Are there any GP surgeries in ED where it is possible to get appointments?

[bawdy-nan]

We are registered with Dulwich Medical Centre on Crystal Palace Road and have been for more than 10 years. Recently I have found it impossible to get any appointments. Its been trickier and trickier over the last few years but in recent months it's been impossible. I know that this is not the case for all GP practices in London. I have friends who manage to get appointments. Does anyone use a GP locally where the appointments system is working and where there are sufficient GPs available?

[Nigello]

Try ringing at 0800 and asking for an appt on the day. You could ring later and ask for a cancellation, or you might be offered a consultation with a prescribing nurse. I saw one when I had a bad chest and she prescribed antibiotics. I have to say she was more attentive and thorough than some of the doctors I have seen in my life (at DMC and elsewhere).

[PeckhamRose]

I do not know if Nunhead Surgery covers your area. If so, then yes, there are.

[indiepanda]

Nigello Wrote:

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> Try ringing at 0800 and asking for an appt on the

> day. You could ring later and ask for a

> cancellation, or you might be offered a

> consultation with a prescribing nurse. I saw one

> when I had a bad chest and she prescribed

> antibiotics. I have to say she was more attentive

> and thorough than some of the doctors I have seen

> in my life (at DMC and elsewhere).

I used to be with DMC and I would ring for an on the day appointment at 8 and sometimes still be re-ringing 40 minutes later having kept getting an engaged signal, only to be told when I finally got through that they had run out of appointments. I also tried queuing outside the door before they opened with many others, and even then found by the time I got to the front of the queue all the appointments had gone.

I am now with Forest Hill Rd and they are generally better but for non-urgent stuff I use the private GP at my workplace - it's not cheap and I resent paying for something I've already paid tax for, but it's worth it to get appointments at a time that suits me, and usually with much less in the way of delays when I get there, and a longer appointment slot too.

[bawdy-nan]

yes, indiepanda - describes my experience exactly. Trying to solve this by going private isn't an option for me and my family neither is taking my children out of school to queue up at the surgery for several days in a row to try and see a gp.

[indiepanda]

bawdy-nan Wrote:

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> yes, indiepanda - describes my experience

> exactly. Trying to solve this by going private

> isn't an option for me and my family neither is

> taking my children out of school to queue up at

> the surgery for several days in a row to try and

> see a gp.

Definitely worth changing GPs, from what I read on the forum they are easily the worst in ED.

Private's only an option for me because they put one in my employers office - think it was because they were fed up of losing staff time when we were having to take time off to go to the doctors. The GP system just doesn't seem to work anymore.

[Growlybear]

I've never had a problem getting a same day appointment at Forest Hill Road Group Practice when I've really needed one.

[Monkey]

Try the ones which are not run solely for money. A good sign is surgeries that do not have those big NHS trucks checking your blood pressure in Dulwich Park at the weekend.

We moved from DMC to The Gardens. GPs are infinitely better, phones answered on the first ring and appointments available at short notice.

[bawdy-nan]

thanks everyone - and for the private messages

[minder]

It's like asking for a good dentist on here. Don't want to advertise them in case they get fully booked!

[Pugwash]

The Gardens have changed their catchment area so should look on their website first.

[Monkey]

It's quite incredible that with all the noise about DMC on here, all the complaints, the situation does not seem to have changed.

[bawdy-nan]

I think it's the worst I have ever experienced it and it feels like a health risk to be on their books: it must surely have an impact on the outcomes of their patient body especially re life threatening illnesses presenting with "niggly" symptoms or mental health outcomes when the barriers to accessing primary care are so high. It was slightly terrifying to hear the new nhs plans yesterday (more services diverted to and delivered by gps).

[ED - NAGAIUTB]

Growlybear Wrote:

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> I've never had a problem getting a same day

> appointment at Forest Hill Road Group Practice

> when I've really needed one.

I've had problems getting an appointment for the same month at Forest Hill Road!

Never short of entertainment there though. The last time I was there, someone collapsed in the waiting area and they refused to call an ambulance. Incredible.

[Penguin68]

Forest Hill Road are changing their booking procedures - yet to see how they will work, but it is useful to be able to forward book appointments via the internet. It looks for 'emergency' bookings the duty doctor will triage if called in the morning. I have had to wait 2-3 weeks to see a specific doctor for non-emergency work, but have always got to see or speak to someone 'in extremis' on the day. If you are on the EMIS system (internet) your appointments are logged there, which is helpful (as are your repeat medications, making it a lot easier to re-order prescriptions).

It is not unreasonable to run primary care on a two-tier basis - with routine or regular appointments having to be made some time in advance, but emergency work handled differently.

Often telephone consultations are very helpful - saves travelling, can be done from the desk.

I have found the desk staff generally helpful - of course one may be having a grumpy day (don't we all) but all can manage a smile, at times.

