Michael Palaeologus

Good grief. I turn my back for 2 days and the place goes hat-stand. You are all very naughty and I am disappointed in you. Legs may be slapped.

So, allow the public sector educated rickety kids the protection of a lolly-pop man or woman or whatever, and the private sector educated kids have to run the rapids with no protection but their breeding, good diction, ample vitamins and natural superiority? Is that it Curmudgeon? Anyway, you wait all day for one Lolly-pop person and then two turn up at the same time. What's that all about?

Blue and white bunting. There has to be bunting. It wouldnt be a right Royal knees up without loyal bunting.

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Well said Dorothy. That was precisely the point I was trying to make, albeit badly. I attended my appointment and received the usual, friendly and effective service. Face to face they are brilliant, over the phone, not so much.

Mr Daly above the Chemist on North Cross Road is great, a tad scatty, but great.

I fifth that recommendation. Bare Groove are great.

"I think this is about you being p***ed off because you're sick" - If you had read my first post Zeban you would see that I am not sick, if I was I would be really p*ssed off. I have been with registered with The Gardens since 1989 and registered when I lived in SE5 which was not an easy walk away. The system was then a combination of walk in or advanced appointments which worked. I now happen to live close to the surgery and can easily walk to it. The issue is that many cannot. Of course is the system was changed those that do live close by may not be able to enjoy the benefits that the current system gives to them, and them alone.

This isnt about me as an individual or you. Its about the others who cannot get there and so cannot get an appointment. If you are sick why should you have to travel twice to the surgery? Once, to see the Doctor, yes. Twice is unreasonable. This is the 21st Century, adanced cutting edge technology like the telephone should be sufficient to do the job. If you phone between 8.30 and 9.10, you cannot get through unless you are very lucky. Any later than that and all the booking for that day are full and they wont take advanced bookings over the phone. Go and see them and they will take an advanced booking. Therefore those of us who are very local and have flexible working hours and can walk there are unfairly advantaged. If you cant walk there, you cant get an appointment or it is at best a lottery. The argument that "It works for me so its OK" is somewhat shallow when describing a public health service, dont you think?

The Gardens approach means that people stand a chance of not getting an appointment at all if they cant walk there. Its not a private surgery for the residents of The Gardens alone.

The Surgery is good. Its the need to walk there to get an appointment that is the worry. The Gardens Surgery services an area bigger that The Gardens and the close by streets, if you cant walk there, you are b*ggered basically. That is not good.

Struggled with this one as the people that work there are fine people .... but the booking system is problematic. My latest experience is: I want a Doctors letter confirming an ailment, nothing specific, just a "To Whom it may concern" thing. I phoned yesterday to ask for this, to be told that I needed to see a Doctor. I asked to make an appointment to be told that I had to phone back the next day at 8.30 for an appointment for that day. They dont make advanced bookings for the Doctors. That was today and I started phoning at 8.30, 40 minutes and 12 calls later, having failed to get through, I got my coat on and walked there. I was given an appointment for tomorrow. This is not a new experience for me. Call in and you probably wont get through and if you do, you wont get an appointment that day and cant get an appointment for the following days. Go in and see them face to face, you probably wont get an appointment that day but can get an advanced appointment. This seems to discriminate against people who are sick. You have to have the patience to keep trying to use the phone, the forebearance to accept the disappointment of refusal and the stamina to go through the process the next day and the next and the next (none of which attributes I have when I am feeling really ill). Alternatively, you drag yourself off your sick bed to see them face to face and get an appointment. It seems like a form of triage - the very sick dont get seen and the moderately sick do. Why am I using up valuable Doctor time for a letter request? I should just be able to email the request in. If I have to pay OK, but at least I am not using a appointment that could have been used by one of the walking wounded who had managed to stagger round to The Gardens to make an appoitment and then staggered back the next day to attend To be told by the Receptionist that "There many other Patients who are trying to get through" is self evident and so patronising. If many patients are experiencing the same problem, solve the problem. This is not the fault of the Receptionists, it puts them in an impossible position trying to deal with a constantly ringing phone and frustrated patients. The problem lies with a booking system that only partially differentiates between reasons for appointments (the Practice Nurses admirably pick up many of the less urgent or chronic illness monitoring appointments), doesnt allow for advanced appointments and cant cope with the subsequent volume of on the day appointments.

Well said Mockney. Most of the people mentioned are not national treasures and probably wouldnt claim to be. So, the list given thus far is just of people who Forumites dont like, or more to the point, Forumites dont like the idea of, as they presumably have never met them.

A baby, under 12 months, not required to speak? In East Dulwich? Please, our babes in arms can recite Virgil in your actual latin. 'tis an insult.

STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!! *Wipes bhaji from eye and takes popadom from ear* All of you, write the following: "I will not act the goat in the Curry Club thread" - 500 times. You too Karter, dont think I cant see you trying to sneak out of the back of the restaurant.... and Katie ... you have let me down, the club down and most of all, yourself. Tsk. You were doing so well.

Move on, Move on, Nothing to see here!! Brum, restrain your Bird! Mrs Floating-Cat, get a grip on Hubby! They both like firm handling. Please, some decorum, this isnt the soccer-ball thread.

That is not big and its not clever. Brum can come and TELL you about it afterwards AND he can bring a take away.

Hurrah! Welcome one and all.

You cant *flounce* Brum, you are (according to your beloved) virtually a Builder and, Builders dont Flounce

This is ridiculous! I have had a PM from another regular saying that they cant do Mondays, so that leaves Fridays, which I suspect is not going to be a popular day as people will have weekend things to be doing. We have always tried to change days month by month as people have do commitments on particular days of the week. That way nobody is completely excluded. I have missed at least 2 because of other commitments, and I organise them! So, I suggest Wednesday 19th as the least worst option. The last meetings have been on a Thursday, Tuesday and Monday. At the Dulwich Tandoori.

Freebies are Hibbs' responsibility, that and the loo reviews.

Not forgetting our trans-gender chums.

Dulwich Tandoori - "Poppet" looked unhappy as we walked away..... There was a look of longing in his eyes. Your in there H. :))

So - where to go for our first collective curry of 2011? In a few weeks time - any preferences re date?

Nivea for Men roll-on, 50% off at Sainsbos ;-)