- Welcome to West Street Surgery
- Our Patient Charter
- Social Media
- Patient Registration
- Registered Usual GP
- Online Access
- Our Practice Team
- Appointments
- Chaperones
- The NHS Constitution
- Equality Statement
- Repeat Prescriptions
- Services We Provide
- Annual Health Checks
- Test Results
- Compliments and Complaints
- Your Data and Confidentiality
- Patient Participation Group
- Zero Tolerance
Welcome to West Street Surgery
If you are looking for a practice to join, we hope you will find the following information helpful; and if you have registered with us, the leaflet tells you about how to contact us, who we are, what we do and the services we offer. The information in this Leaflet is updated regularly for the benefit of existing patients. The information is also available on pages throughout website.
West Street Surgery is located on the edge of Dunstable, Bedfordshire close to the picturesque Dunstable Downs. It’s history dates back to the 19th Century making it one of the oldest medical practices in the area. As the surgery grew to meet patient demand it moved from it’s original site ‘The Limes’ to a purpose built surgery on West Street. The surgery currently has a patient population of over 12,000 and covers patients living in Dunstable and the surrounding villages.
Practice Contact Details
Address: West Street Surgery, 89 West Street, Dunstable, LU6 1SF
Telephone: 01582 664401
Website: www.weststreetsurgery.org.uk
Equality Statement
At West Street Surgery, we are dedicated to providing safe, respectful, and compassionate care to everyone in our community. We aim to create an inclusive environment where every patient feels welcome, valued, and supported, regardless of their background, identity, or circumstances.
We believe that equality and fairness are fundamental to good healthcare. Our practice is committed to ensuring that all patients have equal access to services that meet their individual needs, and we do not tolerate discrimination in any form.
We value the diversity of our patients and staff and actively work to promote understanding, inclusion, and respect throughout our practice. Our team is committed to listening to patients, reducing barriers to care, and supporting individuals to feel confident and involved in their healthcare journey.
West Street Surgery is a ‘Safe Surgery’ and commits to taking steps to tackle the barriers faced by many migrants in accessing healthcare.
Our Patient Charter
You will be treated as an individual, with courtesy, respect and dignity at all times.
You will be given the names of the people involved in your care.
You may usually see the doctor of your choice at his or her next available appointment.
You will normally be seen within 30 minutes of your appointment time, be advised of any long delay and the reason for it.
You are entitled to receive advice on a healthy lifestyle and to participate in practice health promotion activities
The NHS Constitution: Your Rights as a Patient
The NHS is guide by its Constitution. It’s combination of your rights as a patient, and the pledges the Health Service aims for.
This quick guide sets out what this means for you.
Your Rights
Your Right to Care
You have the right to free healthcare. This includes seeing a GP, accessing hospital care, and, in some cases, free prescriptions. Everyone is treated equally, regardless of who they are or where they’re from.
Your Right to be Involved
You have a say in your care. Your doctor should explain your condition and the treatment options. If something isn’t clear, you can ask questions. You can also make decisions about your care with your doctor.
Your Right to Safety
The NHS works hard to keep you safe. If something goes wrong, the NHS must be honest about it. You have the right to know what happened and to receive an apology if needed.
Your Right to Information
You can see your medical records. If you think something is wrong in your records, you can ask for it to be corrected. You also have a right to information about how the NHS is run and how decisions are made.
Your Right to Make a Complaint
If you’re unhappy with the care you’ve received, you can make a complaint. The NHS must take your concerns seriously and respond to them.
How to Use Your Rights
-To make the most of your rights:
-Speak up if you’re unsure about your care.
-Ask for a second opinion if needed.
-Use the NHS website to learn more about your rights and services.
Support is Available
If you need help understanding your rights, services like PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) are there to help.
The NHS is here for everyone. Knowing your rights helps you get the best care possible.
The Seven NHS Principles
The NHS follows seven key principles in everything it does. These are based on core values shaped by staff, patients, and the public.
They are:
Comprehensive Service: The NHS provides health services to everyone, regardless of age, gender, or background.