[Sue]

Monkey Wrote:

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> It's quite incredible that with all the noise

> about DMC on here, all the complaints, the

> situation does not seem to have changed.

xxxxx

But I think it has changed?

Unless it has changed again, they recently started a drop-in system.

A few weeks ago I had a pre-booked health check with the new (and very good in my opinion) pharmacist now working there.

When I arrived I enquired at reception about making a GP appointment relating to something else, and was able to see a GP immediately following the health check.

This was around 11am, and I didn't have to phone or queue at 8am.

And I was very happy with the outcome of both the health check and GP appointments.

I understand people think there are issues at DMC, but I am not looking to change surgeries at the moment.

[binary_star]

For people who have lives that revolve around work or children 'dropping in' at the convenience of the practice or taking a punt every day by queueing outside in the cold (for sick people, really!?) is not practical. I don't want to do this, I can't do this, I need a time and date that's convenient for me. I'm sure if you're retired, or unemployed you can fit that kind of nonsense around your life but for most of us that's just not the case.

Normally I have been able to book appointments for the following month, however at the beginning of this month, I needed to see a GP to follow up some recent surgery but when I phoned, I was told that they can't book any appointments for a whole month because they are improving their booking system. So no I can't book for December or January until their system is sorted out. It sounded like a joke. But it wasn't.

And that fecking patient meeting whatsit? Well, that's absolutely no use - you just have to trawl through previous minutes of those meetings to see this has been going on for years.

[Jeremy]

Drop-in systems are fine for emergencies, but totally unacceptable for more routine visits. People have lives, commitments, responsibilities. We should be able to book appointments.

They used to offer you an appointment with a lead time of a few weeks - which was beyond crap, but at least you could get one. Now they just tell you that there are no appointments available, period.

[bawdy-nan]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> Drop-in systems are fine for emergencies, but

> totally unacceptable for more routine visits.

> People have lives, commitments, responsibilities.

> We should be able to book appointments.

>

> They used to offer you an appointment with a lead

> time of a few weeks - which was beyond crap, but

> at least you could get one. Now they just tell you

> that there are no appointments available, period.

This is what happened to us. The reception staff were helpful and kind and clearly under an enormous amount of pressure; the pharmacist is great (I agree Sue) and good at the health checks I think the practice gets a bonus for; and I haven't ever had a great deal of difficulty getting an on the day appointment for a sick child with a high temp / rash etc etc etc but I have been trying to get a follow up appointment for my child,for something not life threatening but which needs treatment, for several months now. I don't want to be in the position where I feel that attempting to get an appointment for something I'm concerned about for me or a family member is just not worth trying to wrangle and wrestle for.

[MrBen]

I want to see Panorama get stuck into this modern failing of our time....

It's probably the most visible deterioration of public services I've seen in my lifetime.

I've been going private for two years now but it shouldnt have to be the case...

[Dopamine1979]

You have a point MrBen.

I think access to GPs is a problem throughout the entire country. The demand is far outweighing the capacity.

[Sue]

Dopamine1979 Wrote:

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>

> I think access to GPs is a problem throughout the

> entire country. The demand is far outweighing the

> capacity.

Yes. I do feel it's a bit unfair that DMC is constantly being singled out for criticism on this forum, when the problem is far from confined to just one surgery in East Dulwich.

[Jeremy]

People complain about this surgery more than the others, therefore its being singled out? Rubbish.

[Robert Poste's Child]

My GP's surgery has on-the-day appointments available every day and I've just been online to book, where there were still a handful available for this week, including for tomorrow.

I swapped from DMC three or so years ago because even then it was always stressful getting an appointment. To me it felt an uneasy mixture of commercial and chaotic - their business model is basically that of a triage centre. While several of the doctors I saw seemed fine (in five years I never saw the same one twice) I will never forgive the receptionist who read out some sensitive test results to a waiting room of people, or the nurse who performed one of the most brutal smear tests I've ever had.

Happy to pass on the name of my surgery via PM but not going to mention it here for fear of a landslide!

[binary_star]

Sue Wrote:

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> Yes. I do feel it's a bit unfair that DMC is

> constantly being singled out for criticism on this

> forum, when the problem is far from confined to

> just one surgery in East Dulwich.

Why is it unfair? 'Singled out' doesn't make any sense - patients can only be registered with one GP, so anyone compaining isn't singling them out, they're just a disgrunteld patient/ex-patient (and there are many, it seems).

It's just a fact they're worse than average:

Respondents who find it easy to get through by phone:

DMC: 30%

CCG (regional) average: 74%

Respondents describe their experience of making an appointment as good:

DMC: 40%

CCG (regional) average: 71%

Respondents with a preferred GP usually get to see or speak to that GP:

DMC: 32%

CCG (regional) average: 53%

From: https://gp-patient.co.uk/practices/G85651?term=The+Dulwich+Medical+Centre+%28SE22+9EP%29