Forest Lodge
Heatherwood Hospital
Gate 3, King's Ride, Ascot
Berkshire, SL5 8AA
Telephone 1: 01344 877 772
Telephone 2: 01344 638 593
Fax: 01344 877 773
Website www.ascotmedicalcentre.co.uk
When the surgery is closed call 0118 936 5390
Our doctors and staff are proud to offer the highest standard of patient-centred healthcare that is friendly, prompt and comprehensive. We run clinics for the management of chronic diseases such as asthma and diabetes and offer a wide variety of other medical services including antenatal and postnatal care, minor surgery, childhood vaccinations and well-person check ups.
On Wednesday evenings we run a GP clinic and family planning clinic until 7.30 pm.
We serve patients from within a five mile radius incorporating Ascot, Sunningdale, Winkfield,
Binfield, Bracknell, Bagshot and parts of Old Windsor. We also look after patients at two nursing homes; Ascot Nursing Home and Sandridge House.
Please take a look around the website for further information about the Practice, our doctors, nurses and clerical staff and the range of services we offer. When you visit Ascot Medical Centre all our staff are approachable and here to answer any questions or queries. You will also find other health-related information and links that we hope will be useful.
Getting vaccinated while you’re pregnant may help to protect your baby from developing whooping cough in his or her first few weeks of life. The immunity you get from the vaccine will pass to your baby through the placenta. Babies are not vaccinated against whooping cough until they are two months old.

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Weekend
Times
08:00 - 18:30
08:00 - 18:30
08:00 - 19:30
08:00 - 18:30
08:00 - 18:30 closed
Times
Monday 08:30 - 18:30
Tuesday 08:30 - 18:30
08:30 - 19:30
Wednesday
18:00 - 19:30 (evening clinic + family planning)
Thursday 08:30 - 18:30
Friday 08:30 - 18:30
Weekend closed
A doctor is on-call for urgent attention out of hours on 0118 936 5390 . The calls are taken by
EBPC. EBPC is a mutual company commissioned by the Berkshire East Primary Care Trust
(which covers Bracknell Forest, Slough, Windsor, Ascot and Maidenhead) to provide urgent outof-hours medical care when your doctors surgery is closed.
EBPC operates between 6.30pm and 8am weekdays and from 6.30pm on Friday until 8am on
Monday. It also operates during Bank Holidays, and occasionally at other times so that Ascot
Medical Centre staff can take part in educational study days.

NHS Direct
In the case of urgent need when the practice is closed you can call NHS Direct
(www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/) (0845 4647) to speak to a triage nurse. Your needs will be assessed and advice offered or arrangements made for you to see a doctor.
Please do not ask to see a doctor out of hours unless you genuinely cannot wait until the surgery re-opens.
Call 999 in an emergency. Chest pains and / or shortness of breath constitute an emergency.
Appointments with either the Doctors or Nurse can be made up to four weeks in advance. Same day emergency appointments are always available. You may be offered an appointment with a nurse who will triage you and decide whether you need to see a doctor or whether the nurse can treat you. A doctor is always available during triage.
We try to ensure you can see the Doctor of your choice, subject to availability of appointments.
If you require a telephone consultation the reception staff will give you a rough time that the doctor will phone you back.
All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. This chaperone may be a family member or friend.
On occasions you may prefer a formal chaperone to be present, i.e. a trained member of staff.
If you wish to have a chaperone present, please tell the doctor or notify the reception in advance.
Your healthcare professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations.
We have ample free parking at Ascot Medical Centre however please ask the reception staff for a parking permit when you arrive to display in your car. You can keep the parking permit and use it whenever you need to come to Ascot Medical Centre.
You do not require a doctor's sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website (www.hmrc.gov.uk/forms/sc2.pdf) .

