Melbourne Grove Medical Centre

[bathsheba]

Due to the allegations made in this post I have had to remove it for legal reasons - The Administrator

[Mikecg]

I would seriously recommend that you report this issue to the general medical council in london. The problem with gp's is that they are a jack of all trades so to speak. he/she should have been more sympathetic to the situation and was totally unprofessional.

His/Her area of expertise may be hypochondria coughs and colds.

http://www.gmc-uk.org

[matthew123]

I keep hearing stories about Doctors and Dentists who are on short term contracts which promotes this culture of no attachment to the patient and hence no accountability for their actions if their treatment proves to be detrimental. It's getting like the building trade.

It might be harsh but I think it's fair to say, I always think of a GP as someone who failed to become a Consultant. Often their knowledge is not much better than you'll quickly find on wikipedia - so if you have any doubts whatsoever about the treatment proposed from your GP then I'd recommend you demand a referral to a Consultant at Kings or any other NHS hospital in England (which you can do whatever your GP claims). I don't want to tar all GPs with the same rotten brush but in some cases you have to manage your own health diagnosis.

[ThinLizzy]

...I'd take Mike and Matt's advice; in my opinion, when a person is suffering from a mental ill-health, care and time should be taken to ensure correct diagnosis -- that means a) being fully trained to recognise conditons/symptoms, b) listening carefully to how the patient describes their experiences, c) using well-established measures that are evidence-based. Unfortunately, many doctors, particularly GPs feel under pressure to meet targets -- but I think a good doctor is one who is able to think flexibly to navigate patient needs AND NHS targets....

I hope you feel better on Thursday Bathsheba

TL

[candj]

Dear Bathsheba,

What a terrible experience and when you feel up to it, most definitely report this to the medical council.

This is a thread on depression which was posted a while back with some good suggestions on where to look for help for yourself and as you can see, you are not alone.

Take good care,

Best,

-C

[JoeChuff]

GPs are often shocking when it comes to treating depression, I suspect many of them don't believe in it. Get yourself down to the Community Mental Health Trust (CMHT) on Lordship Lane. You may need a GP's referral, in which case just go in and demand one. Key thing is, you are much better off getting advice on mental health issues from a mental health specialist than a GP, and the NHS does provide for this.

(Just to defuse any future "why are you bashing GPs" arguments, I am sure that there are some GPs who are excellent at treating mental health issues and take a real interest in the subject. However getting referred to a CMHT vastly increases your chances of receiving the right treatment from a knowledgeable and sympathetic specialist.)

[Nero]

Plesae report this to the BMA and copy a letter to your MP. The doctor in question sounds callous and ill-informed, though, thankfully, not representative of the majority of NHS workers I have encountered.

By reporting his misdemeanours you will hopefully prevent other people from being treated so shabbily, and you'll be able to take heart from the fact that even in your depressed state you are doing something worthwhile and positive.

[indiepanda]

That sounds dreadful - he ought to be struck off for behaviour like that.

Good luck with finding a better doctor - I had a spell of feeling very low over a year ago brought on by significant stress at work (I don't like to label it as depression but given I was feeling suicidal on a daily basis it's hard to pretend it wasn't!) and my GP was pretty good, though not much use to you as an alternative because I was living in SW London at the time.

I wouldn't recommend relying on GPs alone to help with depression though - my mum has suffered on and off for 40+ years and I feel they could have been much quicker to refer her onto a therapist. Pills are important to help get symptoms under control at first, but I do think it is good to get some form of therapy to help get to the root of the problem.

At the end of the day GPs have to know a bit about everything and will never be able to compare to a specialist in the subject, and the typical GP appointment slot is too short to deal with any mental health issues properly (I think on more than one occasion my GP must have been late for her next appointment after seeing me).

[charliecharlie]

Poor you... what a horrid experience, I went to see Dr Johnson there and he was really lovely, gave me plenty of time to talk through a few things, (virus caused ear infection that had effected my hearing, plus I was off traveling and needed some medication related to the trip. etc), he took specific care to explain any side effects of the drugs, what they did, benefits etc, and was thoughtful and gentle, everything you could want from a GP.

A friend of mine went the Melbourne Grove practice with depression, she went to see Dr Penny Ackland, she came back from the appointment full of praise and saying Dr Ackland had been brilliant... she said that she was kind, supportive and knowledgable and gave her plenty of time... I would suggest that you see if you can make an appointment with her or Dr Johnson.

I know the booking system and the reception can be a real turn off at the practice and your experience was really dreadful but they clearly have some very good doctors, it might be worth trying so see one of the above. You need good support and guidance through this difficult time, so ask for it...

kind regards and stay steady, things will get better with time and the right help

xxCC

[plimsoul]

i have been with melbourne grove for over 3 years and in the past year the only thing that they have dealt with at all well was when i wanted to discuss the possibility of seeing a councilor. eventually i was referred to their councillor for 8 weeks and she was brilliant.

however, and aware that admin want posters to stay on topic, i have to say that since concordia took over the practice the place has become a sham. i have not seen any of the named practice GP's above, only locums, who have no idea how the system works. both doctors johnson and ackland were familiar names and treated my children, since last year i have not seen the same doctor again but instead a carnaval of different faces and nurses that have never succeeded getting blood samples from me.

yesterday was absolute classic melbourne grove post concordia. the clinician calls back late, doesn't even apologise, says that they have booked the appointment required for myself and my son. i get there and to my 'not surprise' only my appointment was booked and the doctor refuses to see my son - even though he's in the room with me - because he doesn't know how to get the notes up. this was at 5.40, my only option was apparently to book a later appointment.

i complained to a receptionist who said nothing but ok. not even a sorry again.

i am definitely going to move GPs, this is no longer a service but a sport called 'trying to get the treatment that you need.' the problem is when you are considering people with severe depression or in the later stages of pregnancy it's not a sport and it's not funny.

