• Practice Management
Repeat Prescriptions , Test Results , Out of Hours , Home Visits ,
Access for the Disabled , Automated check-in touch screen

• General Practitioners
Dr Nizar Merali , Dr (Mrs) Tayyaba Sherif , Dr Imtiaz Gulamali ,
Dr (Mrs) Rabia Yaqoob , Dr Akil Nurmohamed , Dr (Mrs) Shahla Ahmed , Dr Umar Khan , Dr Wahid Shaida ,
Dr (Ms) Aumanthi Sivashankar 

• The Management
Katherine Jhumann

• Nurses
Mairead Flavin , Cora McMenamin and Christine Patmore

• Health Care Assistants (HCA)

• Administrators and Receptionists

• Where to find us
3-7 Welbeck Road, Harrow, HA2 0RQ (View Map)
43 Butler Avenue, West Harrow, HA1 4EJ (View Map)
32a Eastcote Lane, South Harrow, HA2 8BS (View Map)

Practice Management

Repeat Prescriptions
Repeat Prescriptions can only be authorised by the doctor. Please hand in, post, fax or request online via our website in writing, if you are requesting a prescription to be sent back to you by post you must include a self addressed envelope. You will receive a computerised tear-off slip with each prescription which you can use for future requests. Please make an appointment to see your doctor on a regular basis in order to check your medication.

Make use of our online facility that will allow you to book appointments, request repeat prescriptions and update your contact details. You will need to come into the Practice in person to get a registration letter that will allow you to be able use the online access facility following online registration.

Test Results
Many tests including blood test results are available within a few days, but some may take longer. Please telephone the surgery between 10am and 6pm for results of tests, 7 days after the test was done. Always check if results are back before making an appointment to see a doctor or nurse.

Out of Hours
When the surgery is closed on weekends, evenings or bank holidays, Harmoni provides an out of hours service to our patients. If you need to speak to a healthcare professional during this time, call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47, who will then direct your call appropriately.

Home Visits
Although home visits are very time consuming and normally a doctor can see 5-6 patients in the same amount of time it takes him to make one home visit, this is a valuable service we offer to housebound patients or those in our opinion too ill to attend at the surgery.

To arrange a home visit, please telephone the switchboard on 020 8515 9300, give the receptionists some idea of your problem and ask them to arrange a home visit with one of the doctors. Please note, this service is for those patients who are housebound or severely ill and hence all Home visits are arranged at the discretion of the doctor. The doctor will call before making the home visit and if in his/her opinion it is unwarranted patients will be asked to come to the surgery. 

Although we try to ensure that we get to all home visits on the same day, it is likely that we maybe delayed in getting there till later in the day in case of any emergencies.

Access for the Disabled
Wheelchair access and toilets for the disabled are available. If you require assistance, our staff will be pleased to help.

Automated check-in touch screen
This automated touch screen allows you to check yourself in for an appointment quickly and with great ease at our Welbeck Road surgery.

The Team

General Practitioners
Management
Nurses
Clinical Assistants
Administrators and Receptionists


General Practitioners

Dr Nizar Merali was born in Mombassa , Kenya and attended the University of Manchester from 1971 to 1976, graduating with MBChB (Hons). After doing his surgical house job at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, he moved south to take his post at Watford General Hospital as a House physician. He subsequently moved to Northwick Park Hospital to do a rotating scheme as a senior house officer. In 1982 he became a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners and having developed an interest in the care of the elderly pursued to attain a Diploma in Geriatric Medicine in 1986. In 1997 he successfully completed his MBA from City University in London and in 2000 went on to receive his Diploma in Disability Medicine. His interests include: managing Mens diseases in general, Hypertension, Heart Disease, Depression and Medico Legal Work.

Dr (Mrs) Tayyaba Sherif was born in Lahore , Pakistan and attended Fatima Jinnah Medical College for Women from 1972 to 1977, graduating with a MBBS. Shortly after arriving in the UK she passed her LRCP and MRCS examinations in 1980. Prior to becoming a General Practitioner in 1987, Dr Sherif did her house job at a hospital in Glasgow. Her interests include: minor surgery, family planning and child development. She is one of the founding partners at GP Direct.

Dr Imtiaz Gulamali was born in Aden, Yemen and attended the University of Karachi from 1979 to 1985, graduating with a MBBS. Dr Gulamali moved to the UK in 1986 and after having worked in numerous specialities such as Oncology, Rheumatology, Medicine for the Elderly and General Medicine he became a member of the Royal College of Ireland in 1990. In 1992 he became a member of Royal College of General Practitioners in London and has been working as a General Practitioner ever since. His clinical interests include: General Medicine and its specialities such as Rheumatology, Diabetes, Respiratory Medicine and Cardiology. His non-clinical interests lie within the field of Medical education and research. Apart from being a GP he has been a GP trainer, GP Tutor, Course Organiser for GP Registrars and an Associate Dean. Dr Gulamali is also the Clinical Governance lead at GP Direct.

