Forest Hill Road Surgery - again.

[Penguin68]

Dr. McColl was my GP for just under 30 years - an excellent clinician and a compassionate doctor she will be sorely missed at the Practice and even more by her family. I had minor skin surgery with her (as well as normal GP type contact) - couldn't have gone better or been better performed. A tremendous loss to the area. And a great role model for women GPs.

[Reg Smeeton]

I am so sad to hear Dr McColl has passed away. She was my GP for twenty years and I always found her knowledgable, caring and pragmatic. It's important that we recognise professionals who deliver great service to the community without any fuss or fanfare.

[Seemo]

Offering my sincerest condolences to Simon and the girls for the loss of a truly wonderful person.

Caroline will be greatly missed by her many friends, family and patients.

I find it very sad and hard to believe she has gone.

Rest in peace Caroline. You were so special.

Ps In my personal opinion I do not feel Parker1 was being political nor had an agenda. People deal with upset in different ways.

[malumbu]

#Very sad news and thanks for letting me know EDF - Caroline was a casual friend and clearly a well loved and respected family doctor.

[fatfightersforever]

Such sad news. Dr McColl really was wonderful, so caring and thoughtful as well as being thorough. A great loss to us all, sending love and best wishes to her family.

[Stevieboy80]

Very sad to hear of Dr McColl's Passing

Saved my life once after kings sent me home with stomach bug

Only for dr McColl to realise I had severe case of appendicitis

Very grateful for her time and professionalism

I will always remember her

[rachel.dgc]

Oh dear, I have just come across this:

http://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/new_reports/AAAG5561.pdf

[Penguin68]

It is worthwhile reading this report in detail - much of this appears to be about practice management and (possibly) box ticking. Most recent (unverified) figures seem to show improvements. There are some concerns, obviously, but the impact of having a severely ill senior partner must have added to management problems, and indeed been an obvious distraction. There are clearly issues with the front office staff which have been remarked on before, and possibly training for the back and front office staff in some safety related procedures. There are also some clear positives in the report. It does not persuade me (yet) that I need to change practice (after 30 years).

[dbboy]

"I am placing this service in special measures. Services

placed in special measures will be inspected again within

six months.

If insufficient improvements have been made

such that there remains a rating of inadequate for any

population group, key question or overall, we will take

action in line with our enforcement procedures to begin

the process of preventing the provider from operating the

service. This will lead to cancelling their registration or to

varying the terms of their registration within six months if

they do not improve.

The service will be kept under review and if needed could

be escalated to urgent enforcement action. Where

necessary, another inspection will be conducted within a

further six months, and if there is not enough

improvement we will move to close the service by

adopting our proposal to remove this location or cancel

the provider?s registration.

Special measures will give people who use the service the

reassurance that the care they get should improve.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice"

Surely the Practice should have made public and told its patients that it had been put into special measures.

[Reg Smeeton]

Don't be put off Forest Hill Road by this thread - it's still a good GP practice. There are several sections in the report that are headed 'inadequate', but if you read the summaries you'll see that most of what the practice does is good.

I've had two recent visits to the surgery, and I was happy with the professionalism and care both times. The biggest problem is how long it takes to get an appointment, but frankly that's the situation in many GP surgeries across the UK because of the immense pressures on a sector that has been starved of resources.

[Growlybear]

Well yet again I had a really positive experience of the practice last month. I wasn't too well over Christmas, and rang to see if I could get a same day appointment on 27 December. After explaining my problem to one of the helpful and friendly reception staff, I was given an appointment to see the duty doctor that morning - at 8.20, just 20 minutes after my call. I was seen on time, and as always was treated with courtesy and professionalism from the doctor and the reception staff. I don't think you can really get much better than that. I've always been able to get a same day appointment if it has been really necessary, and if it wasn't urgent, then of course I'm happy to wait my turn for a routine appointment like everyone else.

[alice]

Got a same day appointment and saw an excellent doctor.

[dbboy]

That may well be the case and perhaps the Practice is trying to improve and provide a more coherent service to the patients, although the inspection was undertaken six months ago.

