Recommendations For Medical Practice in ED

[KateFord]

Hey there,

can anyone recommend a decent medical practice in the East Dulwich area. I'm currently with the Melbourne Grove Practice but really want a change due to the numerous bad experiences/incompetency I have suffered there over the years. Someone recommended the Herne Hill Surgery to me, but unfortunately I just fall out of their catchment area: http://www.hernehillgp.nhs.uk/catchment-area/

Can anyone help with this?

[Pugwash]

Not knowing where you live - difficult to advise as many GPs have catchment areas, We are near Dulwich Library and were originally in catchment area of the Gardens (where we still are) however the catchment area for new patients is more towards Peckham Rye and bordering on SE15

[KateFord]

Hi Pugwash - I'm on Grove Vale near ED Station.

Thanks.

[minder]

Sorry to hear you are having problems with your GP Kateford.

The Herne Hill Group Practice are good (and I've been with them over 30 years) but find if you can't get an appointment then you're re-directed to a hub in West Norwood which I've had to get to a couple of times.

[Pugwash]

You may be in the area for the DMC in Chadwick Road

[muffins78]

Minder - when you say west Norwood, do you mean Paxton green group practice? I was with them for years when I lived west dulwich - the care was exemplary for me, always there for me, I was constantly ill (side effects of an illness and meds), it was very hard leaving them. I would join HH if I could!!

[minder]

It's called the Knight's Hill Surgery which is inside the West Norwood Health and Leisure Centre opposite the train station.

[Cedges]

From what I can establish there are no actual good surgeries in this area and if there is one, I suspect they are fully subscribed and not accepting new patients. Sad fact which arose when I researched local provision when I moved to the area.

[Bic Basher]

306 Medical Centre in LL appears to have taken on more Doctors. Last year, after the closure of the Dulwich Hospital practice, all of the surrounding practices have struggled with the increased intake.

[MissDumpling]

Cedges Wrote:

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> From what I can establish there are no actual good

> surgeries in this area and if there is one, I

> suspect they are fully subscribed and not

> accepting new patients. Sad fact which arose when

> I researched local provision when I moved to the

> area.

Not so - The Gardens Surgery has always provided very good care for us - we've been with them for over 16 years. Best GP surgery I've been with in London.

[Cedges]

MissDumpling Wrote:

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

> Cedges Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > From what I can establish there are no actual

> good

> > surgeries in this area and if there is one, I

> > suspect they are fully subscribed and not

> > accepting new patients. Sad fact which arose

> when

> > I researched local provision when I moved to

> the

> > area.

>

> Not so - The Gardens Surgery has always provided

> very good care for us - we've been with them for

> over 16 years. Best GP surgery I've been with in

> London.

Fairs, I do actually recall hearing that but I think their catchment is pretty small - probably why they're good!

[Burbage]

Here's a rough list of patients per quack for local surgeries - the numbers were taken from NHS Choices (which isn't always reliable) and haven't been adjusted for maternity leave, but seem to tally with the various reputations and recommendations that have turned up here.

One word of caution - both DMC surgeries are shown as having 9995 registered patients, though Chadwick Rd has 4 doctors listed and CPR has 10 - this looks a bit suspicious to me, and may reflect something fishy with the numbers, so I've put in an average for them both.

Patients per Quack (rounded to the nearest whole patient)

Gardens1179

DMC (CPR)1249

Forest Hill1266

Lordship Lane1377

Melbourne1765

DMC (average)1999

3062222

DMC (Chadwick)2499

[Penguin68]

haven't been adjusted for maternity leave

Two questions - are the doctors FTE and have you included (indeed are there any figures for) locums? Very useful, anyway.

[Burbage]

I have no idea whether they're FTE, and figures for locum use don't appear to be listed.

Another source of information is the CQC website, but they're more literary in their approach, and haven't covered most surgeries yet. Moreover, their traffic-light system isn't quite as clear as it's supposed to be, and it takes a lot of reading to work out how relevant the failings are, because as much seems to depend on the regularity of fire drills and staff appraisals as on outcomes.

[slarti b]

The Forest Hill practise has recently put some info on its web site which says that, of their 10 doctors, only 2 (yes TWO) are full time.

Assuming the 8 part timers are working 3 days a week this gives an effective "Patients per Quack" ratio of 1,861 dropping it 2 places in the list. Though it may be necessary to make similar adjustments for other practises.

It would be useful to have the FTE (Full Time Equivalent) Doctor figures so a proper comparison could be made.

