Full 24 hour general practice care for our member patients is provided by three highly qualified, experienced, diligent and innovative general practitioners. Please note that because of our flexible approach to healthcare, we do not hold rigid clinics like NHS practices such as asthma, diabetes, well woman/man etc as we have the time and facilities to deal with these problems individually during routine consultation.
We strive to maintain the highest standards of care, tailoring medical requirements to individual needs. Our guiding principles are:
- excellence of clinical management
- confidentiality
- attention to detail
- holistic and flexible approach
- professional and discrete manner
- freedom of choice
Individuals who register with a private general practice recognise the need for adequate time to be applied to their health concerns. This approach allows us to focus to focus on accurate investigation, diagnosis and management. Where specialist advice is required, we can recommend the highest standard of referral in the shortest possible time.
Registration and Membership
New patients are accepted to the practice as members depending on current practice workload, although we do strive to respond positively to all enquiries. However, in order to maintain the high level of care that we offer to our member patients, it is also necessary to keep a strict control over the numbers. For this reason, we regret that sometimes it may not be possible to accept applications.
Please note: the fee for a standard new patient appointment is £200.
Prospective members should live in W11, or one of the following London postcodes: W2, W8, W9, W10, W12, W14, NW6, NW8
Patients who live outside these areas, and who would like to become members, should contact the Manager directly to discuss their application. We do try to consider all circumstances.
We assume that patients who join as members are handing over their primary care exclusively to the practice. Therefore we would not routinely report to an NHS GP for example, unless patients request that we do. Patients are however welcome to maintain their NHS registration.
Patients can also register with the practice as non-members, or "visitors" and avail themselves of our consultancy service which is open to anyone. Typically this would be for a second opinion, or an appointment of convenience. The duty of primary care for these patients remains with their usual GP, and not ourselves. In such circumstances, we will give the patient a note of the consultation so that they can present this to their regular doctor.
Benefits of Practice Membership
Membership is paid by monthly direct debit. There are two main types of subscription - family and individual.
Family - £45 per month
Individual - £20 per month
The following benefits apply to member patients only.
- Reduced consultation fees (a standard consultation fee is £100 for adult members and £150 to non-members or £75/£120 for children).
- Full 24 hour care. (Non-members will not be offered night or weekend visits as it is assumed that they are also registered elsewhere).
- Priority for appointments given to members. (Members will always be seen the same day for urgent problems).
- No charge for administration e.g. insurance claim forms, passport applications, parking permits etc. (£25 - £50 for non-members).
- Home visits if you are unable to come to the surgery due to ill health and live within our catchment area of W2, W8, W9, W10, W11, W12, W14, NW6 or NW8.
- Hospital visits (automatic to members in private hospitals as the overall responsibility for their care remains with the GP).
If you would like to apply for membership, please contact the Manager directly to arrange this.
Appointments
All consultations are made by appointment, except in acute emergencies, and can be made between 8.00am and 6.30pm Monday to Thursday (6.00pm on Friday) by telephoning the surgery. We allow 30 minutes for standard consultations, 1 hour for new-patient assessments and 90 minutes for health screening.
In exceptional circumstances, and by arrangement with the manager or one of the doctors, patients may be seen at other times. Every effort is made to see patients at the time of their request. We guarantee same day appointments for urgent problems with one of the three doctors to all members, although we cannot guarantee that this will be with the doctor of their choice. Patients should be aware however that we operate very much as a team, sharing information where appropriate and in the best interests of the patients. We endeavour to manage clinical data in such a way that all of the doctors have access to a patient's full medical history, including any recent information.
We keep a number of appointments free each morning and afternoon for emergencies that arise on the day. These can be booked by ringing the surgery as early in the day as possible. Once again, it is not always possible to choose the doctor or the time under these circumstances so some flexibility is essential.
Home and Hospital Visits
Home visits and hospital care are only offered to practice members. Requests for house calls should be made by ringing the surgery as early in the morning as possible. They are made at the discretion of the doctor and only to patients who are too ill to come to the surgery, or who are housebound or disabled. House calls are very time consuming for the doctor and are therefore not offered simply for reasons of convenience. Routine visits are also offered to practice members who are in hospital.
Out of Hours Care
Opening times are:
8.00am - 6.30pm Monday - Thursday
8.00am - 6.00pm on Friday
Outside of these times the practice offers an out of hours service. 24 hour care is offered to all practice members. We regret that we cannot offer this service to non-members and reserve the right to provide alternative arrangements in the event that an out of hours call is placed by a non-member. Emergencies will be dealt with promptly day or night. Out of hours appointments can be made by calling the surgery telephone number
020 8962 0635
The call will be directed automatically to the duty doctor's telephone. This service is designed for urgent or emergency care only. Non-urgent or administrative enquiries such as repeat prescriptions will usually be referred to the next working day. Please note there is a standard telephone charge for all calls of £45.
