Why can I never get a doctors appointment?

[Dodo1]

Write to Jane Friar Dir of Primary Care @ Souhwark PCT and CC them in. I guarantee you will get an appointment!

[MadWorld74]

I've just been for my gold dust appointment and the damn receptionist was so bloody rude!! shouting across the room at me asking me my DOB, and then giving me the evil look. If anyone knows her name; for she disappeared when I was leaving, I'd like to know. She's got long lanky dark brown hair and an eyebrow piercing/bar. She screamed at some poor woman behind me who was just a few minutes late because of trafic, and cancelled her appointment even though she was standing in the building. What a bitch.

[tomk]

Typical DMC. I've suffered from it - gave up and attended a walk-in centre near work in the end. Half the doctors are equally as rude as the receptionists- too busy appearing on GMTV to treat patients like human beings. They will always (in my experience) see young kids immediately - but i feel it's usually more to do with potential problems if things went wrong rather than any real care. Witness their plans for needle exchange - not popular with the locals but good for the coffers, abandoned when the publicity picked up against it.

[Asset]

blimey, I suddenly feel so fortunate. The surgery I (thankfully, hardly ever) go to is great, appointments easily made and pleasant doctors. It's not all doom and gloom on the NHS.

[Sue]

The DMC is doing a survey on patient opinion of their services at the moment.

I suggest you fill one in and make all these points - I have, and certainly had a few points to make about various things.

I have an appointment tomorrow morning and will add a link to this thread onto my survey.

Only thing I am worried about is that when they see the contents of my questionnaire they will bin it!

The doctors I usually see and one of the nurses I usually see are great, but the appointments system certainly leaves a lot to be desired. When I was there making my appointment there were two other people as well as me complaining to the receptionist about the system.

[Sue]

MadWorld74 Wrote:

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> , and have been told that

> there are no appointments, even when I am

> physically in the building. What's the point of

> getting myself out of the house when I am unwell

> only to be told to go home again and ring tomorrow

> morning.

xxxxxx

I also had this problem - can't get through on the phone so go down there physically, they don't open the door at the time they're supposed to, and even though I was about the third person in the queue who needed to make an appointment that day, they'd all gone to people who had managed to get through on the phone.

[MadWorld74]

God it's really terrible isn't it? Yes, Sue by all means add this link to your survey answers. I know what you mean by it getting binned! I wonder if the letter I personally delivered to them yesterday for the PManger, will indeed ever get there?...I used to work in a practice in the City, and yeahs, again, the staff were all too eager to make money and send people off for ridiculously expensive surgery that they couldn't afford just so they could get their whopping great salaries every month, that an constant appearances on daytime TV.

[Cora]

Found the questionaire really frustrating - questions set in a way that do not address the real issues. Just felt like a box ticking exercise.

[MadWorld74]

a bit like the questionaire the london buses give out once you board!...total rubbish. It would be great if someone from the DMC was on this forum. Take all these points back to work with them and getg something done.

[Jimbob]

MadWorld74 Wrote:

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> where is the Forest Hill Road surgery?I only live

> round the bend...went round it along time

> ago....can't think of where it is?

"live round the bend",

sorry i misread that.

[Sue]

Cora Wrote:

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> Found the questionaire really frustrating -

> questions set in a way that do not address the

> real issues. Just felt like a box ticking

> exercise.

xxxxx

But they say you can add any comments you want, so I added quite a few at the end - plus I printed out this thread and attached that as well :))

Will it reach whoever's conducting the survey? Who knows. I handed it in at reception this morning!

[MadWorld74]

great! did you hand it in to the girl who was rude to me yesterday by any chance! the one with the eyebrow bar? would love her to read what I said about her conduct.

[Sue]

I don't know who you mean, the only receptionist I know there has blonde hair and has always been perfectly pleasant and helpful to me - it's hardly her fault the system is crap.

I've never had anybody be rude to me at DMC.

[MadWorld74]

i've never seen this girl before, so she may be new. New to manners.

[Jimbob]

or may be its your attitude mw, try showing a bit of respect and one never knows you might get a bit shown back.

[Catcher-in-the-rye]

I miss the old days when Dr Gupta Senior had his little surgery in the house down the road, you just turned up and waited your turn.

[MadWorld74]

my attitude Jimbob, is nothing to do with it. When I walk into a surgery I do not expect to be shouted at before I've even gotten to the desk. I work with hospitality/front of house every day, all day and I know about attitude. I came on here to vent some anger about the receptionist, because to her face I was nothing but poliete.

[MadWorld74]

Catcher-in-the-rye Wrote:

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> I miss the old days when Dr Gupta Senior had his

> little surgery in the house down the road, you

> just turned up and waited your turn.

i agree even in the old days you got seen. the fact that the doctors in the old days form what I can remember used to drink whisky and smoke cigars in their rooms! My doc when i was a kid was permenantly intoxicated. He mis-diagnosed a severe grumbling appendix as a twisted stomach muscle. He was also about 110 years old.

[HonaloochieB]

Catcher-in-the-rye Wrote:

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> I miss the old days when Dr Gupta Senior had his

> little surgery in the house down the road, you

> just turned up and waited your turn.

Actually I remember when Ravi started there and everyone wanted to see his dad, in order not wait one day I said I would see Ravi, and lo his popularity blossomed.

I think of myself as giving him his start in the medical profession.

I haven't had to go the docs for a couple of months so I wonder if the difficulties people have encountered are a recent thing.

Yes the phone system can be a bit of an arseache, but I always got through after hitting redial for a few minutes and always got an appointment on the day. I wonder if it'll be different next time I try.

There is no place for rudeness, particularly in a GP's and if MW received bad treatment she should c omplain.

My own experience has always been good with both the admin and medical staff.

Oh except for a doc who was there a while ago, Phillip something, he was a git.

I think I preferred it when it was in the old house down the road, it was handy for the Uplands if you got bad news.

[MadWorld74]

I remember Phillip, yes he was a git. It was almost funny. I was in and out of his room within 60 seconds. Couldn't be bothered. I went straight to the reception desk and made another appointment with a different doctor!

I still have not had a reply from the practice manager. I wonder if I will, or how long I will have to wait.

[Sue]

HonaloochieB Wrote:

> I think I preferred it when it was in the old

> house down the road, it was handy for the Uplands

> if you got bad news.

xxxxxx

Well it's still very near the CPT :))

[Moos]

MadWorld74 Wrote:

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> I still have not had a reply from the practice

> manager. I wonder if I will, or how long I will

> have to wait.

Don't think it's unreasonable to allow her a day to reply to your letter - after all, she will have to look into what happened and then post the letter. And she may have other responsibilities too.

[MadWorld74]

a day or two... i wasn't expecting a reply so a day or two would be great! I've got the new patient forms from the Forest Hill Group Practice, but wanted to wait to see what kind of response I got from the DMC, first.