Dr Ammara Choudry - Ascot

Cray Zee

I find it very hard to reconcile some of the reviews here with the practice I've visited for 7 years. Yes, they are a small practice with limited capacity. Yes, you have to do annoying things such as call at 8am or use e-consultation. Yes, sometimes it is difficult to get a face to face appointment. All those things are true, but one must understand that they are trying the best they can within extremely limiting constraints, especially after covid. Believe it or not, the doctors, nurses and admin staff are also human, and they work extremely hard under very challenging circumstances.

My experience there is quite good. They have always been proactive regarding my asthma, and have always been there for us when there is a medication problem or sudden illness. The doctors are really good, the nurses are fantastic, and I've never found the admin staff wanting. Treat them with respect and that is exactly how they will treat you back. They are there to help you, not to take from you.

Ruth Clara

I can't believe how difficult this surgery makes everything.

How to get a necessary but non emergency appointment:

1: ring the surgery and get told the use e consult
2: waste 10 minutes answering questions on e consult before being told to ring the surgery
3: get given an emergency on the day appointment
4: wait all day only to get informed that your appointment has been triaged and you have an appointment in a week at an unknown time (you get no say in when this is)

It's absolutely absurd. Getting a repeat prescription is impossible too as (much to the annoyance of the nurses and Drs there I'm sure) reception insists on having you book an in person appointment you don't need every time you try to order it. Everyone is just doing their job but it's so badly run that I just absolutely dread having to contact them for anything at this point. Do not register here.

courtners Orme

It takes ages to get a first response from doing an online Consultation. When you finally get a Consultation it is only to say that they'd call you back in 2 weeks to arrange an appointment. (Why wait 2 weeks to arrange an appointment?!) I've asked repeatedly to be called in the AM due to work hours, which does not happen. I get called driving to work; I miss the call; I call back; I have to restart the whole process!
You can't even do an online Consultation out of hours, to help speed up the process! All you have to do is fill out a form and answer a few online questions! Why on earth is that only available during working hours. If its an emergency you think needs to be consultated with and don't want to waste NHS budget, enable us to consult 24/7!
2 stars because the GP's and nurses there are lovely and helpful!

Laura Avalos

Absolutely awful service. Disgustingly rude admin staff.
Trying to get an appointment is beyond a joke, i understand that they want to use the online e-consult to save time, however when you do an online e-consult, no one ever gets back to you.
I have taken screen shots to show that I was supposed to get a call back but it NEVER happens.
You have to call up and remind them and only then they MAY put you on the call list.

I had an expired contraceptive implant left in my arms for 3 months and became very ill before they did anything, and now again 3 years later, the same thing is happening. My implant expired over a week ago and I’ve still heard nothing.

Will definitely be moving doctors. This is the final straw.

Tina Wizard

Not quite sure why people are quite so scathing of this really decent surgery. Yes you have to be on the ball and call in at 8am to get an appointment but I've never not got an appointment. They have never been anything but professional and polite with my family. They have always got my children in for appointments at fairly short notice when they've been poorly. I much preferred the prenatal care I received here when I was pregnant with my 2nd child compared to my GP surgery when we previously lived in London.

A. Croft

UPDATED

From my experience the staff are friendly on the phone, contrary to some of the other reviews' statements here.

Unfortunately as a patient at this surgery, I'm afraid that the administration is of a poor standard.

The email prescription system is particularly problematic. Occasionally, I request changes to details for my repeat prescription and make this explicit both in the email subject title and the text of the email itself. Examples of requested changes include exact dosages or the pharmacy to which I would like my prescription sent. Though sometimes these are acknowledged successfully, there have been numerous occasions when they have been ignored. It is for this reason that I had to telephone the surgery to amend simple errors. *UPDATE* If you telephone the surgery, the automated voice will try and dissuade you from trying to order prescriptions over the phone; if you press 5 the line will hang up automatically after an irritating message. Press 6 and you will be put through to reception. Happily, my experience is that your request will be administered with swiftly and with charm. Just give all the correct details.

The system, or at least some persons involved in the administration of the surgery and the needs of its patients, functions at a low standard. If you follow the advice I have laid out, you should be able to get your correct prescription. I am unable to comment on appointments etc.

Jacob Griffiths

The incompetence of this surgery is astounding.

* Disclaimer: I have never before had anything short of fantastic service from the NHS but I feel like I can't let my experience with this surgery go unoticed *

Firstly, their phone and booking system is astoundingly bad. Almost every time you ring you get a 'line busy' response and are unable to leave a message or wait on hold so have to keep trying until you get through.

Secondly, I requested and paid for a copy of my medical records for a clinical trial and after having heard nothing for three weeks, rang them (several times) to find out what was going on. They began by claiming there was no record of my request or payment until I insisted I had evidence to the contrary. Magically they 'found' the request and said I would have to wait as it was with a Doctor and awaiting their signature and they would next be in on Monday (this being a Friday) I rang back on Monday but was greeted with more 'line busy' responses until I gave up and decided to go into the surgery in person. After waiting 10 minutes I was told AGAIN that no record of the request or payment could be found so I rang the clinical trial company and they verified all the information and said they were happy to fax over the proof to the surgery. Unsurprisingly, this enabled the surgery to 'find' my request again but this time there was a new problem, the 'insurance lady' was on holiday and had been for the last 10 days, due back Wednesday. It seems remarkable to me that this wasn't mentioned in any of my other previous phonecalls regarding this request.

At this point I was getting very frustrated as the trial is due to go ahead this Wednesday (3rd July) and my participation was dependent on these medical records being released. I conveyed this to the receptionist and she responded with a rather condecending and rude tone and essentially told me to 'deal with it' in a roundabout way. I left the surgery in disbelief and rang both the surgery and the clinical trial company several times throughout the day until I got a rather short voicemail from the surgery saying the records had now been found and would be with me by Tuesday (2nd July) at 3pm. Just before writing this at 3pm on Tuesday (2nd July) I got another call from the clinical trial company saying they'd called the surgery several times today and they'd postponed the release of the records until tomorrow (guess what, the relevant person was on holiday again) morning which they wouldn't normally be able to accept but have extended the deadline in this exceptional scenario. I am now hoping they deliver on this (not holding my breath) or I will not be able to partake in the trial and will miss out on a very much needed £2000.

The customer service of this surgery has been unbelievably bad, causing me a lot of stress and frustration, and I would strongly advise anybody not to join this surgery as a patient.

Lo Waiman12

Very bad follow up, as long as u are not going to died, fill in the online form and wait for a weeks or two someone will contact u. If u are going to dead soon, 111 nothing they could do. If I could give 0 or - stars I definitely will. People have no patient to patient who are not well. Work in health care section which is a basic requirement, if u don't have patient and kindness, don't do the job. No one want to be ill!!! Shame to ur clinic, i think NHS generally ar good not this one.