What our patients say
Dr. Allen and the Phoenix team have been an amazing help to me. The change their efforts has made in my life is beyond what I can sum up in a few lines.
The entire process was delivered with patient care being at heart of the Phoenix team.
I have to say - Dr. Allen is one of the few doctors you will find who actually continues to work in line with the guidelines and best practices. This is one of the reasons why he’s delivery an amazing care to his patients.
I’m keen to support the Phoenix team as much and any way I can in raising awareness and enabling the team to expand its care coverage to patients out there who may not know or may not be able to afford the care.
Male, Reading 20 October 2015
Amreen brings to bear a combination of the highest standards of empathy, professional knowledge and in depth experience I have come across in 36 years in health care. She helps you to move from a dark place to an understanding of how you can deal with issues much more effectively, helping to restore your self worth. She delivers this with a gentle and reassuring demeanour.
Male, Wallingford 20 October 2015
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder six years ago. I benefitted from NHS and private psychiatric care in Oxfordshire for four years, before moving to Beaconsfield where I was referred to Dr Allen. Now, aged 32, I have never felt better. I attribute that in largest part to Dr Allen’s professionalism and experience. To give a flavour of his methods:
Dr Allen has true expertise; he is authoritative but quietly unassuming in his approach. Dr Allen establishes a strong and genuinely empathic doctor-patient relationship that is based on mutual trust. I have never felt so comfortable, open and honest with a psychiatrist before.
Dr Allen is also extremely patient, almost subtle in his approach. Patients are rarely surprised when they are first diagnosed - after all, it is your life history - but then what? Mental illness is a difficult thing to accept because it trespasses on your (subjective) perspective of who you are. Acceptance means coming to terms with the objective prognostic nature of the diagnosis and its treatment. It took me years to get to that stage. Dr Allen maintained his patience and he acted as the voice of reason - that is no small comfort during a transitional period when you cannot always trust your thoughts. Bipolar disorder did not define me; but I accepted it at last.
Finally, the search for the most appropriate treatment(s). This can be a frustrating process - we are all different and there is no substitute for trial and error. Dr Allen communicated his strategy clearly and he was only too happy to involve me in the decision making process, which included making appropriate dosage adjustments based on my feedback as a medication-sensitive individual. Not only is that degree of personalised care a rarity, it was also very clever: it empowered me; it gave me some degree of control over my treatment; I willingly complied and my condition improved markedly as a result.
I have never looked back and I wholeheartedly recommend him.
Male, Beaconsfield 20 October 2015
I would like to thank Dr Allen for the support he has given me and my husband in the few times we have seen him. We have seen him at very emotional times for us and his support has helped us very much. I think he is a very caring doctor and this is shown with the attention he reminds his patients of the appointments or the fact that he checks on the status of his patients. This is important for me as I never felt alone. I would not hesitate to recommend Dr Allen to anybody for his medical expertise but also for the way he has treated me and my husband who came with me to some of the appointments.
Female, High Wycombe 28 April 2016
When i first attended Phoenix MHS I was warmly welcomed into what was a new experience for me in my search for someone to listen to me and understand my concerns and well being mentally. Once the initial assessment was completed with Dr Allen I then met Amreen Asghar who guided, coached and listened to me as I strived to get myself back on track.
Amreen was very understanding and professional in setting out a programme for my recovery and throughout the following weeks/months was there guiding and supporting me as I learnt how to adjust and regain my self esteem and confidence, all this this helped me greatly and I am now well on the road to a better place and return to my employment with greater confidence, I still refer to my course work to prompt me if i do have a stress day ,this is useful for me.
In summary, I was very happy to have access to a professional treatment programme with a welcoming team looking after me. Thank you all.
Male, Abingdon 9 July 2016
Phoenix Mental Health Services is very efficient, professional and friendly. Amreen was extremely easy to talk to and I was able to explain my issues and feelings to her. She is very intuitive and persuasive and even forceful in a very friendly and kind way. Amreen is also an excellent listener and instilled in me the confidence that I can and will overcome the issues affecting me and helped me considerably to understand them. She is willing to explain and give her opinion, which I personally found very useful and refreshing. She stressed the importance of ‘doing the homework’ and through the overall process has set me on the road I needed with the tools and techniques I need to overcome my issues.
Male, High Wycombe 5 March 2017
I want to thank you for your knowledge, help and prescribing these two excellent drugs, as it's really made a very positive impact on my health and well-being - the biggest impact any doctor has managed yet.
Male, Beaconsfield 16 August 2017
I was incredibly nervous prior to my initial appointment with Dr Allen but from the moment the lady helped me find the clinic door my mind was put at rest. I feel positive following my treatment with Dr Allen and can not thank him enough for the changes he has made to my life.
Male, Slough 18 June 2018
Thanks to Reinhard at Phoenix for his dedication and focus on my wellbeing and providing me with the tools to embrace a positive future.
Male, Marlow 4 November 2018
Amreen was very good at making me confront how I was behaving and getting me to challenge why. Thank you for getting me to a safer, healthier and stronger place in my head. Thanks for teaching me how to cope and inspiring me to live more, be more daring.
Anonymous 4 November 2018