Access Based on Need: Care is offered based on clinical need, not the ability to pay.
High Standards of Care: The NHS is committed to providing safe, effective, and high-quality care.
Patient-Centred Approach: Services are shaped around the needs, preferences, and involvement of patients.
Equality and Fairness: The NHS aims to eliminate discrimination and reduce health inequalities.
Efficient Use of Resources: The NHS uses taxpayer funds responsibly to provide the best possible care.
Accountable to the Public: The NHS is transparent and accountable to patients, staff, and the community.
Patient Registration
Patients wishing to register with the Practice may do so if their address is within our Practice boundary.
Our registration form can be found online alternatively you can register via the NHS App.
Our practice is a ‘Safe Surgery’ for everyone. Lack of ID or proof of address, immigration status or language are not barriers to patient registration
Registered GP
We believe in providing continuity of care, and all patients are allocated a named usual GP. However, this does not mean that you must always see your named GP. We will make every effort to offer appointments with your GP of choice whenever possible.
For non-urgent routine appointments, or during periods when your named or preferred GP is on annual leave, you may be offered the option to join a waiting list. In this case, you will be allocated the next available appointment and contacted to ensure that the time and date is suitable.
We will always try to accommodate requests to change your named usual GP. If you wish to do so, please submit your request in writing to the Practice Manager.
Appointments
Click on the arrow heads below for more information about West Street Surgery’s Appointments. Before you request an appointment please ensure that you are using the right service.
Routine and Urgent Appointments
Appointments are available throughout the day, Monday – Friday. Some extended access appointments are available weekdays 6:30 – 8pm and at weekends.
With a huge patient population and high demand for appointments, it may not be possible to offer you an appointment on the same day. Our reception team will triage requests processing urgent appointments and prioritising for the same day (if not at full capacity) and routine appointments within 2 weeks.
You can arrange an appointment with a member of our Practice team:
* by using Accurx online – Accurx is our online system and can be accessed via our website.
* in person at the Practice Reception desk
* by telephoning the appointment line on 01582 664401
Opening Hours for Appointments
Monday – Friday core hours 08:00 – 18:30
Monday – Friday extended access (evenings vary) 18:30 – 20:00
Saturday 08:00 – 17:00 (Pre-bookable appointments only)
Home Visits
Home visits are only available to housebound patients who cannot be brought in by a relative or carer, or those too unwell to be leave their home. A home visit can be requested online or by telephone. Please advise why the visit is necessary and whether the patient can be brought into the practice. The request for a visit will be passed to a GP who will assess/triage the request and if deemed appropriate will either visit or assign to the most appropriate clinician.
Out of Core Hours
If you require medical assistance which cannot wait until the surgery re-opens please call 111 (a free phone service). For more information please visit www.nhs.uk/111. For urgent mental health support please call 111 option 2.
Call 999 in an emergency (Chest pains and / or shortness of breath constitute an emergency) and ask for the ambulance service.
Cancelling Appointments
We ask that our patients contact us when they need to cancel an appointment. We appreciate that things crop up from time to time and are happy to reschedule appointments. We are not happy when patients fail to turn up.
Cancelling appointments is easy it can be done through the NHS App, Online via our contact us form and you call call the practice and leave a message.
Missed Appointments
A significant number of appointments per month are missed where the patient does not attend for an appointment or misses a scheduled telephone appointment and does not call in advance to cancel. If you are unable to keep an appointment please call.
Surgeries often run late for many reasons. There may be times when you think you are too late, but in fact you may arrive before you appointment, so always call and let us know.
If you repeatedly fail to attend appointments you may be removed from the practice list and asked to find an alternative GP Practice.
Online Access
You can register for online services which will allow you to book some appointments in advance, order repeat medication and view your health record.
Our West Street Surgery You Tube Channel provides a short ‘how to guide’ for online registration. The easiest way to get access to your record is to simply download the NHS App.
