Desperate for a new GP

[bonaome]

CLM44 Wrote:

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

> The Gardens is very strict about catchment areas -

> we moved a few roads towards Peckham and they

> basically deregistered us! So whilst good it's

> hard to get in.

Good?

Standard telephone appointment minimum 2 weeks away. The appointment is then for a morning or afternoon call. It seems that can?t narrow it down further.

Letter from consultant at King?s to GP asking them to write a repeat prescription, dated 28 September. Get a text from surgery asking me to make a standard telephone appointment with the GP on 14 Oct. Manage to secure said appointment for an afternoon call on 29th Oct. GP in question calls up and inquires how they can help. Details explained. No knowledge of letter admitted. Letter found in records. Prescription being ?sent right now?. Following day chemist says prescription hasn?t been sent through. Check back Monday with pharmacy, prescription still hasn?t been sent through. Ring the gardens and luckily missed out on the receptionist we refer to in our house as ?Mrs No?. After explaining the situation receptionist speaks to Dr and comes back to me to say the prescription will be sent over straight away. Prescription asked for by email by King?s consultant on 28 September finally available to be collected 2 November.

So if that sounds ?good? then, yeah. Good.

[Nigello]

I urge people to use the online approach. You can fill it in and you will get a phone call back from a medic, usually a doctor in my case. Be very specific and concise to help them digest it all. I think it helps them to have it written down - symptoms, times, background conditions.

I heard the head of the NHS on Today (there was another woman so perhaps it was actually her) who said that "upstream" concerns, like the general health of the population, need to be addressed if we want a better functioning NHS. I don't disagree. Some folk have bad luck in terms of what they inherit from their father and mother (and their parents, going all the way back) and others don't even know they have bad lukc till it is too late, so losing weight, not smoking, being on the ball when it comes to STI hazards, sleeping well, etc. etc. are all within most of our remits.

[bonaome]

Nigello Wrote:

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

> I urge people to use the online approach.

Do you mean sign up with a virtual GP like Babylon?

The Gardens has removed the functionality to contact them online via website or via app, for patient issues.

[ken78]

lets have the template letter so we can all complain

rkj Wrote:

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

> Good tip. I may swap to TJ. Had to make 2 written

> formal complaints to DMC. Formal complaints get

> recorded/declared so I now have a template letter

> 😳 let?s not forget, these surgeries are

> for profit?they claim a missed appoint fee if you

> don?t get to your telephone when they call you.

> They called me 30 mins before my appointment. I

> was on a call. They say call can be up to an hour

> before or after the given time. Hour after I

> understand?.not before 🤷

[NewWave]

Nigello Wrote:

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

> I urge people to use the online approach. You can

> fill it in and you will get a phone call back from

> a medic, usually a doctor in my case. Be very

> specific and concise to help them digest it all. I

> think it helps them to have it written down -

> symptoms, times, background conditions.

> I heard the head of the NHS on Today (there was

> another woman so perhaps it was actually her) who

> said that "upstream" concerns, like the general

> health of the population, need to be addressed if

> we want a better functioning NHS. I don't

> disagree. Some folk have bad luck in terms of what

> they inherit from their father and mother (and

> their parents, going all the way back) and others

> don't even know they have bad lukc till it is too

> late, so losing weight, not smoking, being on the

> ball when it comes to STI hazards, sleeping well,

> etc. etc. are all within most of our remits.

Online at my surgery only operates in office hours -Try being at work (like me) and trying to fill in pages and pages of questions and then be contacted 2 days later to say my GP will call me between 9am-1pm a few days hence...

I work in a department store and cant carry my mobile phone on the shop floor much less take calls.

I've virtually given up on trying to get to see a doctor.

Because its impossible!

Seems the NHS GP service is being phased out and its only a matter of time before we go to the US system.

[dulwich2020]

I changed from DMC to NHS video doctor and it?s been good so far. Same day appointments up till 11pm

For blood tests I was sent to clinic atVincent sq sw1 but they have others you choose. https://www.gpathand.nhs.uk

[Azalea]

Bic Basher Wrote:

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

> Worth noting that Tessa Jowell has reduced their

> patient coverage area which covers more of South

> Camberwell than ED.

>

> https://www.tessajowellgpsurgery.co.uk/patient-inf

> o/practice-boundary/

That?s very strange. Do you know when that happened?

[Hoi Polloi]

If surgeries were paid by the number of patients seen and not by the number registered on their books then soon there will be plenty of appointments available.

A surgery at the moment is paid the same amount by the nhs whether they make ten appointments or a hundred appointments.

[Sue]

bonaome Wrote:

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

>

>

> The Gardens has removed the functionality to

> contact them online via website or via app, for

> patient issues.

It is quite easy to email The Gardens. Their email address is clearly given on the "contact us" page of their website.

[email protected]

I used it to send written information to a GP prior to a telephone appointment.

[Jenijenjen]

?The Gardens has removed the functionality to contact them online via website or via app, for patient issues.?

I believe their econsult service is still up and running? I?m not with The Gardens but have used it with my surgery and have found it very good. Would recommend

https://www.thegardenssurgery.co.uk/econsult

[BellendenBear]

rkj Wrote:

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

> Good tip. I may swap to TJ. Had to make 2 written

> formal complaints to DMC. Formal complaints get

> recorded/declared so I now have a template letter

> 😳 let?s not forget, these surgeries are

> for profit?they claim a missed appoint fee if you

> don?t get to your telephone when they call you.

