When the previous single-handed GP, Dr. Freedman, who served 1,800 of Sunray Estate's residents, retired in 1980, he was not replaced; all patients were dispersed to the three nearby practices, all of which were located outside the Estate. Sunray Estate has always been cut off from the rest of Tolworth on all four sides, making it virtually an island. For young mothers and old people living in the estate, traveling to a surgery off the estate caused problems.
Despite several protests asking for an Estate based doctor nothing was done. Being convinced that there was a genuine need for an Estate based doctor, Dr Mohan started Sunray Surgery in January 1982 as single handed General Practitioner, with no existing list of patients.
Please read these news reports published in the local papers at that time (PDF files):
- Article 1 (published in the Guardian in January 1982)
- Article 2 (published in the Surrey Comet in January 1982)
The original Surgery was started in a small three-bedroom house with a side extension. The list of patients grew so rapidly that a need for increased accommodation was acutely felt. A larger house nearby, with potential for further expansion, was located. Following erection of a side extension to this house, the Practice re-located to these premises at 97 Warren Drive South, KT5 9QD, in October 1988.
As the practice list size kept increasing, with the consequent increase in the services that needed to be provided, the practice changed from GMS to PMS status in October 2004. This reclassification enabled more doctors and nurses to be used.
As the Practice became increasingly established, it started to attract patients living marginally outside the Estate. In particular, Tamil-speaking patients, whose ability to communicate in English was very limited, started to join the Practice with the knowledge that they could communicate freely with Dr. Mohan, who speaks Tamil. This group of patients increased so rapidly that they now represent about 50% of the total Practice population. Responding to the issues this generated, the Practice now has doctors, nurses, and receptionists who are able to communicate fluently in Tamil as well as in English.
The premises became inadequate again and were further extended and modernized extensively in 2012. During this extensive renovation, every effort was made to comply with industry standards as well as CQC requirements. No NHS funding was available to carry out this project of about £250,000. Behind the scenes, her husband, Mr. Mohan, who is an engineer, has been playing a key role in every development of Sunray Surgery.
Now our building stands out in the Estate as a modern building, blending very well with the residential neighborhood.
Though relatively small, Sunray Surgery is unique in Kingston. It was started with no existing list of patients or premises and therefore right from the onset was able to set and maintain to provide a high standard of health care in a modern environment by a dedicated and totally committed Practice Team to patients from the Sunray Estate and now peripheral areas.