NHS England has created a set of patient guides, some in Easy Read format, to help you understand how GP Online Services works and how you can use them to take more control of your health care. NHS England website
Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/weststreetsurgery http://www.youtube.com/@weststreetsurgery9506 https://www.instagram.com/weststreetsurgery2026
https://x.com/west_surgery
Chaperones
West Street Surgery is committed to providing you with the best possible service. Our patients will be treated with courtesy, respect and dignity at all times.
We have a number of trained chaperones. If you would like a chaperone present during your consultation please inform the reception team when you check-in.
There may be times that a GP would like to carry out an exploratory investigation. You are able to request for a chaperone at anytime. The GP may also offer you a chaperone as well.
Our Practice Team
The Practice team is made up of GPs, nurses, phlebotomists/HCAs, clinical pharmacists, medical secretaries, reception staff, administrators and a team of Health and Wellbeing staff.
Our Management Team
Should you have any queries about the Practice, a member of our management team can be contacted. Please use the contact us form on our website.
| Emma Debbage | Practice Manager |
| Aneta Duca | Deputy Practice Manager |
| Cheryl Blanchard | Reception Manager |
Our Doctors
West Street Surgery is a two partner, five salaried GP Practice. Our GP’s have a vast amount of experience, knowledge and areas of special interest. All patients have the choice of seeing any GP no matter who is recorded as their named GP.
Our practice participates in the professional training of well qualified Doctors who want to specialise in General Practice. A majority of our GPs are qualified GP trainers, enabling the Practice to support GP Registrars in their training placements. The additional Doctor works with us for up to one year and share in all aspects of medical care, in liaison with the partners. All of a GP trainees have debrief sessions with one of of GPs at the end of every clinic to ensure that they have covered everything within the consultation and provided the correct treatment/referral.
| Dr Stephen Price (Partner) | MBBS, MRCGP, DRCOG, DCCH, DFFP |
| Dr Geoff White (Partner) | MBCHB, MRCGP, DRCOG |
| Dr Sonia Savla | BSc, MBBS, MRCGP, DCH |
| Dr Sara Al-Nahi | Artsexamen, MRCGP |
| Dr Janette Jimenez | MD, MRCGP |
| Dr Anem Mirza | BSc, MB BCh BAO, MRCGP |
| Dr Apheera Hussain | BSc, MBBS, MRCGP |
| Dr Nazia Rashid (Locum) | MBBS, MRCGP |
Our Clinical Team
Our GP team is supported by a team of Practice Nurses; three of which are nurse practitioners/prescribers running minor illness and specialist clinics. We have a GPA and HCA both trained as phlebotomists, clinical pharmacists and a health and wellbeing support team.
| Name | Role | Specialism/s |
| Tracey Stewart (Lead) | Nurse Practitioner | Minor Illness Women’s Health |
| Amanda Townend | Nurse Practitioner | Minor Illness Respiratory Diabetes |
| Hilary Cadger | Nurse Practitioner | Minor Illness CHD and Stroke |
| Abbi Bown | Practice Nurse | Diabetes |
| Janine Fielding | Practice Nurse | General |
| Hannah Broom | Practice Nurse | General |
| Jo Lauder | Practice Nurse | Frailty |
| Annette Playforth | GPA | Phlebotomist |
| Michelle Lewis | HCA | Phlebotomist |
| Adeola Ishola | Clinical Pharmacist (PCN) | Hypertension |
| Yasmeen Akhtar | Clinical Pharmacist (PCN) | Hypertension |
| Dania Khan | Clinical Pharmacist (PCN) | Frailty |
| Methab Saghir | Clinical Pharmacist | Respiratory |
| Salma Ashraf | Clinical Pharmacist (PCN) | Diabetes |
| Zainab Hussain | Clinical Pharmacist (PCN) | Hypertension |
| Edward Costello | Health and Wellbeing Coach (PCN) | Weight Management Smoking Cessation Disability Support |
| Tracey Mason | Social Prescriber (PCN) | Frailty |
| Benson Owusu | Care Coordinator (PCN) | GaitSmart |
Our Reception and Admin Team
Our receptionists deal with all queries sympathetically and confidentially. The are trained in patient triage and as such will ask patients a variety of questions to ensure that our patients are seen by the most appropriate member of the clinical team.
