Basil Mansions, London Medical

[Mr Bruce 0]

Hi, I'm Graham. You see my wife, Mrs Bruce a couple of threads down complaining about the cost of flights. I quite agree! However, I digress.....

I recently embarked upon a trip from Aberdeen to London to attend my visa application medical interview. My wife e-mailed me an excellent post which I see has been made a sticky, concerning the medical examination and directions to Bulstrode Place. I was a little confused when I phoned to book my appointment and it was at 15 Basil Mansions in Knightsbridge.

All this confusion aside, I was delighted at how easy this place is to get to.

To return the favour for said information, I'll talk through it.

ok, here we go....

Aberdeen airport, catch the 9am to Heathrow which arrives at about 10:20. I would probably suggest flying into Heathrow, if only for the ease of the commute. It may cost more than flying into Stanstead or Gatwick but it's worth it to avoid changing trains at tube stations and even the dreaded M25 if you take the bus from the airport.

Anyway....

There's a direct link from Terminal 1 in Heathrow to the 'Underground' station. Everything is pretty much mapped out with signs. You can choose to take the Heathrow Express for just short of 30 quid, or take the tube, return for 8 pounds. I opted for the tube, as the difference was only 25 mins (the underground takes about 45 mins), as well as the fact that it's the 'Picadilly Line', going on the 'East track'. This has advantages when you see that the said line has a stop pretty much right under Harrods, which is right next to Basil Street. Very handy indeed....

Regardless, whichever route you take, I would suggest navigating to the Picadilly line, as it takes you right to the doorstep...

So, you're now at Knightsbridge tube station, you will have a choice of exits. There will be one signed as 'Knightsbridge (Harrods)' or something similar (I can't exactly remember). You need to come up to street level and you should emerge with Harrods on your right and the main road 'Knightsbridge Road' behind you. You should walk straight on and the first street you see on the left will be Basil Street, walk about half-way along basil street and you will find, on the right, the addresses '1-14 Basil Mansions' and '15-20something Basil Mansions'. You're looking for number 15, which is the first door in on the right. There's also the Sloane St exit from the Knightsbridge station. All you need to do there is walk down Sloane St for about 100 yards and you'll see Basil St on the right, taking you towards Harrods...easy peasy...

The staff were very friendly, and responded well to politeness and humour it seems. I was given a couple of forms to fill out, , a checklist of medical history, a disclaimer that my blood was to be given for an AIDS test, and a half hour wait in the waiting room. I got there early, so it was more like an hour but my medical was set for 3PM and I was seen at about half 3.

The medical was pretty much standard, conducted by a very friendly German doctor. Thanks to my wife, I had my vaccinations done by my GP before I went down, which, seeing as they were free from my GP, saved us around 55 pounds (for MMR and Tetnis). My GP provided me with a vaccination booklet detailing the shots given, and they were delighted. The doc I had said that 80% of the people he sees will just get the shots there and pay for them. Pay through the nose for them I might add, they're only a maximum of 8 pounds each though private care.

The medical consisted of a basic eye test, a look in the throat, eyes and ears, hight & weight checks, a 'cough cough' which was followed by a strip to see if I had male genitalia, which may have been red and swollen, apparently

I was then asked a couple of questions about general health, and seen into another waiting room for the x-ray. I waited in that waiting room for about 10 minutes and was seen by a lady made of stone. She was ok though, and very efficient which I was glad of, as I didn't want to stick around for the company! All in all, from being called, it was about 40 minutes. Painless. Even the jabs when I had them were painless. 160 pounds was paid to the ladies in the admin office, I was presented with the relevent paperwork, and I was back on the tube, going on the 'West line' back to Heathrow.

All in all, a very pleasant experience. Very nice surroundings in Knightsbridge. If you like shopping, don't take your credit cards there! There's a nice selection of nearby restaurants and pubs, all of which are pretty reasonable, and there's always the vast maze that is Harrods. I didn't want to go in as I felt I'd have to drop crumbs to find my way out, as well as the fact that I didn't have money to burn..

So, yeah, hope this helps someone! I believe you'll see more medicals coming through here....

Good luck in all your endevours!

Graham

[MrsBruce5 0]

Nice post, Brucie.

[Tim and Bethanie 1]

Hi Mr Bruce!

The medical consisted of a basic eye test, a look in the throat, eyes and ears, hight & weight checks, a 'cough cough' which was followed by a strip to see if I had male genitalia, which may have been red and swollen, apparently Ummm isn't that supposed to only happen when you are around Mrs Bruce?????!!!!!!!

[munchkins 0]

Nice post, Brucie.

Hi Mr Bruce, yes, a good post, always good to know what is to come

[yabasta 0]

Thanks for the info. I will be travelling there on Monday. I am looking forward to getting the business out of the way.

[Mr Bruce 0]

haha, yeah, for the record, my genitalia was not red and swollen at the time of the medical.

I did celebrate later, but let's not talk about thet eh......

A piece of advice I forgot to give, take at least 10-20 pound coins with you, for the tube ticket. Every tourist under the sun is queing for 10 minutes to pay with notes or cards. Coin operated ticket machines, no queue! Also, pocket maps of London for 2 pounds are good value, they have all the tube routes and such....

Anyway, I'm glad to help, even if it is re-gurgitated information. I'm not sure about that, as I don't post here

Be safe!

Thanks, btw, Brucie <------CPB!!!

good luck yabasta. it is good to get things out of the way, and this is a piece of cake...

[yabasta 0]

I had my medical today. 15 Basil Mansions is not to be confused with 15 Basil Street by the way people. I went too far and was confused to find flat numbers with no mention of a doctor. Found it soon after though. I got there an hour early as i was not sure how long it would take. I actually didn`t get seen until an hour late despite them telling me that they would try and see me early. They were friendly though and while i waited i just soaked up the atmosphere and listened to a posh bloke read his kids a story about Whales. If anybody here goes to Basil Mansions for their medical i would give that book a look.

The waiting room.

[Tim and Bethanie 1]

I had my medical today. 15 Basil Mansions is not to be confused with 15 Basil Street by the way people. I went too far and was confused to find flat numbers with no mention of a doctor. Found it soon after though. I got there an hour early as i was not sure how long it would take. I actually didn`t get seen until an hour late despite them telling me that they would try and see me early. They were friendly though and while i waited i just soaked up the atmosphere and listened to a posh bloke read his kids a story about Whales. If anybody here goes to Basil Mansions for their medical i would give that book a look.

The waiting room.

So what went on with the whole chicken pox/varicella? Tim just got the packet today and it states it isn't a requirement at all for those applying through London embassy.

[yabasta 0]

The doctor marked the vaccination as unrequired or something and as packet 4 states it simply isn`t required although it will be for AOS people. So not sure why nobody told me this before.

[Tim and Bethanie 1]

The doctor marked the vaccination as unrequired or something and as packet 4 states it simply isn`t required although it will be for AOS people. So not sure why nobody told me this before.

Yeah same here. By the way people, you don't need the chicken pox vaccine! There we go Yabasta, we have done our good deed for the day!