Crown Dale Medical Centre
61 Crown Dale
London
SE19 3NY
Tel: 020 8670 2414

News:

Out of Hours
Our doctors are part of SELDOC (South East London Doctors on Call), a doctors' co-operative where GPs take turns to do night and weekend duties. For urgent advice when the surgery is closed please telephone 020 8766 8888 or 020 8670 2414. You will hear the message on our answerphone giving you the number of SELDOC (020 8693 9066). In the case of an acute collapse or dire emergency, please dial 999.

Sexual Health Clinic
The practice also runs a walk in Sexual Health Clinic on Wednesday evenings between 6.30-8.00pm and on Saturday mornings between 9.30-11.45am.

We also run a Sexual Health pre-booked appointments service on Wednesday evenings between 5.00-7.30pm.

Test Results
Please call the main number on 0208 670 2414 and press option 4 for results. Alternatively phone the results line direct on 020 8655 7856. The results line is only available between 2.00 - 5.00pm, Monday to Friday.

Repeat Prescriptions
We cannot take requests for repeat prescriptions over the telephone. You can, however, now request your repeat prescription on-line via our website.

Telephone Clinics

We now offer telephone clinics every morning with one of our GP's. The clinics are for patients who would like advice and who feel that a face to face appointment is not necessary. Please ask the receptionist for more informaton.

Phoning the Practice

We receive a large amount of calls between 8.30am and 9.30am. If you have a general enquiry or are looking to book an appointment in advance, please call after 10.30am.

Announcements

01 Sep - 01 Oct
NHS Smokefree

Find out about all of the free NHS services available to support you as you go try to give up smoking.

01 Aug - 01 Oct
NHS Summer Health

Stay safe in the sun, including sunscreens, sunburn relief, heat exhaustion, eczema and moles. Summer holidays are great fun for children, but can bring risks. Find out more

01 Jul - 01 Oct
Change for Life

Would you like loads of tips and help to make changes for a healthier future? As part of Change4Life, you will receive tons of helpful information, recipes, tools, tips, and games for the kids.

BBC Health

Diabetes drug advice 'not heeded'

A type two diabetes drug is still being prescribed in the UK two months after it was recommended for withdrawal, BBC Panorama learns.

Gum and heart link 'breakthrough'

Scientists say they have established one reason why gum disease may increase the risk of heart disease.

Reading Arabic 'hard for brain'

Israeli scientists believe they have identified why Arabic is particularly hard to learn to read.

'No evidence' implants are toxic

Tests on a type of breast implant filled with an unapproved gel have shown no evidence they are unsafe, UK experts say.

Research into age-related illness

Edinburgh scientists are attempting to find the trigger which leads older people to develop dementia.

Clue to egg flaws in older women

British scientists say they are closer to knowing why older women trying to fall pregnant are more likely to produce abnormal eggs.

Bone drug linked to cancer risk

Long-term use of bone-strengthening drugs may boost the risk of oesophageal cancer, a study suggests.

'Big drop' in alcohol consumption

Alcohol consumption has fallen faster than ever, figures from the British Beer and Pub Association suggest.

Urine wanted to test odour device

Bristol researchers developing an odour detector to help incontinence sufferers offer volunteers vouchers in exchange for urine.

Compost sparks Legionnaire's fear

Gardeners are being warned about the risk of Legionnaire's disease from compost after a pensioner developed the disease after handling compost.

Yahoo Health

Expert warns of complacency after swine flu fizzle (AP)

Robert Webster, chairman of the Department of Virology and Molecular Biology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., attends the Options for the Control of Influenza conference in Hong Kong Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010 in Hong Kong. Webster urged health authorities around the world to stay vigilant even though the recent swine flu pandemic was less deadlier than expected, warning that bird flu could spark the next global outbreak. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

AP - A leading virus expert urged health authorities around the world Sunday to stay vigilant even though the recent swine flu pandemic was less deadly than expected, warning that bird flu could spark the next global outbreak.

Cholera kills 41 in Central African nation of Chad (AP)

AP - Health officials in Chad say an outbreak of cholera in the Central African nation has killed at least 41 people.