Dr (Mrs) Rabia Yaqoob was born in Birmingham , England and attended University College Hospital Medical School London from 1986 to 1991, graduating with a MBBS Lon. Dr Yaqoob attained a Diploma in Family Planning in 1994, Diploma in Child Health in 1995 and a Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 1996 whilst working at a hospital. In 1997 she completed her General Practice Vocational Training at Barnet and gained membership to the Royal College of General Practitioners. She is one of the founding Partners at GP Direct. Her special interests include Female Health, Child Health, Chronic Disease Management and joint injections.

Dr Akil Nurmohamed was born in London , England and attended Royal Free Hospital from 1987 to 1994, graduating with a MBBS Lon and a BSc (Hons) in Immunology. Dr Nurmohamed attained a Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 1997 and completed his General Practice Vocational Training from Edgware Hospital in 1998 and became a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners in 2001. He joined GP Direct as a Partner in April 1998 and has worked as a General Practitioner ever since. His special interests include: Paediatrics, Psychiatry and emergency medicine.

Dr (Mrs) Shahla Ahmed was born in London, England and attended Royal Free Medical School from 1989 to 1994, graduating with a MBBS Lon and a BSc (Hons) in Heart and Fetal Physiology with research in infertility. Dr Ahmed attained a diploma in family planning in 2000. Her special interests include family planning, child health surveillance, paediatrics, depression, teenage health issues and continuing care for the terminally ill. Dr Ahmed is also the prescribing lead for GP Direct.

Dr Umar Khan was born in Bombay, India and attended Bombay University from 1986 to 1992, graduating with a MBBS. He moved to England in 1994 and started his hospital career at Sunderland General specialising in care for the elderly. Dr Khan became a member of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) in 1997 and completed his General Practice Vocational Training in 2000 in Shropshire and has worked as a General Practitioner ever since. Dr Khan attained his diploma Family Planning in 2001. He is also a qualified GP with Special Interests (GPSI) in Cardiology. His special interests include Cardiology, Nephrology, Respiratory Medicine, Neurology, Diabetes and care of the elderly.

Dr Wahid Shaida was born in London, England and attended University College London from 1986 to 1991, graduating with a MBBS Lon. Dr Shaida attained a Diploma in Child Health in 1995 and a Diploma in Family Planning in 1996. He completed his General Practice Vocational Training at University College Hospital London and the Caversham Group Practice in 1997 and has been a General Practitioner ever since. His special interests lie within the field of medical education and he has also taught at Imperial College London.

Dr (Ms) Aumanthi Sivashankar (BSc, MBBS, MRNZCGP) was born in Colombo , Sri Lanka and graduated in 1992 with a MBBS from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia . After completing her medical degree she worked as a hospital doctor in Sydney, Australia and then as a Specialist Registrar in General Medicine in Auckland, New Zealand. From 1997 to 1999 she worked as a GP in New Zealand . She then moved to Singapore and worked there as a GP for more than six years. Dr Sivashankar moved to England in 2006 and has been working at GP Direct since May 2006. Her special interests include Cardiology, Nephrology, Diabetes, Care of the Elderly and Paediatrics. Dr Sivashankar can speak Tamil and Singhalese.

The Management

Katherine Jhumann – Practice Manager
Katherine Jhumann who has a nursing background and a management degree is responsible for the day to day general management and smooth running of GP Direct, and should be able to help you with any queries or suggestions that you may have. She also handles all complaints. Do not hesitate to speak to her directly, particularly if you are a new patient wanting to join.

Nurses

Mairead Flavin has been a qualified nurse since 1971, qualifying at University College Hospital, she went on to do a Neurosurgery course at the National Hospital in Queen Square. She went into practice nursing in 1988 with Dr. Mansur Ahmad at the MacMillan Medical Centre. Since Dr. Ahmads retirement in 1999 she has been working at GP Direct who took over the MacMillan Medical Centre. She has a special interest in Child Health Development and Womens Health, she also carries out Minor Surgery procedures at the Surgery.

Christine Patmore has been a qualified nurse since 1984, qualifying at Charing Cross Hospital. She went to work in the hospital setting including working at Northwick Park Hospital A&E department before pursuing a career in practice nursing in 1994. Her special interests include Diabetes and Asthma management.

Cora McMenamin qualified as a Psychiatric nurse in 1975 and completed a general nursing qualification in 1977. She has worked in an array of different fields both in the UK and abroad, these include Neurology, Intensive Care, General Surgery, Occupational Health and Family planning. She began her practice nursing career in 1993, her special interests included Diabetes and Asthma Management.

Doctors Assistant 
Mano Ravindran is a qualified doctor from Sri Lanka who has been working in a newly designed role of a doctors assistant. She holds post graduate degree in Medical Microbiology from University College of London. She carries out a number of essential tests such as ECG, diabetic reviews, asthma reviews and blood pressure checks.

Health Care Assistants (HCA)
Valerie Anderson is currently the HCA who carrys out new patient checks, ECG and blood pressure checks.

Administrators and Receptionists
Our non-clinical team play an invaluable role in ensuring the smooth running of the practice, assisting both patients and clinicians alike. Our senior receptionist is Margaret Lovett who has been with the Practice since 2001 . GP Direct is supported by an administration team of approximately 15 people.

Gillian Coe is GP Directs Medical Secretary with over 15 years experience in hospitals. 

Health Promotion
Health Information  

•  NHS Direct (link)
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

• Harrow Association of Disabled people
http://www.asudesign.co.uk/had/