Private Paediatric Diabetes Specialist for children aged 0–19 years old. Clear answers, usually within two weeks.
Dr Dunia Ismail is a consultant paediatric diabetes specialist and endocrinology specialist, offering unhurried, consultant-led care from a new Type 1 diagnosis through to insulin pumps and hybrid closed loop systems, alongside the full range of childhood hormone and growth concerns. NHS Clinical Lead at Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital Brighton. GOSH and UCLH trained. On the GMC Specialist Register since 2008.
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Recognised by all major UK insurers
If your child is covered by private medical insurance, you can almost certainly use it for your appointment with Dr Ismail. She is recognised by the leading providers. Please check your individual policy for paediatric endocrinology cover and any excess that may apply.
Self-funding patients are warmly welcomed, with no insurance needed.
When something doesn’t feel right, you deserve a proper answer
You have noticed something that does not sit right. Perhaps your child has just been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and you are trying to make sense of insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors and hybrid closed loop systems. Maybe their diabetes control has slipped and NHS clinic appointments feel too brief and too far apart. Or you are worried about a child whose weight, growth, puberty, periods or energy has been brushed off as a phase. Whatever it is, you cannot stop thinking about it.
You have probably already been to the GP. Perhaps you were told to wait and see, or placed on an NHS waiting list that stretches months ahead. The worry, though, does not pause. You lie awake wondering whether you are overreacting, or whether something important is being missed. You simply want someone to take it seriously, look properly, and tell you what is actually going on.
That is exactly what Dr Ismail does. Every consultation lasts a full 40 minutes: long enough to hear the whole story, examine your child carefully, and explain everything in plain language. You leave with a clear written summary, a practical plan, and the reassurance every parent is really looking for.
Specialist support for insulin pumps and hybrid closed loop systems
For families managing Type 1 diabetes, Dr Ismail is trained and experienced across every hybrid closed loop (“artificial pancreas”) system currently available in the UK, and manages insulin pumps from all the leading manufacturers.
She also supports international families who travel to London Medical in Marylebone specifically to access hybrid closed loop technology not yet approved in their home countries. As consultant in the Paediatric Diabetes team at the busy London Diabetes Centre she oversees initial set-up, in-person training, and provides ongoing remote reviews where required for follow-up, so families can return home with the system running properly.
What Families Say About Dr Ismail
Verified reviews from TopDoctors and Doctify – real families sharing their experience of Dr Ismail’s care.
Trusted by families seeking clear, specialist answers
Dr Ismail is rated 5 out of 5 by families across TopDoctors and Doctify, consistently praised for her clear, unhurried and genuinely specialist care.
Verified patient reviews
Dr Ismail was incredibly kind and thorough with my daughter. Highly recommended paediatrician.
Dr Ismail treated my son Kit at the Nuffield. She was incredibly kind, thorough and understanding. Communication is excellent and we really felt supported through the process x
Dr Ismail has a wonderful manner with both children and parents and you feel like she genuinely cares. She is incredibly thorough and knowledgeable and we are very grateful to be under her care.
Dr Ismail has a lovely manner and always very friendly while being professional. Makes you feel listened to.
Dr Ismail saw my son a couple of weeks ago. She is very kind and a great professional. She explained every step to him very clearly and with very good manners. She’s very knowledgeable and will go to the bottom of the medical issue, no guess work, arranging any necessary tests to get the final results. We are very pleased with how the appointments went.
Amazing doctor, very thorough, interested in her patients.
Dr Ismail was wonderful. Very approachable and explained everything clearly and patiently.
Dr Ismail has a lovely manner and able to bridge the differences in language between ages, explaining in simple terms what the medical terms mean. Put together a plan to follow and a follow-up future appointment. Would be great if she was our family dr! 5 stars.
Dr Ismail was extremely knowledgeable about our concern and has a fantastic bedside manner which put our son completely at ease. Would highly recommend.
