Doctors

[Guest]

Has anyone got a recommendation for a good NHS doctors surgery.

[Jeremy]

The Melbourne Grove one is OK I geuss. You can often get a same day appointment if you phone bang on opening time...

[Guest]

I recommend Forest Hill Road Surgery depending where you live of course. I have never had problems there but I am sure there will be someone who has! If you need a same day appointment then you have to phoneat 9.00 for the morning or slot or two for the afternnoon. I have always managed to get an appointment on the same day. They also have clinics galore and a couple of nurse practitioners.

[Guest]

I highly recommend the surgery in The Gardens at Peckham Rye, never had a problem there myself.

[Clazza]

Hi, Dulwich Medical Centre on Crystal Palace Rd is good. Tel 02086932727. As long as you are not bothered about seeing the same doctor each time as it is a big practice. Nice doctors & nurses (do holiday injections) and a great physio as well.

[spadetownboy]

they are all the same,you ring,if you,re lucky you get a same day appointment.you then sit with screaming babies apologetic mothers and the generally great unwashed thumbing through a 4 week old copy of bella and probably picking up more bugs from it than you had when you first arrived in the surgery, waiting for your 3 mins with the gp who utters well rehearsed words of advice,may or may not issue a script depending on how benevolent he/she is feeling,and tells you to come back next week if there is no improvement.my advice pick the one nearest your home at least theres less distance to drag your misery back home to.

[Muttley]

I've used Forest Hill Road surgery ever since moving to East Dulwich many moons ago. On the whole I like it, though there are a couple of doctors there (I won't name them, as that would be unfair in this forum) whom I now avoid and who have been unpopular with friends too. My favourite of the GPs is part-time, so I have to plan my illnesses weeks in advance to be sure I get an appointment. The Oakwood midwives are based there, they are outstanding.

[batdog]

I agree with Muttley re Fosrest Hill Doctors. The nurses are kooool.... too.

Attention the Practice on Crystal Palace Rd do NOT register any new patients.

[Guest]

batdog Wrote:

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

> I agree with Muttley re Fosrest Hill Doctors. The

> nurses are kooool.... too.

> Attention the Practice on Crystal Palace Rd do NOT

> register any new patients.

How long has the Dulwich Medical Centre on CP Road not been registering new patients? Cos when we moved here in February last year, we registered easily with them.

[mockney piers]

I'm on the melbourne grove practice near the station.

They sort of do same day in that you head down for opening, get vetted by the nurse and if they think you're urgent enough you'll get to see a doctor, no guarantees how quick, otherwise you are booking days in advance. Still the doctors are a nice enough bunch, and it's pretty clean as these things go.

[batdog]

Michael,

It was MAy 2006 as a friend was refused and I remember a sign on the main entrance clearly stating it, maybe now they have re-opened registrations of new patients.

[CoolEastDulwichGuy]

There's a surgery just beyond the plough. Quite a good place. The receptionists act like they are guarding the gates of hell though.

[ruthmct]

Being open for new patients depends on whether their lists are full at the time. When we decided to change GPs (didn't like 306 Lordship Lane), the Crystal Palace Road practice was closed to new registrations. Once some patients have left they can accept new registrations again.

We're now with the Forest Hill Road practice, and they've been fine for what we need, and when we have the occasional hiccup over my husband's complicated repeat prescriptions, they're always willing to sort it out quickly. Same day appointments are always a problem, whichever practice you go to - at least FHRS have stopped the silly practice they had for a while of insisting you HAD to ring on the day you wanted an appointment (even if not urgent), and couldn't book a week in advance!

The only real problem we experience is that although there's a ramp up to the entrance, there's then a little step at the doorway and a very tight turning space which renders the place non-disability-scooter-accessible for my other half. On the other hand, they've got a bike rack, which I make use of.

[Guest]

Thanks a lot for the replies

[Guest]

ATTENTION - Do not register with the Lordship Lane Surgery!

I got some very bad care there (given betablockers for high blood pressure I didn't have!) and moved to the Gardens, who are BRILLIANT.

My husband was also given very bad care - ie the advice he was given resulted in two days later us going to Casualty and him undergoing several tests including Chest X-ray and ECG - totally preventable had he not been to the doctors at all! He's now moved to the Gardens too.

Beware....

[Keef]

Another vote for Dulwich Medical Centre, been with them for a good few years, and have always found them very good. Clazza is right though, if you like to see the same doctor every time, it's not the place for you!

The Lordship Lane practice was started years and years ago, but one of the original doctors (who was a lovely man, and very good), died a few years back, and it's gone down hill since.

[Domitianus]

I must say that, despite the problems people may have had, I think Doctors are a very good invention. Were it not for their sterling work for very low salaries many people would not be as healthy as they are now. In fact, some people might even have ended up dead!!! I think that is a fact we should all reflect upon.

[snorky]

Dulwich medical pracice = run like a business

The gardens = run like a doctors

[Domitianus]

and the Doctors is run like a gardeners! Great if you want to buy slug pellets or a nice nasturtium but not great if you have an ingrowing toenail or a touch of the sniffles. I went there and was diagnosed as having green fingers and Dutch Elm disease.

[dulwichmum]

Dear Mr Snorky,

I am afraid that I have to agree with you on this one, you are completely right. The Gardens, Forest Hill Road and Melbourne Grove are the best in South Southwark.

[Michael Palaeologus]

I am with the Gardens and have been impressed of late. It used to be a real pain (ho ho) to get in and see them, I only go to the quacks when I am ill (rather than for a chat) and so am only in there once a year or so, I dont like being told that I can see a Doc in a week when I my leg is hanging off.

Anyway, last time, I phoned in the morning and was in and out and back home with my prescription in about 3 hours.

[clare]

The Gardens gets our vote.......especially since they changed to same day appointments

[Domitianus]

If you are having difficulty registering you can contact the local health authority and they will tell you what practices are 'open' to register new patients. If the surgery declines to do so they can be ordered to accept you as a patient. I went a couple of years ago to register at a local practice and, after filling in all the forms they gave me, they then told me they had no spaces for new patients (which begs the question why did they ask me to fill in the forms in the first place if 15 minutes later they turn me away?). I contacted the local health authority who told me that the surgery in question was listed by them as 'open'. I told them I had been declined. They told me to ring back after they had 'had a word'. I contacted the health authority again and they told me to go again to the surgery who miraculously found a space for me!!! I can only imagine that the receptionist at the surgery decided I did not look 'profitable' enough for them and chanced her arm declining me until she was leant on by the health authority! Makes you wonder.

[Keef]

As a note about the Dulwich Medical Centre, I said earlier in this thread that the problem was you never saw the same doctor twice. However, I've had to go a couple of times recently, and there's a new female doctor there called Dr McCauly (nice Irish lady). She said to me that she's now permanent there, and works Mon, Tues & Weds each week. She encouraged me to start coming to see here each time so she'd know me and wouldn't have to start from the beginning each time.

I thought this was a really good thing.

[Domitianus]

keef, are you sure that is the correct spelling of 'McCauley'? There are a number of spellings and I should know, I've been out with a few.

BTW is it true that you snorted your dad's ashes mixed with coke?