2OPConsultant physician, second-opinion lead · FRCP
Dr Margaret Ashdown
General and acute medicine, thirty years in the NHS. Coordinates every second opinion: she reads the notes first, then hands it to the specialist and sits in.
- Next slot
- Wed 11:00Dr Margaret Ashdown · demo
- Promise
- Written opinion within 10 working days
- From
- £350
- Consultants
- 1 in 2OP
Dr Margaret Ashdown 
A radiologist's reporting station 
Rachel Ambrose 
MRI suite, ground floor
2OP[01] Profile board
Profile
“A second opinion is not a verdict on your first doctor. It is a second set of eyes, and doctors ask for them all the time.”
Second opinionsUnexplained symptomsComplex medical histories
- in NHS acute medicine
- second opinions coordinated
- written opinion, every time
- GMC
- DEMO-7200014
- Qualified
- FRCP
- Languages
- English
- Video
- Video and in person
- In
- Tue · Wed · Thu
- Department
- Second opinion →
Weekly diary · demoNext Wed 11:00
- Mon—
- Tue11:0014:00
- Wed11:0011:4015:00
- Thu09:0013:30
- Fri—
- Sat—
2OP promiseWritten opinion within 10 working days
Slots are demonstration data from a mock weekly diary. Insured patients: we obtain the authorisation and bill your insurer directly; consultations usually need a GP referral for the insurer.
[02]1 service · reports and runs
What Ashdown does here.
Services
- Second opinion30 minutes, plus review timeVideo within 5 daysWritten opinion in 10 working days£350Book
[03]Questions patients ask
Questions, answered.
Colleagues and questions
Second opinion
Send us your scans, letters and results. A consultant in the right specialty reviews everything, sees you in person or by video, and writes a plain-English opinion you can take back to your own doctor.
Department →Do I need a GP referral?
Not for a self-pay scan or consultation: our clinical team does a short phone assessment and writes the request. Insurers usually need a GP referral before they will authorise a consultant, though most will cover a scan we request. Rachel's team checks your policy before you attend.
How fast, really?
Audited for 2025: median 38 hours from first call to MRI, median 4 working days from first call to a consultant's written plan, endoscopy within 7 days, day surgery within 3 weeks. The estimator shows the next available date for each department.
Is the price fixed?
Yes. Scan and consultation prices are published. Day-surgery packages are quoted in writing after your consultation and include the surgeon, anaesthetist, theatre, stay, medicines, two follow-ups and any return to theatre within 30 days. The quote is the invoice.
What is not included in a package?
The initial consultation, any scan before it, and anything unrelated to the operation. If a keyhole gallbladder has to become an open operation, or you need to stay overnight, that is covered. We say so on the quote.
Which insurers do you bill directly?
Bupa, AXA Health, Aviva, Vitality, WPA, Cigna, Healix, Allianz, Freedom Health and The Exeter. Give us your policy number and authorisation code; you pay only your excess on the day. Other insurers: pay the fixed price and claim it back with our itemised invoice.
How do I get my results?
Everything goes into your Northgate Results account when it is signed: MRI and CT within two working days, ultrasound and X-ray the same day, biopsies within seven working days. Anything urgent is phoned through the same day by the reporting consultant.
- Open
- Mon–Fri 07:30–20:00 · Sat 08:00–14:00
- Next slot
- Tue 08:40 · Dr Naomi Sterling (demo)
- Waiting
- Scans within 48 hours, consultants within 5 working days
- Where
- Northgate House, Wexbury WX1 4NQ
- Phone
- 01632 960700