> They called me 30 mins before my appointment. I

> was on a call. They say call can be up to an hour

> before or after the given time. Hour after I

> understand?.not before 🤷

GP surgeries can?t claim a missed appointment fee.

[Sue]

Jenijenjen Wrote:

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

> ?The Gardens has removed the functionality to

> contact them online via website or via app, for

> patient issues.?

>

> I believe their econsult service is still up and

> running? I?m not with The Gardens but have used it

> with my surgery and have found it very good. Would

> recommend

>

> https://www.thegardenssurgery.co.uk/econsult

Thank you, I wasn't aware of econsult!

[Azalea]

Bic Basher Wrote:

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

> Worth noting that Tessa Jowell has reduced their

> patient coverage area which covers more of South

> Camberwell than ED.

>

> https://www.tessajowellgpsurgery.co.uk/patient-inf

> o/practice-boundary/

Are you a patient there and if so, are you still in the catchment area? I wonder if they will remove current patients who are no longer in the catchment? I remember when the surgery on Forest Hill Road did that.

[Bic Basher]

Azalea Wrote:

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

> Bic Basher Wrote:

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

> -----

> > Worth noting that Tessa Jowell has reduced

> their

> > patient coverage area which covers more of

> South

> > Camberwell than ED.

> >

> >

> https://www.tessajowellgpsurgery.co.uk/patient-inf

>

> > o/practice-boundary/

>

> Are you a patient there and if so, are you still

> in the catchment area? I wonder if they will

> remove current patients who are no longer in the

> catchment? I remember when the surgery on Forest

> Hill Road did that.

No I'm not a patient there, but used to be in their catchment area when it covered more of SE22.

[shazza76]

Completed an Econsult online form for DMC first thing Monday morning. After sending it, they said you?ll be contacted by text, email, phone by 6.30 on Tuesday 23rd Nov. I?ve heard nothing about an appointment. So do I just wait and see and hope I get a call.

Another issue. Went to Lloyds to collect medication for elderly relative. Sent medication request to DMC early last week. Assumed it had been sent to Lloyds. Nope, no prescription sent. So when I went into Lloyds they tell me to go to DMC and speak directly to request emergency prescription. They are not replying to emails as they have a backlog apparently of over 1000 emails.

I understand they are short staffed but how can they function like this.

Anyway went to DMC, spoke to someone who really didn?t want to listen and kept interrupting me.

Well a script was requested so waiting another 48 hours, they said that?s all can be done. The patient is on medication for diabetes and heart and the surgery really are not bothered.

Just fed up with DMC and it will not get any better.

[Sue]

shazza76 Wrote:

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

> Completed an Econsult online form for DMC first

> thing Monday morning. After sending it, they said

> you?ll be contacted by text, email, phone by 6.30

> on Tuesday 23rd Nov. I?ve heard nothing about an

> appointment. So do I just wait and see and hope I

> get a call.

>

> Another issue. Went to Lloyds to collect

> medication for elderly relative. Sent medication

> request to DMC early last week. Assumed it had

> been sent to Lloyds. Nope, no prescription sent.

> So when I went into Lloyds they tell me to go to

> DMC and speak directly to request emergency

> prescription. They are not replying to emails as

> they have a backlog apparently of over 1000

> emails.

> I understand they are short staffed but how can

> they function like this.

> Anyway went to DMC, spoke to someone who really

> didn?t want to listen and kept interrupting me.

> Well a script was requested so waiting another 48

> hours, they said that?s all can be done. The

> patient is on medication for diabetes and heart

> and the surgery really are not bothered.

>

> Just fed up with DMC and it will not get any

> better.

Have a look at Lloyds Direct (used to be Echo).

Your relative can get her meds delivered direct to her home. And they arrive on time, even though they come via Royal Mail!

Delivery is free.

[shazza76]

Thanks Sue.

Unfortunately Lloyds Direct don?t do the Blister packs. But I?m now thinking I could arrange medications myself in a dossett box and get scripts sent to them. Every month it?s the same issue with DMC. I always put request in early hoping there will be no delay. But my relative always is left without medication for days/week.

Still waiting for medication prescription from DMC. Apparently it hasn?t been signed off by a GP yet.

[Callie]

I actually prefer doing the online form & the GP calling me back system. If I miss a call for any reason I just call to say that & they ring me back. Much prefer this than waiting for a face to face appointment, travelling to the surgery & then still having to wait in the waiting room for ages for my turn because you rarely get seen right on time.

[JohnL]

Azalea Wrote:

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

> Bic Basher Wrote:

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

> -----

> > Worth noting that Tessa Jowell has reduced

> their

> > patient coverage area which covers more of

> South

> > Camberwell than ED.

> >

> >

> https://www.tessajowellgpsurgery.co.uk/patient-inf

>

> > o/practice-boundary/

>

> Are you a patient there and if so, are you still

> in the catchment area? I wonder if they will

> remove current patients who are no longer in the

> catchment? I remember when the surgery on Forest

> Hill Road did that.

I am a patient there and am outside the boundary - lets see what happens - still seem to be on the books currently

[Cora]

Any issues please contact Care Quality Commission, Link below:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/give-feedback-on-care