If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).
It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a 'Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.
You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist.
Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.
The 'fit note' was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer's support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.
For more information see the DirectGov website
(www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Illorinjured/
DG_175850) (where this information was sourced)
You can fax the details to us on 01344 877773 or call into the surgery in person and leave a written request with one of our Reception team.
Please allow 48 hours, excluding weekends, before calling in to collect your prescription.
Unfortunately, we are not able to accept repeat prescription requests by phone.
Extensive exemption and remission arrangements protect those likely to have difficulty in paying charges (NHS prescription and dental charges, optical and hospital travel costs).
The NHS prescription charge is a flat-rate amount which successive Governments have thought it reasonable to charge for those who can afford to pay for their medicines. Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) offer real savings for people who need extensive medication.
These charges apply in England only. In Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales prescriptions are free of charge.
 Prescription (per item): £7.65
 12-month prepayment certificate (PPC): £104.00
 3-month PPC: £29.10

If you will have to pay for four or more prescription items in three months, or more than 14 items in 12 months, you may find it cheaper to buy a PPC.
 Telephone advice and order line 0845 850 0030
 General Public - Buy or Renew a PPC On-line
There is further information about prescription exemptions and fees on the NHS website
(www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcosts/Pages/Prescriptioncosts.aspx)
Please allow 48 hours, excluding weekends and Bank Holidays, for your request to be processed.
Any problems please telephone the surgery.
We offer a range of services and individual clinics at Ascot Medical Centre. Please contact our
Reception team if you would like further details.
Diabetic Clinic
By prior appointment with Dr Crisp and the Practice Nurse.
Heart Disease Clinic
By prior appointment with Dr Crisp and the Practice Nurse.
Asthma Clinic
By prior appointment with Dr Mohan and the Practice Nurse.
Family Planning and Preconception Advice Clinic
By prior appointment with Dr Crisp and the Practice Nurse.
Antenatal and Postnatal Care Clinic
Your initial antenatal appointment will be with the Midwife. Subsequent appointments may be with either the Midwife or Dr Mohan. Contact the surgery for more information.
Child Immunisation Clinic
By prior appointment with the Practice Nurse.
Childhood Development Check
These are arranged and co-ordinated by the Health Visitor.
Chlamydia Screening
Screening is available free of charge to all 16-25 year olds.

Ascot Medical Centre works with the Diamond Team of midwives, based at Heatherwood
Hospital. The midwives who run our ante-natal classes are Maria and Sau Pheng. Once you know you are pregnant you need to decide where you would like to have your baby.
The choices you have are:
 Wexham Park, Slough (tours on Sundays at 14:00)
 St Peters, Chertsey (book tours with the parentcraft midwife on 01932 872000 x 2972)
 The Royal Berks, Reading (book tours on 0118 987 7294)
 Frimley Park, Camberley (tours Sat & Sun at 16:00 - meet outside maternity A&B, 1st floor)
You then need to make a Booking Appointment with the midwife.
Downs Syndrome:
If you want to be screened to determine the risk of your baby having Downs Syndrome you need a short Booking Appointment initially, no earlier than 10 weeks, either with the midwife or your
GP. They will then provide a scan referral and ask you to call 01344 877591 to book your scan.
Do this as soon as possible as appointments go quickly.
Booking Appointment:
You need to make a Booking Appointment with the midwife at 10-12 weeks, after deciding on the place of birth and before the 12 week scan. During the 40 minute appointment she will take a full history and some blood samples. If you cannot get an appointment before your scan then you need to get your blood tests completed at the phlebotomy department at Heatherwood any week day between 08:30 and 12:45. Ask your GP for the blood test forms.
Ultrasound Scan:
You will be offered an ultrasound scan at 11-13 weeks. This is to confirm the due date of the baby and whether there is only one!
You will be offered a second scan at 20 weeks. This should be done at the hospital at which you intend to give birth and will take a more detailed look at your baby. If theis scan is being completed at either Heatherwood or Wexham Park you will need to take your maternity with you.
The chart below provides a summary of the ante-natal appointments you will require:
Time Line Who Seeing
4-10 weeks GP
Reason
Diagnose & confirm pregnancy
Folic acid advised/prescribed
Maternity information book