The fact that Forest Hill has only 2 full time doctors probably explains why you have to wait 4 weeks for a routine appointment, if indeed you can get an appointment at all! It also explains why the surgery has seemed like a deserted ghost town at my the last couple of visits.

Definitely wouldn't recommend them.

Edited to add: Given that Forest Hill acknowledge they have problems in providing appointments it seems outrageous they are accepting new patients. They need to sort out the practise first.

[KateFord]

Thanks for the responses. The good news is I managed to get a place at the Herne Hill Group Practice despite just falling out of their catchment area. I'm pleased I persisted with this and was impressed to receive a text with my new GP's details on (something I've never had previously). Plus I managed to get decent information from the receptionist straight away including details about a Foot Clinic - something the Melbourne Grove Surgery failed to do despite numerous requests (only when pushed they supplied a form which was useless as it was over two years out of date with incorrect details on).

Sadly the decline of the Melbourne Grove Practice has been all too visible over the last decade since I joined. I understand they have a high turnover and are overworked but the fact is it's poorly run (both from an admin and care perspective). Frankly these mistakes mounted up and made me lose faith in their service and I worried that if I did have a serious ailment then how could I trust them?

There are numerous reasons which led me to transfer, a few being:

Sitting incredulously with a nurse who didn't realise she was asking me questions based on another patient's notes (she had the wrong file in front of her for most of the appointment). Highlighting the fact even simple procedures aren't being followed and patients are rushed and not listened to.

Reception staff who don't know what services are offered as they don't get adequate training and have very short tenures

Supply doctors drafted in who can't work the computer systems/printers which supply prescriptions (as a consequence appointments run late)

Regularly waiting nearly two hours for booked appointments

Samples that have mysteriously 'gone missing' so I've had to return to re-do them

An NHS Health check that had to be done in a few visits because the nurse didn't know what she was doing. And no adequate follow-up session on results

Doctors being far too officious about the 'one ailment per appointment' rule and putting quotas above patient care

Again, thankful I have been able to transfer.

[minder]

That's great for you Kate, although I'm surprised the Herne Hill Practice are taking on new patients if they're re-directing existing patients to another place!

[cactus]

It sounds like a wise decision to move to another practice.

I've been with Melbourne Grove for the past 10 years, I've muddled through, because I've only had routine appointments and thankfully no serious issues that would require continuity of care.

However in the past 2 weeks, the practice nurse turned up late for work, so my child waited 45 mins to be seen. Plus I went for a routine smear test, and the nurse pulled up another woman's medical details, so it took us 10 mins to realise that she had the wrong patient info. Meanwhile I was privy to the other patient's info, as I had to look at the computer screen to verify my medical history. Very shoddy indeed.

[Azalea]

Kate and Cactus,

There is an NHS website, NHS Choices, for Melbourne Grove,and other practices, where you share your concerns and give ratings.The practice manager is supposed to address any issues.

Had a look, and comments don't make pleasant reading

[KateFord]

Thanks Azalea,

agree mostly terrible reviews: http://www.nhs.uk/Services/GP/ReviewsAndRatings/DefaultView.aspx?id=42126

The types of complaints are almost identical to mine sadly. So it's great NHS Choices has a forum to complain and air concerns, but do they actually take actions from the feedback or do they just give people lip service by replying?

[KatDew]

We moved from Melbourne Grove to the Hambledon clinic. We've been really pleased, they're nice people and efficient.

[Azalea]

Does anyone know if, when you ask your GP to be referred to an outpatients clinic at a hospital, the GP practice pays for any subsequent treatment? Trying to figure out how funding works now. I believe that the GP surgery had a budget for prescriptions, for example, but am clueless about the rest.

[Azalea]

Looked on the Gardens Surgery website, it says that GPs are supposed to declare their average mean earnings. They put down just over ?73k for their practice.

[wellington]

I know you've already changed practice but Elm Lodge Surgery on Burbage Road is very good in my opinion. I was with Melbourne Gove for 3 years and it was awful but I'm now very happy with Elm Lodge.

[Sue]

wellington Wrote:

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> I know you've already changed practice but Elm

> Lodge Surgery on Burbage Road is very good in my

> opinion. I was with Melbourne Gove for 3 years

> and it was awful but I'm now very happy with Elm

> Lodge.

Funnily enough I was there yesterday for a clinic appointment, and I was so impressed by what I saw and heard when I was there that I am about to register there.

Parts of SE22 are within their catchment area.

It's a lot less convenient for me, and I've got no complaints about the actual medical treatment I've had from DMC, but I never seem to see the same GP twice.