[SCSB79]

What an awful experience. I hope this gets the proper attention from the authorities it deserves.

[Cassius]

Hi Bathsheba - a truely aweful experience, however one strange thing, your notes couldn't have been 'somewhere else' as I believe at least the last 2-3 years (it may be more) of your patient history have been uploaded and are online on the screen on their desks!! I find it very hard to believe that he wouldn't have known this.

Again I would like to re-iterate that Drs Ackland and Johnson are still good enough to keep me at that practice no matter what.

[Mammy Barlow]

My husband and I have had similar problems at this practice. One Doctor even showed me his rash as a demonstration that he was worse off than me! They have missed some serious symptoms and we are suffering due to this. Sadly we moved here away from the concordia practice in Camberwell- time to move again.

[Jimbob]

nice to see you all acting in a responsible and impartial manner. usual old story on the ed forum, one side of the tale told the other not, no recourse for the other party to give their side of the equation.

from what i see the gp offered a form of treatment which was declined, in favour of another which was suggested by the op, even though the gp made it clear it may not be wholly appropriate for the condition. it would have been nice to know the names of the medications involved by the way.

the op does make a valid point that with various types of meds, anti-biotics, depressants etc, what works on one won,t work on another, but a common assumption when persons take anti-depressants is that they don,t work and the person themselves stops taking them, hence making the condition worse, when in effect they are doing what they are supposed to do. they are designed to over time improve the symptoms of depression, they won,t make you all shiny, happy people and there is a certain degree of input required by the patient as well, but with sticking to the prescribed regime they will do what they are supposed to.

[plimsoul]

jimbob the practice is well aware of the glut of complaints as is evident from the patient/practice sessions minutes on their own pinboard. however, the service still keeps declining. there are comments above of positive experiences, indeed i mention that i was lucky to see a great councilor through them, but the overwhelming negative comments i think do represent a real decline in satisfaction.

i do not mean this as an attack on your view and in that spirit i will call melbourne grove now to tell them about this thread so they can react. but one cannot deny that laughing at a patient as they leave in tears is simply unprofessional, regardless of any other detail of the incident.

[plimsoul]

right i have called and left a message for the manager explaining that there is a thread with people expressing unhappiness about the standard of service that they are receiving, including myself and in the spirit of a 'right to reply' maybe he would like to put concordia's side across.

i hope that this has redressed any inbalance and that people might receive apologies for the upset that their experience at the practice has caused.

[PeckhamRose]

I recommend Drs Martin Iu, Anderson (male doctor) and Yvonneke Roe for everything including mental health at Nunhead Surgery if you are lucky enough to be in their catchment area. They are an independent practice with an 020 number, lovely receptionists and I am a long term regular patient who also am on their patient feedback panel.

It is appalling that you had to write this post and my heart goes out to you.

The important thing here is - that whilst it is perfectly right we should hear the other sides' point of view - that you felt compelled to share this, and your impression is what is important.

[Cassius]

Plimsoul - good move on your part. I must say I think it would be appreciated if the surgery could have an open evening so that grudges can be aired and to advertise it on the forum. I have wished to complain various times but fear (sadly) that if I get a 'reputation' as a 'difficult patient' then a bad service will be deliberately made even worse. It has come to pass that I don't even ring up unless I really am worried about my health and have been guilty of letting small problems exacerbate in the meantime. However maybe the whole point is to make the whole experience so dreadful you just don't use it unless you really need it.

[giggirl]

Bathsheba,

Your story is shocking and I'm so sorry this happened to you. You definitely need to move to another practice. Would you perhaps think about taking a friend with you next time? You're obviously really vulnerable right now and the last thing you need is to be in a stressful situation with no support.

I hope things work out for you.

Px

[cate]

But no names were named.

[SteveT]

When you read past posts of mgmc nothing much new has been said, it has had dire press for years to the most part, with the odd 'shining star' woven in to the fabric of general failure.

[Administrator]

cate Wrote:

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

> But no names were named.

It does not matter, an individual can be identified from the post and that would be enough to take legal action against the forum.

Please see this post http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,237446 from some patients of Melbourne Grove.

[edited to rectify a mistake pointed out by cate below (thank you)]

[cate]

Administrator,

That post isn't from the practice, it is from some patients of Melbourne Grove.

[Cassius]

And the meeting is between 5.00 and 6.00pm - that's a great time for us workers...............

[plimsoul]

yes but you can email them which i have done, so at least your point can be raised in your absence, or noted...