Clearly from the CQC inspection being put in Special Measures cannot have been done lightly and it is done to force the practice to take radical steps for improvements which CQC can then measure when they next inspect and which should be about NOW.

[bobbsy]

I just tried to get a non urgent appointment - none available for the next two weeks. Cannot book further than 2 weeks. Only way to get one is "to keep calling each day or during the day as the computer periodically releases new appointments".

Palaver.

[dbboy]

computer says, but who operates the computer? ridiculous.

[JoeLeg]

I?ve geneeally had really positive experiences with the practice - was recently able to be seen at an hours notice by the nurse practitioner who told me my suspected ear infection was actually rampaging strep mouth (really bad tonsillitis) that required immediate hospital admission, for which I was very grateful (the consultant at Guys told me I wouldn?t have made it another 48 hours without needing an ambulance).

My experience has always been that if you can get past the front desk staff the medical team are good. In my recent case it was only when I explained how bad I felt that the person on the phone suddenly remembered that I could see the nurse. And she?s great.

[FredCasa]

The question is not whether the doctors (the ones that are left), or the nurses, or the pharmacists, are good or not - they are -, but why the practice was left to deteriorate between the two CQC reports in 2016 (requires improvement) and 2017 (inadequate).

This is not just a box-ticking exercise: a GP practice needs good management and needs to be safe for its patients; FHGP was rated inadequate on both.

The CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) has had the responsibility for performance management of GP practices since April 2016, so the question is whether they could and should have prevented this deterioration. The overall situation in Southwark is pretty dramatic: out of 38 practices, 11 are either inadequate or require improvement, much worse than the national average. Given the local council?s resposibility for Public Health, it?s surprising they have not put more pressure on the CCG.

[alice]

Ring at 8am for same day appointment or go to Lister.

[alice]

When schools go into special measures they get support how does it work for gps?

[FredCasa]

Once a practice is put in special measures, the CCG does provide some support and involves the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) as well as the Local Medical Committee. What seems to be lacking is a clear programme focused on turning a practice around once the first 'requires improvement' rating is issued by the CQC.

Part of the problem is that CCGs were not set up to deal with primary care. Now they are commissioning GPs, so there may well be capacity issues.

[Growlybear]

dbboy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> That may well be the case and perhaps the Practice

> is trying to improve and provide a more coherent

> service to the patients, although the inspection

> was undertaken six months ago.

>

> Clearly from the CQC inspection being put in

> Special Measures cannot have been done lightly and

> it is done to force the practice to take radical

> steps for improvements which CQC can then measure

> when they next inspect and which should be about

> NOW.

I've been with the practice for over 40 years, and have always found the service to be excellent. I have always, without exception, been able to get a same day appointment if I really needed one, and I don't believe that my most recent experience has anything to do with the surgery having taking 'radical steps for improvement' - same day appointments have always been available for those who need them, as opposed to those who just expect to be able to see a doctor immediately for a non urgent complaint. I don't see what more the surgery can do - they offer early morning, evening, and Saturday morning appointments, and most times when I look online there are appointments available, albeit a couple of weeks ahead.

[vito]

I m not sure Growlybear..

I have been with this practice 5 yrs and no prob at all till now! I thought it was a decent service but past year it has been disaster. winter and flu need to be taken into consideration of curse but

It has been 1 week calling them and i still don get an appointment. for some reason it seems i always need to call another day..

[dbboy]

Seems things have deteriorated further at Forest Hill Road Group Practice. I had to hang on for 30+ mins to speak with a Receptionist today to resolve a simple issue.

I just hope the Practice can survive, seems the current approach is to inform Patients appointments are available at the Lister Centre in Peckham Road as an alternative.

[singalto]

I gave up trying to get through today and will ring the Lister tomorrow. The FH practice message doesn?t give you the Lister?s number which is daft.

[solar]

I'm afraid I've given up with their phone line. it's easier to walk down the road and speak with someone face to face. Difficult for anyone with mobility issues though.