) and 24 months
Dental review

Year three from £525

Annual paediatrician check
Vision test
Urine test
Dental review

Year four from £375

Annual paediatrician check
Dental review

Year five from £495

School-readiness check: vision, hearing, readiness
Dental review

Throughout

Pay annually, or prepay five years from £3,150

Premium

Everything in Gold Standard, plus the fuller screening schedule some parents prefer.

Up to eighteen checks, the fuller schedule.

Founding families: £50 towards your first year

See the full scheduleHide the schedule ▾

Year one: everything in Gold, plus from £3,995

Up to eight paediatrician checks (near-monthly)
Specialist panel at around 2 months: eye specialist, neurologist, bone & joint specialist
Full ultrasound panel: hips, abdomen, cranial
12-month bloods, urine test and heart trace (ECG)
Hearing test with an audiologist

Year two from £1,625

Four paediatrician checks
Annual blood panel
Urine test
Dental review
One specialist review

Years three to five (each) from £1,110

Two paediatrician checks
Annual bloods & vitamins
Urine test
Abdominal ultrasound
Dental review
Vision test

Throughout

Concierge scheduling and priority access
Pay annually, or prepay five years from £8,050

À la carte from £325

Single checks and screenings, whenever you want them.

See pricesHide prices ▾

Paediatrician milestone checkfrom £325
Hip ultrasound at 6 weeks£165
Blood tests: haemoglobin, vitamins, full blood countfrom £120
Urine test£40
Abdominal or cranial ultrasound£225
Heart trace (ECG)£195
Specialist consultationfrom £325
Child dental exam + fluoride£125
Vision assessment£145

Every result is added to your child’s health record, free.

Insurers rarely cover preventative care, so we’ve kept ours simple and upfront: one price, paid directly.

Who’s behind Growwell

Professor Neil Shah

Professor Neil Shah

Medical Director and Co-Founder

Neil has looked after children for more than twenty years, at Great Ormond Street and in private practice at The Portland Hospital. He has published over 200 papers and helped write the national and international guidelines on reflux and milk allergy that paediatricians around the world use every day. Neil’s industry work has grown a passion of preventative health care and GI health in infants for life time health benefits. Neil sees around a thousand babies a year. He sets the Growwell protocols, chooses and oversees every clinician who delivers it, and ensures outstanding quality of medical care.

GMC 3497218

Galina Barengo

Galina Barengo

Co-Founder

Galina has lived in Russia, Asia and North America and used the healthcare system in each. When her first child was born in London, she was struck by how little routine checking the UK offers young children compared with everywhere else she had lived. So she arranged it herself: researching the scans, screens and specialist checks other countries give every child as standard, then booking and paying for each one. It took long hours and a lot of money, and left her with a pile of letters from different clinics that never added up to one picture.

“I did this the hard way for my own children. Growwell is that programme done properly: the schedule other countries run as standard, delivered by paediatricians and held in one record. I run the service. Neil runs the medicine.”

Mother of two under five. Previously Chief of Staff at a unicorn challenger bank, a fintech founder and a corporate banker. CFA charterholder, INSEAD MBA.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What happens at a check-up?

Each visit is 45 to 60 minutes with the paediatrician. They examine your child from head to toe and take your questions. Any tests due at that age happen the same day, in the same place or within walking distance. You get a written report within one day, and everything goes into your child’s record.

Do we have to start from the beginning?

No. Every check is tied to your child’s age, so you join at whatever year matches them now. A two-year-old starts in year two; the checks before it are for younger babies and aren’t needed. A child can join at any point from six weeks to five.

How are founding places allocated?

First visits begin January 2027. The first cohort is 50 families, allocated by the date of each child’s next check: the sooner you register, the better the chance we see your child inside their window.

What if something is found?

The doctor tells you on the day, explains what it means and what the options are. If your child needs further tests or treatment, you choose the route: your GP, an NHS referral or a private specialist, and we send the results wherever you ask. Growwell takes no fee or commission from anyone we recommend. Once a specialist is treating your child, they lead that care, and their letters go into the record so it stays complete.

What is a Premium package?

Everything that can be checked, checked.

Premium is modelled on the most comprehensive national child-screening programmes in the world. Alongside everything in Gold Standard, your child is examined by a paediatric eye specialist, a neurologist and an orthopaedic specialist in the first months; scanned (hips, abdomen, brain) in the first year; and has bloods, urine and a heart trace at twelve months, then a full annual panel every year to five. Near-monthly paediatrician visits in year one. Concierge scheduling and priority access throughout.

We already have a paediatrician.

Keep them. Growwell is a programme with one record, not a set of appointments: five visits to five doctors leave you with five letters, and a Growwell year leaves you with one history. We share every report with your own paediatrician if you ask.

How does this fit with the NHS?

Alongside it. Keep your NHS checks, health visitor and GP. Growwell adds the checks the NHS doesn’t routinely offer, and sends reports to your GP if you want. For anything urgent, contact your GP, call 111, or 999 in an emergency.

What’s in the health record?

Everything from every Growwell visit: reports, results, measurements and growth charts, plus anything you add from other doctors. Drop in a document in any format and we add what it says to your child’s record. No more hunting through old emails for a PDF. You can read it any time, download all of it, and share it with any doctor you choose. It comes with every package and every one-off check, and it stays with your child forever.

Who can see my child’s data?

You, the doctors caring for your child, and the Growwell team who run your bookings. Nobody else. Your child’s record is encrypted, stored in the UK, and never sold, never used for advertising, and never shared with insurers, employers or schools unless you ask us to send it. You can download a complete copy or ask us to delete it at any time.

Do I need to set anything up?

No. Your child’s record is created at the first visit and ready before you leave. Each report arrives as an email notification when it’s filed. There’s nothing to install, no forms to fill in, and nothing to remember between visits.

Do you offer weekend or evening appointments?

Yes. We fit visits around family life, including evenings and weekends, and everything for a single visit happens on one day.

What if we miss a visit, or move abroad?

Tell us and we rebook within the age window where we can. If you leave London, you keep the full record and we refund the unused part of your package.

Will my insurance cover it?

Usually not; most policies exclude preventative checks. Ask your insurer. We give itemised receipts for anything you want to claim.

Do your doctors speak languages other than English?

Yes. Tell us the language you need and we can arrange an interpreter for the visit.

Who regulates Growwell?

Every doctor is registered with the General Medical Council. Visits take place at a clinic registered with the Care Quality Commission.

What happens after I register interest?

One email when booking opens, with your place and the first available dates.

Early access

Join the founding families.

We’re opening to a small founding group before general availability. Add your email to reserve your place and hear the moment booking opens in London.

Founding membership is limited to 50 places. As a founding member, you’ll receive £50 towards your first year on Gold Standard or Premium.

In the works for founding families: a direct line to your child’s Growwell team between visits, for the everyday questions that don’t need an appointment. It isn’t for emergencies. If something feels urgent, call 111, or 999.