drewd

Monkey. Thank you for the recommendation! Unfortunately I just checked my postcode on their website and am outside their catchment area. I am at the far end of SE22 on the way to Forest Hill.

I agree. To be fair to the receptionist those were probably just the egs that came to her when she was talking to me (most people waiting were trying to get appointments for their children) and that (I hope) the elderly and chronically ill would also fall into the priority category. However, I still don't understand the relationship with the Lister and whether the use of it is just for exceptional times when they are understaffed or is permanent. I was just so glad to be offered a cancelled appointment that I didn't bother to pursue it. I still think the system is a mess: the process for getting an appointment is anxiety provoking for patients and must be pretty dreadful for the moral of the staff on reception at DMC. I would hate to do that job.

Just to add that after calling back to check when I would hear something and being told it was too soon, I was then called back and offered a cancellation appointment that had come up.

I went down to DMC Crystal Palace Rd this morning so that I was there in time for 8am in order to try to get a same day appointment. This has been the only way to get one in my past experience. Things seem to have changed for the worse (if that is even possible!) Now there are NO same day appointments until you have been called back by a duty doctor for triage. The doctor will then decide if you can have an appointment and that appointment may have to be at the Lister Clinic in Peckham. The receptionist has to spend a lot of time interviewing everyone lining up, requiring them to give very personal information in earshot of others JUST in order to be able to have a telephone appointment with the duty doctor in order to do the same thing again. In my case I was told that the urgent service was only for sick babies, children etc and she would see if she could get me seen at the Lister Clinic. She scribbled down my details and said she would call me back. At midday I am still waiting. Is there more than one doctor actually at DMC? I only ever see the same kindly one wandering around. I have rarely seen the sae doctor twice and usually it is a locum. Why am I a patient at DMC if I have to end up going to the Lister in Peckham ......if I am lucky? I don't understand. The system of being vetted by the receptionist and then again by the duty doctor is so inefficient. I despair. I asked a while ago on this thread if anyone could recommend another practice in East Dulwich but didn't get any suggestions. I don't ask for much - just one that actually gives out appointments.

The changing rooms are grim and it's the joint responsibility of the users and the management to keep them clean. There are always tissues and empty bottles lying around the men's gym changing rooms. Why is it so hard to use the bin? Maybe we get the service we deserve: people treat the changing rooms with no respect and they get a crappy experience as a result. The swimming pool men's changing rooms stunk of urine last night in the showering area. They could definitely be cleaned more regularly..... and people could also refrain from peeing in the showers.

I just tried to register online and got: "The details you have entered do not match the details your practice holds. Please edit your details and try again. Please note - you must already be registered as a patient at Dulwich Medical Centre (Crystal Palace Road) to use Patient Access." I was there only two weeks ago about an ongoing issue so very much hope I have not been unregistered. Edited to add that I definitely added my details correctly!

Does anyone have experience of the Lordship Lane Surgery at no 417? I am thinking of leaving DMC like many others. The reviews for it on the NHS web site are very mixed.

In another thread we were winding ourselves up about lane etiquette. How foolish I now realise we were - we should really have been worrying about the tiny particles of sh_t that we swim through. I have been in the pool twice when it's had to be closed because of vomit. I conveniently put these out of my mind and kept returning. Now I'm concerned. The changing rooms have always been nasty at the Leisure Centre but I had allowed myself to believe that the pool was clean most of the time. Dirty Dulwich. Dirty Britain. We are all diminished by these poor hygiene standards.

Dog poo is a huge problem in that area. I live on Overhill Rd and one side of the street has been gradually turning into somebody's dog's bathroom in recent months. Somebody new must have acquired a dog - somebody not responsible enough to have one. I have written to one of my councillors about the poo problem. He says he is aware of the problem and it is being looked into by the council. Not exactly sure what that means but what is frustrating is that cleaning up the mess is an easier option than trying to change behaviour and stop it happening at all. So although challenging someone who you see not cleaning up after their dog may be the right thing to do, it doesn't necessarily feel like the safest. My experience of challenging people who drop litter is that 90% of the time you are told to F off or get some other defensive reaction that makes you wish you hadn't. You walk away feeling like the busy body. With a selfish dog owner there's also a good chance that they are a bad dog owner and have reared their dog to be aggressive. Having said that, with the woman that Fortified saw it sounds like she was conscientious enough to pick up the poop. Just too lazy to do the right thing once she had bagged it.

The problem with dog poo has got a lot worse on Overhil Road as well in the last few momths. It seems to be mainly on the pavement that runs past Dawson's Heights estate to the passage that goes through to the woodland behind the estate. So I guess it's someone from the Heights taking their dog down to Dawson's Hill for a walk. They also let their dog poop right in the middle of the passage to the woodland. I trod in it big time recently while walking home.

but apparently not evetyone does have common sense. Hence this thread.

I never understand why the lifeguards never spot these things and ask people to change lanes. It sometimes works the other way too: fast swimmers stay the middle lane and end up having to opvertake. It should be part of the lifeguard's role to do something about this. I'd raise it with them if it is bothering you enough to write about it here (although I know I never have!)

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Aquarius moon, Point taken. I was of course making the point that we should have as much pride in the spaces we are responsible for as our own selves.

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I use the buses every day, travelling between East Dulwich and central London. I think Chattyman's complaints about the eating and the litter on the bus, not to mention the oversized buggies they travel two stops, are totally reasonable and I empathise completely (even though this thread started by being about Peckham Rye Station). Complaining about the buggies is not the same thing as complaining about wheelchair users. There is a big difference. I have seen unpleasant situations where parents with buggies have had to be asked to make room for wheelchair users. And we don't have to accept noise and dirt and litter on buses as all part of the deal of living in a large, vibrant, diverse city. I have visited many large, diverse, vibrant cities and they don't have buses that are in the state that so many London buses are in. Having a tough life doesn't make it okay to use buses as your dumping ground which is something that happens more and more - especially on south London buses. Having a tough life doesn't make it okay to feed your kids McDonalds on the bus and leaving behind the rubbish instead of feeding them at home. We are too accepting of inconsiderate behaviour in public spaces in London. It doesn't make anyone that points this out an intolerant Daily Mail reader. People in other cities don't put up with what we put up with in London.

It's quite hard to pick them up without damaging them. They are mostly immobile. I had thought they were dead but, based on others comments I guess they might be in a state of hibernation. They don't smell bad. It's kind of nice actually. A very earthy smell. Like the earth in a garden just after the rain. :-)