10-12 weeks Midwife
Booking Appointment arranged
Formal maternity booking history
Booking bloods taken
Anomaly scan form provided
Information on antenatal classes
Pregnancy book provided
11-13 weeks Hospital Ultrasound Dept Nuchal fold (12 week) scan
20-21 weeks Hospital
22-23 weeks Midwife
28 weeks Midwife
Fetal anomaly scan
Maternity notes collected
Discuss scan & blood results
Blood tests
Plot grow chart
31 weeks GP
34 weeks Midwife
36 weeks Midwife
38 weeks GP
40 weeks Midwife
41 weeks Midwife
Review
Discussion & checks
Discussion & check position
Discussion & check position
Discussion & check position
Discussion & checks
Please call between 11:00 and 15:30 to enquire about your test results as our reception staff will have more time to deal with your request between these times.
Note that the practice has a strict policy regarding confidentiality and data protection and we will only release test results to the person to whom they relate unless that person has given prior permission for the release of this data or they are not capable of understanding the results.
When you take your test you will be told how long it will be before the results are returned to the practice.
It is your responsibility to check your results and to make an appointment to discuss them with your doctor if your are advised to do so.

A blood test is when a sample of blood is taken for testing in a laboratory. Blood tests have a wide range of uses and are one of the most common types of medical test. For example, a blood test can be used to:
 assess your general state of health
 confirm the presence of a bacterial or viral infection
 see how well certain organs, such as the liver and kidneys, are functioning
A blood test usually involves the phlebotomist taking a blood sample from a blood vessel in your arm. and the usual place for a sample is the inside of the elbow or wrist, where the veins are relatively close to the surface. Blood samples from children are most commonly taken from the back of the hand. The child's hand will be anaesthetised (numbed) with a special cream before the sample is taken.
You can find out more about blood tests, their purpose and the way they are performed on the
NHS Choices website.
An X-ray is a widely used diagnostic test to examine the inside of the body. X-rays are a very effective way of detecting problems with bones, such as fractures. They can also often identify problems with soft tissue, such as pneumonia or breast cancer.
If you have a X-ray, you will be asked to lie on a table or stand against a surface so that the part of your body being X-rayed is between the X-ray tube and the photographic plate.
An X-ray is usually carried out by a radiographer, a healthcare professional who specialises in using imaging technology, such as X-rays and ultrasound scanners.
You can find out more about x-ray tests, how they are performed, their function and the risks by visiting the NHS Choices website.
 We are a friendly well established GP practice near Ascot town centre and in the grounds
 of Heatherwood Hospital.
 We like to treat our patients as individuals.
We are supported by an excellent team of district nurses, midwives, health visitors and
 social services.
 We offer a wide range of services to our patients.
We have attained a high achievement level in the national Quality and Outcomes framework.

The doctors welcome new patients who live within our practice area. As it often takes some time for records to be forwarded from your former practice all newly registered patients will be asked to complete a health questionnaire and are offered a new patient check with one of our nurses.
We serve patients from within a five mile radius incorporating Ascot, Sunningdale, Winkfield,
Binfield, Bracknell, Bagshot and parts of Old Windsor. We also look after patients at two nursing homes; Ascot Nursing Home and Sandridge House.
Medical treatment is available from the date of registration. Please contact reception for further information.
Guide to GP Services
The Royal College of General Practitioners has produced a useful guide for patients about the services on offer at GP Surgeries and how to access them. You can download the guide below.
A Patient Guide to GP Services (www.rcgp.org.uk/pdf/rcgp_iyp_full_booklet_web_version.pdf)
If you wish to pre-register click on the link below to open the form. When you have completed all of the details, click on the "Send" button to mail your form to us. When you visit the surgery for the first time you will be asked to sign the form to confirm that the details are correct. We also need proof of your identity and address i.e., a passport and a utility bill or bank statement.
Pre-registration Form
When you register you will also be asked to fill out a medical questionnaire. This is because it can take a considerable time for us to receive your medical records. There is an online version of this file too, which you may fill out and send to us. When you come to the surgery you will be asked to sign this form to confirm that the details are correct.
Online Medical Questionnaire For New Patients
Note that by sending the form you will be transmitting information about your self across the
Internet and although every effort is made to keep this information secure, no guarantee can be offered in this respect.
Alternatively you may print off a registration form, fill it out and bring it in with you on your first visit to the practice.
Registration Form