Tell us what is worrying you
Answer two quick questions and Dr Ismail's team will be in touch with appointment options. No GP referral is needed, and there is no commitment at this stage.
- ✓ A reply within one working day
- ✓ Most families seen within two weeks
- ✓ Appointments in Brighton, London or Charlwood
- ✓ Your details are kept private and confidential
Clear, honest pricing with no surprises
You will always know the cost before you commit. Most families need an initial consultation followed by one review, after which the majority of children are happily discharged.
- ✓ An unhurried discussion of your child's full medical and family history
- ✓ A careful, child-friendly physical examination
- ✓ A clear explanation of what is happening, in plain language
- ✓ A written summary for you to keep and share with your GP
- ✓ A personalised plan, with any recommended tests fully explained
- ✓ Test results reviewed together and explained clearly
- ✓ A diagnosis confirmed, or reassurance that all is well
- ✓ A treatment or monitoring plan agreed together
- ✓ An updated written summary for your records
- ✓ Most children are discharged at this stage, or moved to simple monitoring
Why families choose Dr Ismail
Dr Ismail has been an NHS Consultant for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in Brighton since 2012 and clinical lead since 2018. Her private clinics follow the same protocols and quality standards set out by the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) and NHS specialised services, with the time and continuity that busy services often cannot provide.
Dr Ismail
pathway
Not an isolated clinic
Some childhood conditions need more than a single specialist. Where that is the case, Dr Ismail works holistically and with an MDT style, coordinating directly with consultants across other specialties (such as gastroenterology, neurology and cardiology) and with other members of the multidisciplinary team such as specialist dieticians, psychologists and nurses, so your child has the right team around them from the start.
This mirrors how she leads multidisciplinary diabetes clinics in her NHS role at Brighton, and means private families are not left holding referrals together themselves, but have holistic care at all times.
Getting an answer is simple
From your first enquiry to a clear plan, here is exactly what to expect. No confusion, no jargon, and no surprises along the way.
Request your appointment
Send a quick enquiry or call the team. We confirm availability within one working day, and most families are seen within two weeks.
Your initial consultation
A full 45 minute appointment. Dr Ismail listens carefully, examines your child, and explains what she thinks is happening in plain language.
Any tests, clearly explained
If tests would help, they are arranged at a clinic convenient for you. Dr Ismail explains exactly what each one is for, and results come back quickly.
Your follow-up and plan
Around 4 to 6 weeks later you review everything together, confirm the diagnosis or reassurance, and agree clear next steps. Most children are then discharged. For long-term conditions such as diabetes, Dr Ismail is happy to keep patients under her specialist service if families choose to keep their child's care in the private service.
A welcoming clinic in central London
Dr Ismail sees families for paediatric diabetes care at London Medical in Marylebone, and we will arrange any tests nearby.
International and Italian-speaking families. Dr Ismail warmly welcomes families from overseas, particularly at the London Diabetes Centre located at London Medical in Marylebone, where many international patients come for advanced diabetes technology. Consultations are available in English and Italian, and remote follow-up can be arranged where appropriate. Dr Ismail also speaks conversational Arabic, which is welcomed by many of her overseas families.
From childhood into adulthood
The move from paediatric to adult diabetes and endocrine care is a known weak point in many services. Because Dr Ismail cares for children and young people from birth through to their 19th birthday, families have time to build the confidence and self-management skills that make the eventual transfer into adult services a much smoother one.
For young people on insulin pumps or hybrid closed loop systems, this also means uninterrupted specialist technology support through the most demanding years of growing up.
Care in the language your family thinks in
Complex diagnoses are hard enough without a language barrier. Dr Ismail consults in five languages, so local and international families alike can discuss tests, results and plans in their own words.
The things parents most often ask before booking
If anything else is on your mind, just get in touch.
Your child deserves a clear answer
Book a private consultation with Dr Ismail and take the first step towards understanding what is going on, and exactly what to do next. Most families are seen within two weeks.
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