In the unlikely event of a technical or power failure causing the telephone at the surgery to malfunction, the direct number for assistance is 020 8741 2982
Telephone Advice
Telephone advice from a doctor is only offered to registered practice members. Members of staff may offer advice for example on the services we provide or general healthcare information, but any specific medical questions from non-members will require an appointment.
Telephone or e-mail advice is given at the discretion of the doctors. It is routinely given free of charge for follow-up advice subsequent to an appointment. However for new problems, patients will be routinely advised to make an appointment to see one of the doctors. In certain circumstances, the doctors may deem it appropriate to offer telephone or e-mail advice for new episodes, and these consultations will be chargeable depending on the amount of time spent and the actions taken in connection with the consultation. As a guide, the standard fee for such advice is £45.
Results of Investigations
Most results are available within 24-48 hours. Unless a follow-up appointment is necessary, patients will be contacted personally by the doctor or a nurse and informed as soon as the result becomes available.
Repeat Prescriptions
Member patients on regular medication requiring repeat prescriptions can telephone or post requests, or send an e-mail to enquiries@nottinghillpractice.com. It is helpful if such requests can be received before the medication has actually run out. Please try to make these requests before midday then prescriptions can be posted at lunchtime to ensure arrival the next day.
Please note that faxed prescriptions are NOT legal. Further, telephoned prescriptions are both time consuming (for medico-legal reasons the doctor must personally speak to the pharmacist who is not always available) and have been shown to be prone to error. Accordingly, the procedure of telephoning a prescription through to a pharmacy is only carried out in exceptional circumstances and only when the doctor concerned makes the judgement that this is essential. There is a standard £10 charge for this service. In general, urgent prescriptions must be collected from the surgery by the patient or his or her representative.
Please note that repeat prescriptions are only issued to member patients. Non-member patients must obtain their regular medication from their usual GP. Please refer to the section of this brochure regarding membership, or contact the manager directly at the surgery.
Consultancy Service
We provide an independent consultancy service for anyone in need of, for example, a second opinion, or an appointment of convenience. Patients will be registered as non-members or visitors and will not be entitled to the benefits of membership. Patients will routinely be issued with an encouter note summarising the intervention which they can then pass on to their regular GP.
Fees and Payment
Fees are payable on the day of consultation. We accept most major credit cards, cash or cheques with a cheque guarantee card.
Fees for administrative procedures such as completion of insurance claim forms, medical reports, passport application forms etc are charged at the standard rate as recommended by the British Medical Association. These services are free to members.
A full list of fees for the private general practice is included at the back of this brochure.
Pathology fees for the analysis of any tests such as blood tests, swabs, or specimen samples are not included in the cost of consultation. Prices are available on request at the surgery. The costs of these tests vary enormously depending on what is being tested. Patients are advised to ask the doctor at the time of consultation as to the likely cost of any tests being performed.
Chaperone Policy
The Portobello Clinic can offer chaperones, both male and female, to patients undergoing intimate examinations.
Alternatively, patients are also welcome to bring a friend or relative with them to consultations should they wish.
Dr Martin Scurr MB , BS, MRCS, MRCP, MRCGP, FRCP
A Westminster Medical School graduate, Martin Scurr was one of the first doctors to complete vocational training in general practice, which became mandatory after 1979 for any doctor wishing to practise Family Medicine. Subsequently he founded this private practice in 1977, and since then has pursued the philosophy of a practice which identifies three broad theoretical perspectives: accurate diagnosis, adherence to the highest principles of medical ethics, and a synthesis of objective scientific medicine and the subjective benefits of complimentary medicine.
Dr Neil Haughton MA, BSc , MB , BChir, DCH, DRCOG, MRCGP
Dr Haughton graduated from Cambridge Clinical School in 1990 and completed his vocational training in Canterbury, Kent and gained membership to the Royal College of General Practitioners in 1995. After time spent in research at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, he became the Medical Director of the London Lighthouse Hospice for HIV/AIDS. He returned to general practice and joined the Notting Hill Practice in 1999 becoming a director in 2003. He has also worked in paediatrics, cancer treatment, family planning clinics, drug dependency services, community psychiatric services and ran our sexual health clinic in Soho for 5 years. He is committed to health screening and its promotion having completed research into its value. Dr Haughton also completed a Masters degree in Renaissance Art in 2004.
Dr Sarah Jordan MBBS DFFP DRCOG MRCGP
Dr Jordan graduated from University College Hospital, London in 1989. Following hospital posts in London, New Zealand and Northampton she completed her vocational training in Derbyshire and gained membership of The Royal College of General Practitioners in 1995 with distinction. She subsequently became a partner in General Practice in Nottingham before returning to London to join The Notting Hill Practice in 2003, becoming a director in 2006. Her interests include all aspects of community based healthcare, in particular paediatrics including child health surveillance, gynaecology and family planning, general medicine, psychiatry and palliative care. She believes in a holistic approach to patient care with a strong emphasis on preventative medicine including screening and health promotion.