If you are ill while away from home or if you are not registered with a doctor but need to see one you can receive emergency treatment from the local GP practice for 14 days. After 14 days you will need to register as a temporary or permanent patient.
You can be registered as a temporary patient for up to three months. This will allow you to be on the local practice and still remain a patient of your permanent GP. After three months you will have to re-register as a temporary patient or permanently register with that practice.
To register as a temporary patient simply contact the local practice you wish to use. Practices do not have to accept you as a temporary patient although they do have an obligation to offer emergency treatment. You cannot register as a temporary patient at a practice in the town or area where you are already registered.
Download the Temporary Resident Registration Form
Chlamydia is the most commonly diagnosed sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the UK; affecting both men and women. Most people who have it will have no symptoms, without a test you will probably not know anything is wrong. If you or your sexual partner are left untreated it can cause infertility (not being able to have children) and long term pelvic pain. If you are sexually active and under 25 you should be tested for chlamydia annually.
The test is a urine sample for both sexes. If you are between 16 - 25 you can come in to Ascot
Medical Centre (even if you are not one of our patients) and we will give you the test kit to take home with you and send off yourself. If you would rather do the test here at Ascot Medical
Centre and for us to send it off for you we are happy to do this.
You don't need to give us your name or include your name with the test. You must however include your mobile phone number as you will receive a text with the results. If the results are positive, don't panic but make an early appointment to see our nurses if you are one of our patients or your own GP practice for treatment.
If you are outside the 16 - 25 age group and one of our patients, please make an appointment to see one of our nurses who will be able to test you and arrange to give you the results.
The Ascot Medical Centre Patient Satisfaction Survey was carried out over a three month period, between October
2011 and January 2012. Surgery receptionists handed the questionnaire to patients who attended the surgery within this time and a total of 129 were completed. This represents 6.10% of the 2113 patients currently registered with the surgery.
The demography of the respondents reflects the highest users of the services Ascot Medical Centre provides. The majority of the respondents were female and under the age of 40(38%). Overall female respondents accounted for a total of 69% and male respondents accounted for 31%.

There were three main areas evident from the data collected where patients believe improvements could be made. These are detailed below:-
Car parking
Opening times
The waiting area
Other comments for consideration are detailed below:-
Don’t use locums
Give more appointments (with the nurse)
Text patients if the nurse / GP running late
Increase length of appointment time with GP
Seeing first choice of doctor
Offer more appointments first thing
Action points are tabled below.
ActionPoints
What needs improving
Car parking
Opening times
How it will be improved When will it be improved
Ongoing negotiations with
Trust
Marked parking bays already achieved
Obtain protected Disabled
Parking Space Currently in progress
AMC Patient Parking Slips available from reception to prevent patients receiving a parking ticket if forced to park elsewhere
Parking slips already achieved
Internal discussion to be held regarding increased opening hours
Current opening hours detailed on new website:

www.ascotmedicalcentre.co.uk
8am to 6.30pm Mon to Fri with a late service on Weds evenings. Opening hours may be extended further following internal discussion. Website to be amended to include specific GP appointment sessions
Waiting area
Generally tidy the waiting area and offer a notice board
Refreshments
Patients wish to see refreshments available
Don’t use locums **
Use the same locums to provide continuity of care
More appointments with the nurse
Text patients if appointments running late
Increase length of appointment time with GP
Waiting area tidied on a daily basis. A local business man
(and patient) is donating suitable glossy magazines at the end of each month.
Notice board procured, fitted and hanging in the waiting room
PPG to investigate Health & Safety issues surrounding the supply of refreshments.
Already undertaken – see note below
Employ an extra nurse
Already undertaken - an extra nurse has been employed for
15hrs/week which has made more appointments available
There will be daily nurse-led ‘Minor Illness Clinics’.
Nurse appointment times staggered so less waiting for patients
Text patients (free of charge) from an NHS email account
PPG to work with surgery staff to ensure procedure understood and protocol written
Internal discussion to be held regarding increased appointment times
Dr N Mohan has increased appointment times to 15mins.
Dr N Mohan also currently offering acupuncture free to patients (whilst undertaking an audit). Once the audit is completed the acupuncture will still be available but will incur a fee
Seeing first choice of doctor
Internal discussion to be held regarding appointment slots with specific doctors
Website to be amended to include specific GP appointment sessions
Offer more appointments first thing
Internal discussion to be held regarding increased opening hours
Daily nurse and GP telephone consultations already available.
** Please note - Dr N Mohan was on long term sick leave throughout 2011 and it is not usual practice for the surgery to employ locums on a long term basis. Where locums are deemed necessary, great care is taken to ensure the same doctors are used to provide continuity of care for the patients. The practice employs the same two locum
GPs on an ad hoc basis and these are Dr Oso and Dr Perkins. Dr Perkins has worked at Ascot Medical Centre as a locum for the past six years.

