About the Practice

The practice origins date from the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in the late 1930s. It was there that Dr Fred Barber worked as a paediatric surgeon but, being Jewish, he knew that his life would be in danger if he remained there.

So, in 1940 he and his wife fled, eventually arriving in Britain nine years later after a long and adventurous detour through Palestine and north Africa.

He obtained employment in London as a GP with a Dr Silverman, at a salary of £800 a year.

Dr Barber later set up on his own in Essex Road, in premises that had previously been a toy shop. Dr Heather Suckling joined the practice in 1966.

In 1971, Fred and Heather moved to the new River Place Health Centre, with Dr Anthony Furness joining in 1977. The following year Fred left River Place Health Centre to work solely at his branch surgery in Brookfield Park in Highgate. Soon, a third GP, Dr Justin Livingston, who trained in Australia, joined the practice followed shortly by Dr Anna Skalicka, also from Czechoslovakia.

Initially, River Place was shared with two other GP practices but as the practice list grew, there was not sufficient consulting room space. Fortunately, a plot of land, belonging to Islington Council, was found at Elizabeth Avenue and in 1986 the practice moved into purpose-built premises where we are today.

Dr Hilary Mulvihill joined the practice after Heather retired in 2001. Justin retired in 2004, Anthony in 2006 and Anna in 2008.

Other partners have joined and left over the years, and currently include Dr Ian Colvin (2009) Dr Mark O’Brien (2016) and Dr Anand Ramesh, who joined initially as a trainee, becoming a partner in 2021.

Find out when we're open and how to get help when we're closed.

See our opening hours

Meet the surgery team

See our staff page

View our surgery's policies and procedures including GP Earnings and our webite Accessibility Statement.

View our policies and procedures

We welcome feedback to tell us what we are doing right and what we can improve.

The Practice strives to provide excellent healthcare. We welcome constructive feedback and suggestions to help shape our services to serve the needs of all of our patients. Our Patient Participation Group (PPG) meets at the practice to provide a forum for discussion about the practice.

For more information, please see our Patient Group pages.

All the latest news and information from the surgery and our patient community.

Read our latest news items

View our current vacancies

Elizabeth Avenue Group Practice is a member of The Central 2 Primary Care Network (PCN) along with 4 other independent GP practices (River Place Group Practice, New North Health Centre, The Miller Practice and St Peter’s Street Medical Centre) in the centre of Islington, covering a population of around 43,000 residents.

Learn more about our PCN Membership

Our team is trained in LGBTQ+ health issues to maintain an environment of inclusivity, confidentiality, and trust for all our patients.

Non-Discrimination Policy

Elizabeth Avenue Group Practice operates a zero-tolerance of bullying, harassment, and discrimination towards any staff, visitors, or patients on the grounds of their sexual orientation or gender.

Your Privacy Matters

Should you require a more confidential space to discuss sensitive issues with our reception team, please do not hesitate to inform them. We are prepared to accommodate your needs by providing a discreet area for conversation or, if you prefer, pen and paper to communicate your concerns in writing.

Updating Your Pronouns / Name

If you would like to update your pronouns or name, please let us know via e-consult.

Local Services

• Outcome (Islington Mind) is an LGBTQ+ mental health service in London run by a lesbian gay bisexual and transgendered team for over 25 years.
• Gendered Intelligence is a charity supporting trans young people, families and those on gender identity waiting lists
• Gay Gooners is the biggest LBGTQ fan group of any football club in England.
• The Albert Kennedy Trust provides housing support, mentoring, information, and advice to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender young people under the age of 25 years who are homeless, living in a hostile environment, or in crisis.
• Galop is the leading LGBT anti-violence and abuse charity providing support to survivors
• Help on Your Doorstep is a social prescribing service for individuals facing isolation or socioeconomic challenges in the local area

Feedback and Suggestions

We welcome your feedback, which can be submitted anonymously. Should you choose to provide your name, we are committed to offering you a response within approximately 28 days.