They are your first point of contact with the Practice and will assist you in every way that they can.
Our Practice is also supported by a dedicated team of clerical and secretarial staff that cover a wide range of patient administration.
| Louise Blackwell | Secretary (Lead) |
| Jasmine Nimmo | Secretary |
| Tara McEvoy | Secretary |
| Hemaxi Bhatt | Administrator (Lead) |
| Elizabeth Butters | Administrator |
| Andreea Gheorghe | Administrator |
| Sammi Khan | Administrator |
| Jeanette Sherrell | PCN Administrator/Care Coordinator |
| Laura Judd | Receptionist |
| Louise Goodman | Receptionist |
| Adrianna Raducanu | Receptionist |
| Karen Manning | Receptionist |
| Shanice Price | Receptionist |
| Zoe McConnell | Receptionist |
Patient Participation Group
West Street Surgery has a Patient Participation Group (PPG) that meets four times per year to discuss the needs of the patients and the service we provide. It is a small and friendly group, who are more than happy to welcome new members.
If you are interested in joining the group, please complete out online contact form.
Repeat Prescriptions
A Parliamentary Accounts Committee has estimated something like £100 million a year is wasted on medicines that never get used. Please only order medication that you need.
We offer the following options for ordering your repeat medication:
At the practices: Complete a repeat order form or put a tick against the medication you need on the tear off slip from your previous prescription and place it in the letterbox for prescriptions or had to a receptionist.
Via our website, Accurx or the NHS App
Written request: Just send a note explaining your requirements.
Pharmacy: Ask your local pharmacy if they offer a reordering service.
Prescriptions are available 48 hours after ordering (this excludes weekends and bank holidays).
Important: Requests for repeat prescriptions may be delayed if you have not attended your routine monitoring or medication review when invited, as this is essential for us to continue safely prescribing you medication.
The easiest way to receive your medication is by having your prescription electronically sent over to the pharmacist (ETP) of your choice. You can nominate a pharmacy, but if you decide to change it please contact the Practice so that we can update your record.
Compliments and Complaints
West Street Surgery welcomes comments on our service, both critical and complimentary.
We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of an NHS complaints system.
We endeavour to give you the best possible service at all times, but there may be occasions when you feel that you wish to express your dissatisfaction.
We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, at the time they arise. If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like to know as soon as possible.
There is a patient information leaflet available at reception and online, which describes our complaint process in detail. Complaints should be addressed in person, or in writing to the management team or to your named GP. If you submit a complaint, we will acknowledge the complaint in writing. We will then aim to resolve the issue within ten working days. If you would like independent advice or support about your complaint, the following organisations will be able to help:
POhWER– 0300 456 2370
Healthwatch
NHS Complaints Advocacy
PALS
Blood Tests
West Street Surgery does have a practice based phlebotomist but our service does have restrictions which means that not all patients are able to have their blood test taken here at the surgery.
Patients may be referred to the community service, with a choice of having blood tests at the Arndale House in Luton or the Dunstable Health Hub.
If the doctor tells you that you need a ‘fasting’ blood test (usually for check cholesterol/lipids) please ask for an appointment before 11 am as you will need to fast for 12 hours beforehand. Likewise if you are having a test for testosterone you will also need an appointment before 11am.
Test Results
The easiest and fastest way to get your test results is on your NHS APP.
To obtain test results, including x-rays, blood results and cervical smear results, please ring the surgery after 2 pm on weekdays. Receptionists are not able to give results to patients until the doctors has read the result and authorised its release. It generally takes 2-3 days to process blood results so please give 72 hours before calling the surgery.
Please be aware that it may be necessary to speak to a doctor to obtain certain results. To preserve patient confidentiality, no information can be given to a third person without the patient’s prior written consent. You cannot therefore request results for your spouse, partner or a child who is over 16.
Annual Health Checks
Non – NHS Services -We are happy to provide a range of non-NHS services for which we charge a fee. This fee is reviewed on an annual basis. The services include but are not limited to:
Full medical examinations required for employers.