Conclusion
Overall the Patient Satisfaction Survey produced positive results. Whilst there will always be areas for improvement which the doctors and PPG will strive to meet, there were many positive comments made freely by the patients, despite the survey not requesting them. Such comments included ‘receptionists are always helpful and accommodating’, ‘current appointment arrangements are excellent in my experience’, ‘opening times are really good compared to other surgeries’, ‘the doctors are very attentive’ and ‘I feel I can stay as long as needed with the doctor, I am never rushed’.
Next steps
Repeat the survey in 6 months to evaluate changes and communicate findings to patients.
Ascot Medical Centre is completely committed to Heatherwood Hospital and our continued future here.
If you would like more information about the Save Heatherwood Hospital Group please click here http://www.saveheatherwoodhospital.org.uk/ (www.saveheatherwoodhospital.org.uk/)
The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:
 To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
 To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your
 consent.
When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and
Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.
If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.
Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.
Freedom of Information

Information about the General Practioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.
Access to Records
In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.
We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.
However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.
To pursue a complaint please contact Dr Crisp or Dr Mohan who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.
The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.
This easy to use patient questionnaire has been validated for use in Primary Care.
It is used by your doctor to monitor the severity of depression and response to treatment.
It can also be used to make a tentative diagnosis of depression.
PHQ-9 Depression Assessment Questionnaire
Doctors
Dr Kathy Crisp,
MBBS FFSRH
Dr Crisp has been a GP in East Berkshire for over 20 years. Her special interest is in women's health, including the menopause, gynaecology, contraception and specialist Family Planning clinics. She also teaches doctors and nurses in this field.

Dr Neesha
Mohan, MBBS
MRCGP
Qualified from St Georges Hospital London in 1989. Dr Mohan has an interest in intergrated health, Ayurveda and Acupuncture.
Her approach to her patients is holistic,incorporating nutrition and mind-body techniques to improving health. She runs the antenatal clinic and baby clinic.
Dr Anu (Bumi)
Olubunmi Oso
MBChB,
MRCGP
Dr Anne Marie
Perkins MBBS
DCH MRCGP
Dr P Karunaharun Dr Karunaharan runs a weekly ENT clinic at Ascot Medical
Centre. Dr Karunaharan qualified from Manchester Medical
School in 1993. His main interests are Surgery (especially ENT),
Psychiatry and Aerospace Medicine. He has done a full surgical rotation as part of his Neurosurgical training. Among the places he has worked in are, King Edward VII th hospital for Officers
(and the Royal family) and NASA Johnson Space Centre,
Houston,USA. Dr Karunaharan also works as a GP in Surrey.
Nurses
Practice nurses are qualified and registered nurses. They can help with health issues such as family planning, healthy living advice, blood pressure checks and dressings.
The practice nurses run clinics for long-term health conditions such as asthma or diabetes, minor ailment clinics and carry out cervical smears.
Healthcare Assistants
Healthcare assistants support practice nurses with their daily work and carry out tasks such as phlebotomy (drawing blood), blood pressure measurement and new patient checks. They may act as a chaperone when a patient or doctor requests one.
Reception
Receptionists provide an important link for patients with the practice and are your initial contact point for general enquiries. They can provide basic information on services and results and direct you to the right person depending on your health issue or query. Receptionists make most of the patient appointments with the GPs and nurses. They also perform other important tasks such as issuing repeat prescriptions and dealing with prescription enquiries, dealing with financial claims, dealing with patient records and carrying out searches and practice audits.
Health Visitors
A health visitor is a registered nurse who has received training particularly related to babies, children and pregnant women. Their role is to provide families with children under five years old with support and advice around the general aspects of mental, physical and social wellbeing.