What doctors surgery would you recommend?

[headphonauts]

Not much of an exaggeration to say that Dr Stephens at The Gardens helped save my life a couple of years back. V grateful. Wish it were easier to get an appointment though, never sure exactly what the drill is...

[Mustard]

mrure26 Wrote:

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> I've been with Melbourne Grove for some years now

> and it has improved, though I have not had too

> many problems with the surgery overall. The not

> quite on the ball doctors have now gone. On very

> few occasions have I not got a same day

> appointment. Some times it is necessary to keep

> trying the number, especially first thing when

> they open at 8am. If you ring early morning you

> will be given a morning appointment. For

> afternoon appointments, it is necessary to ring

> around mid-day or go there if able to. Compared

> to comments regarding other surgeries in the area,

> I do not think that Melbourne Grove is bad in

> comparison.

Which not quite on the ball doctors have now gone?

[drewd]

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.

[Nouth]

The Melbourne grove medical centre is much better than it used to be although you rarely get to see the same person twice and really have to push for an urgent appointment but once in they are not bad.

[poppet27]

If you enjoy waiting 4 weeks for a routine appointment, being left on hold for 15 minutes each time you call, y our results being lost and the odd snappy, rude receptionist then I highly recommend Forest Hill Road Group Practice.

Such a shame because the doctors are actually great.

[Penguin68]

If you enjoy waiting 4 weeks for a routine appointment, being left on hold for 15 minutes each time you call, y our results being lost and the odd snappy, rude receptionist then I highly recommend Forest Hill Road Group Practice.

Not my experience having been a patient there for over a quarter of a century - I have had long waits for an appointment with a (named) doctor over the summer, when the said doctor was on leave, but otherwise seen within 48 hours (or telephone consultation) for anything urgent, normally same day. 'Routine' appointments are the ones which you can (reasonably) wait some time for - it is urgent ('I am actually ill, now') appointments where timeliness is key. Receptionists not rude in my experience, no results lost (for me or the other 3 members of my family). Have had some prescription mix-ups in 25 years, quickly remedied - (mainly one item left off, never the wrong drugs or the wrong strengths prescribed).

[nxjen]

I agree with Penguin. They have recently introduced a duty doctor system where if you feel the problem needs dealing with before you're able to get a routine appointment, the doctor will call back and arrange for an emergency appointment if they feel it appropriate. Have to admit I was very doubtful but can speak from experience that the system does work, and my problem was quickly and effectively treated.

[andrew_t]

Avoid the Dulwich Health Centre on Crystal Palace Road like the plague.

I left there and enrolled at the Nunhead Surgery who are excellent...

[Growlybear]

I would agree with Penguin and nxjen. I have also been with Forest Hill Road Group Practice for well over 25 years, and can't speak highly enough of the surgery. In all the years I have been a patient there, I have never found the reception staff to be anything other than polite and helpful, despite them having to put up with some appallingly rude behaviour from some patients. Whilst it's true that you do sometimes have to wait for a while for a routine appointment to see a named doctor, some of whom work part time, there has never been an occasion when I haven't been able to get a same day appointment with one of the doctors if I've needed it. I have always been very happy with the Practice, but since being diagnosed with a life threatening illness in 2011, the treatment I have had has been incredible.

[jomou]

headphonauts Wrote:

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> Not much of an exaggeration to say that Dr

> Stephens at The Gardens helped save my life a

> couple of years back. V grateful. Wish it were

> easier to get an appointment though, never sure

> exactly what the drill is...

There's now an online booking system called Patient Access which works wonderfully - no more waiting to get through on the phone. You have to register on their website to use it. More info here: http://www.thegardenssurgery.co.uk/patient-access-booking-appts.html

I've received great service at The Gardens and would recommend it to anyone in the catchment area.

[zone2lege]

Forest Hill Road Group Practice is good I think. We are there, always get an appointment for my little boy the same day whenever there is a need and myself.

Midwives are amazing attached to this practice.

[sillywoman]

Just came across this and thought it might be of interest to some:

"The CQC are inspecting a cohort of GP practices in Southwark during April, so if you have any issues relating to any GP practice please let us know so that we can feed into it before the inspection.

Thanks

Sec-Chan Hoong

Healthwatch Southwark Development Officer

d: 020 7358 7005

t: 020 7358 7020

f: 0845 305 2160 | www.healthwatchsouthwark.co.uk

[LucyInTheRye]

Obvs it's too far for OP, but I've been really happy with Forest Hill Rd Group practice as well. They have seen both DD and me on the same day via their duty Doctor triage system. Receptionists have been polite and helpful IME, and I don't reckon it's the easiest of jobs.

Oakwood (their midwives) are fabulous.

[tiger ranks]

NOT THE ONE ON LORDSHIP LANE NEAR THE PLOUGH

THEY ARE THE WORST POSSIBLE DOCTORS EVER

from beginning to end its a bad experience

[Bic Basher]

tiger ranks Wrote:

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> NOT THE ONE ON LORDSHIP LANE NEAR THE PLOUGH

> THEY ARE THE WORST POSSIBLE DOCTORS EVER

> from beginning to end its a bad experience

You mean the Lordship Lane Surgery or 306 Medical Centre?

[first mate]

I wonder how much notice the various surgeries get about inspection?

[MissusF]

Another vote for the Gardens (if you are in its catchment on Copleston?). All the doctors there are wonderful.

Another thumbs down for Melbourne Grove - never saw the same doctor twice and didn't like many of the ones I did see!

[Mustard]

How can The Gardens have a catchment on Copleston? They shrank their area.

[Bic Basher]

The Gardens certainly doesn't cover Copleston Road. The nearest street is one side of Ondine Road.

http://www.thegardenssurgery.co.uk/register-with-the-practice.html

[ianc]

I love it that half of The Gardens' catchment area is Peckham Rye Common! I've been with them for years, but I'm just outside the catchment area, on Landcroft Road. I assume this is a recent shrinkage. But even so, prior to that, I was further outside of it, at the far end of Forest Hill Road. Neither time have they prevented me from being registered there. I guess it depends on how many registered patients they have at the time.

[aspidistra]

My experience with Forest Hill Road group practice is that their reception is lousy, but the medical staff on the whole good. However, I've never seen the same person (doctor or nurse) twice, over a period of 14 years.

I say on the whole, as a referral (written document, faxed to the hospital) I was given to Kings was so poor (scrawled, no info) that the staff at Kings said it was the worst they had ever seen and they were quite shocked. They said I should complain to the health trust.

In the past, I've generally found it next to impossible to get an appointment there within 7 days. I was recently (2 months ago) told it would take TEN DAYS merely to speak to a doctor on the phone, for something that was urgent. Last year they told me to go to the Lister for something urgent - where there is a five-hour wait, to see a nurse (the only thing on offer) who cannot prescribe anything (she said). And this after I was told by Forest Hill group practice that the Lister would be able to prescribe what I needed, and that was the only reason I sat there waiting for five hours. I get the impression that they often fob people of by pointing them to the Lister. I have also in the past been told to go to A&E (by a doctor who hadn't seen me) - which turned out to be a bad idea, as I was highly infectious.

Last year I had a mistake made on a prescription they issued, and spent half a day getting that sorted out.

Their NHS website review score is not good - looking at the 63 comments, it's mainly over the issue of non-availability of appointments. And practice staff are spending a not inconsiderable amount of time responding to complaints there (rather than doing something more productive).

I've been meaning to change for a while, when I get a moment.