Medical reports and examinations for insurance companies.
Private certificates.
PSV or HGV driving licence medical examination.
If you have been diagnosed with any of the following we would like to offer you an annual check, a comprehensive review of your condition(s) and medications. This appointment will most probably be with one of our nurses or our pharmacist. You will be notified in writing when you need to make an appointment. Most people will need to have a urine test and a blood test prior to the review. You should make an appointment with our healthcare assistant a week before your review appointment to ensure that all test results are back.
High Blood Pressure
Diabetes
Kidney Disease
Heart Disease
Mental Health Problems
Stroke or Mini Stroke (TIA)
Asthma/COPD (Smoking Related Lung Disease)
Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease
Epilepsy
Vascular Disease
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Your Data & Confidentiality
Consent -Where possible the doctor, nurse clinician or pharmacist must be satisfied that a patient understands and consents to a proposed treatment, immunisation, test or investigation. Further information about our Consent Policy can be found in our Privacy Notice on our practice website. A hard copy can be requested from reception.
Personal Data and Information- Please take a look at the notice board in the waiting room and our website which explains how your data is used. It is also covered in our Privacy Notice on our website.
Confidentiality – All staff working in the NHS have a legal duty of confidentiality towards patients. This is written into their Contract of Employment and they are trained in their responsibility to protect it.
It may at times be necessary to share your information with other health care professionals such as community nurses, health visitors and social workers if the are involved in your care. If you need referring to a hospital consultant, your doctor will explain this to you and obtain your consent to do so.
No information concerning a patient will be given to a third party without the consent of the patient involved. Please note that you cannot request information about your spouse, partner or a child over 16 without their specific consent being given to us in advance, preferably in writing.
If your employer, insurance company or other organisation requests information about you, you must first provide us with your written consent for the information to be disclosed. You have a right to read any report before it is sent, provided that you have stated that you wish to do so in your written consent.
Zero Tolerance
Our staff work hard to provide you with the best possible service. Please treat them with the courtesy and respect they deserve.
We operate a zero-tolerance policy and may refuse to provide services to individuals or those accompanying individuals who are violent, threaten violence, commit or threaten to commit a
criminal offence.
Patients considered to be a threat will be reported to the police and PCSE and asked to leave the Practice.
Services We Provide
In addition to the routine services that are provided, this practice also offers the following:
- Women’s Health – We offer a full range of contraception, family planning services, menopause and HRT services. For more information visit our Women’s Health pages.
- Immunisations – The clinical team administers vaccines for both adult and child immunisations. From baby immunisations to RSV and Shingles. Throughout the year we run Flu and COVID clinics to ensure that our patients stay safe.
Travel vaccinations – We also offer a number of travel vaccinations to keep you safe abroad. If you are travelling please completed our Travel Risk Assessment Form - Minor surgery – Your GP will be able to advise patients on minor surgery for cysts and lesions. We also offer cryotherapy for warts and verrucas.
- Cervical smear testing – For women aged 25 – 65 and these tests are undertaken by the nursing team. Appointments are available everyday and we also run a number of Women’s clinics during the cancer awareness months.
- Well-Man and Well-Women clinics – These health assessment clinics aim to encourage a healthy lifestyle. Eligible patients will be invited.
- Chronic disease management – We hold a range of clinics to help our patients to
manage their long-term medical problems including asthma, diabetes, hypertension,
kidney disease and heart disease. - Health checks – A health check will be offered to any new joiners to the practice.
Furthermore, NHS health checks are offered every 5 years after a patient’s 40th
birthday dependent on whether they have any chronic disease. - Other clinics – The practice also offers antenatal, baby, post-natal, smoking
cessation, GaitSmart. - Research – West Street Surgery is a research Practice. We will keep patients updated with the latest research studies.
Details of all clinics are available from reception and are also listed on the practice website.
From time to time, other services may be available such as raising awareness of a
particular disease or condition. We will advertise this information in the surgery and on our social media.