Local medical drop in clinic ?

[Sazzle30]

Hi

I was wondering if any one could advise me. I moved to ed and never registered with a doctor. 3 weeks ago I hurt my leg falling in the gap at London bridge tube station. Leg was bruised but I could still walk on it. 3 weeks in leg is now swollen and giving me pain. Is there anyway I can get a doctor to look at it even though I'm not registered anywhere. I feel if I go to a & e I'm using up resources on something not life threatening.

Thanks in advance for your advice

Sarah aka limpy of ed

[Gidget]

Lister - Peckham Road. I posted about it earlier. But get there early.

[Sazzle30]

Thanks will check out your earlier posts

[JohnL]

If it gets worse go to A&E anyway. I held back when it turned out I needed an op. KCH told me I almost messed up my kidneys through dehydration (I still thought I was getting water down - so totally misjudged the seriousness) and to always go in if something doesn't clear.

[Gidget]

There is also a minor injuries unit at Guys Hospital. 40 bus goes all the way there.

[indiepanda]

Or you could try the out of hours service run by SELDOC based at the old Dulwich Hospital site. I've usually found it quite easy to get appointments there of an evening if you want to go after work.

http://www.seldoc.co.uk/

It does say they want to know your GP name, but I don't know that they would insist on it - people move around a lot especially in London so they might be understanding.

Oh, and when you do register - don't choose Dulwich Medical Centre on Crystal Palace Road - it's a nightmare getting an appointment there - I've had to use both walk in centre and out of hours service because of their inability to fit me in at times when I have needed treatment. From what others have said, there are better practices locally.

[katie1997]

Another vote for the Lister Centre in Peckham. Had to take a neighbour's ill wife there in his absence and they were brilliant, we were seen fairly quickly too. I was really impressed with the service as had expected to wait aaaaaaages.

[indiepanda]

Yes, my one visit to the Lister centre they prepared me for a very long wait but it wasn't anything like as bad as I was expecting. I was expecting 2-3 hours based on the number of people in the waiting room and it was just short of an hour. And the doctor I saw was good too.

I did go to the drop in centre in New Cross once and was less impressed. They took some stitches out of my knee which promptly popped open because it hadn't healed properly. A nurse friend told me that with any injuries somewhere difficult to heal like a knee (the bending when you walk doesn't help) that you should only cut alternate stitches and check carefully for any opening before you take the rest out so that there is something still to hold it if it hasn't healed.

I was sent home with an open gash at least half a centimetre deep in my knee with a "come back in a week if you are worried" and a plaster over it... Called NHS direct in a bit of a state when I got home - when I explained and said should I really wait that long said no and sent me straight to Kings A&E who taped it up and put me on crutches till it healed.

[Gidget]

indiepanda Wrote:

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

> Or you could try the out of hours service run by

> SELDOC based at the old Dulwich Hospital site.

> I've usually found it quite easy to get

> appointments there of an evening if you want to go

> after work.

>

> http://www.seldoc.co.uk/

>

> It does say they want to know your GP name, but I

> don't know that they would insist on it - people

> move around a lot especially in London so they

> might be understanding.

>

> Oh, and when you do register - don't choose

> Dulwich Medical Centre on Crystal Palace Road -

> it's a nightmare getting an appointment there -

> I've had to use both walk in centre and out of

> hours service because of their inability to fit me

> in at times when I have needed treatment. From

> what others have said, there are better practices

> locally.

You have to call them. They then call you back within an hour. You don't necessarily get an appt., only if they need to see you which I think they try to avoid. Have only had 2 dealings with them. One time phone advice only and another time I did go in but the doctor I saw had extremely bad English and misdiagnosed me.

[indiepanda]

Gidget Wrote:

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

> You have to call them. They then call you back

> within an hour. You don't necessarily get an

> appt., only if they need to see you which I think

> they try to avoid. Have only had 2 dealings with

> them. One time phone advice only and another time

> I did go in but the doctor I saw had extremely bad

> English and misdiagnosed me.

Thinking about it, the advice I was given one time wasn't great - I got worse as they didn't give me strong enough drugs or tell me I needed to rest and I ended up down A&E the day after having got worse. For all the time you wait to get seen at Kings A&E if they are busy, they've always done a good job for me when I've been. But they've still been easier to get to see than DMC - but that is feint praise!

[muffins78]

DMC is not great at all - its very hard to get an appointment. Seldoc were helpful to me one night regarding my leg and told me to go to A&E, which was lucky, as I had been limping all week, after been told I had a muscle injury, but it was in fact DVT (this wasn't when I was with DMC at the time, I was with another practice).

If your leg is swollen, its better to go down to A&E, I was down there again with my "lovely" leg a couple of weeks ago, and I was up in the vascular unit within 30 mins having a scan. They don't see it as a waste of time, its usually those who dont want to waste their resources time, that have problems which need to be looked at. Those who I have come across in Kings are great, helpful and kind.

I hope you've had it looked at now, and that all is well :)

[Gidget]

What part of your leg is swollen? You should definitely go to A&E today if you haven't already been. The leg is a common place to get a DVT esp. in the calf and it can travel to the lungs and be fatal!