Can home cooking be hazardous to your health? (AP)

AP - Could your kitchen at home pass a restaurant inspection?

Botox maker to pay $600M to resolve investigation (AP)

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg speaks to reporters during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Wednesday, Sep. 1, 2010, regarding a major settlement with a pharmaceutical company for False Claims Act and off-label marketing violations. Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a years long federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

AP - Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a yearslong federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug.

New test seen as big advance in diagnosing TB (AP)

This undated photo released by Cepheid, shows a Cepheid Xpert MTB/RIF cartridge. The cartridge is part of a test that is a major advance in diagnosing tuberculosis and can reveal in less than two hours, with very high accuracy, whether someone has the disease and if it's resistant to the main drug for treating it. (AP Photo/Cepheid) NO SALES

AP - Scientists are reporting a major advance in diagnosing tuberculosis: A new test can reveal in less than two hours, with very high accuracy, whether someone has the disease and if it's resistant to the main drug for treating it.

Journal editors question sale of diet pill Meridia (AP)

AP - Editors of a top medical journal call Meridia "another flawed diet pill" and question whether it should stay on the market as a study shows it raises the risk of heart attack and stroke in people with heart problems.

Study: Diet Drug Meridia May Boost Heart Risks (Time.com)

Time.com - A new study finds that some users of the weight-loss pill Meridia may have an increased risk of heart attack or stroke

For Bonobo Males, Mom Is the Best Wingman (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - To most human males, the thought of your mother anywhere near your sex life is probably horrifying. Not so for the bonobo, one of our closest primate relatives. A new study confirms that hanging out with mom boosts male bonobos' chances of getting intimate with a fertile female.

Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 3, 2010 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

More parents 'redshirting' kindergartners (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - As schools start back into session around the country, some parents of young children face a difficult question: Send their little ones to kindergarten as soon as they become age-eligible, or hold them back in hopes that an additional year of maturity will give them an academic boost?

MedPage Today

Investigation Reveals More Woes for Rosiglitazone

(MedPage Today) -- On July 15—a day after the FDA completed two days of hearings on rosiglitazone (Avandia)—a British advisory commission on drugs concluded that the product should be withdrawn from the market, according to an investigation conducted by BMJ.

Washington Week: Insurance, State Actions Top News

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Several studies highlighting insurance issues were released this week, including one on federal programs for kids and two others focused on employer-provided medical coverage.

FDA Approves New Eye Pressure Drop Formulation

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The FDA approved a new formulation of the drug bimatoprost (Lumigan) in a 0.01% solution as a first-line treatment to reduce elevated intraocular pressure in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Kids on HAART Would Benefit from Revaccinations (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Children with HIV who received standard childhood immunizations before starting on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) could benefit from revaccination, a review suggests.

New Guidelines Out for Pneumococcal Vaccine (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Adults with asthma and those who smoke should receive the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine to prevent pneumococcal disease, according to new recommendations from the CDC.

OSHA Should Dictate Residents' Hours, Group Says

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The consumer group Public Citizen is urging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to regulate the work hours of resident physicians.

Four Factors Increase Risk of Opioid Dependence (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- A combination of four factors appears to significantly increase the risk of opioid dependence among patients taking prescription painkillers, researchers have found.

Low IgG Poses Infection Risk With Rituximab (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Certain subgroups of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly those who have low levels of IgG, are at risk for severe infections when treated with rituximab, French investigators found.

ESC: Stockholm Take Home Message -- Watch the 'Not' Warfarins

STOCKHOLM (MedPage Today) -- An investigational antiplatelet -- ticagrelor (Brilinta) -- emerged as a big winner from the five-day long European Society of Cardiology congress, but the buzz here focused instead on a trio of investigational oral anticoagulants -- dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban.

Admitting Clinical Errors Not Always Best Policy

(MedPage Today) -- Wide-scale disclosure of clinical errors seems intuitively to be the ethical choice for hospitals and physicians, but researchers from the University of Washington suggest that disclosure should be decided on a case-by-case basis rather than a one-size-fits-all solution

Clinics and Services

Baby Clinics

Baby clinics are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2.00 to 4.00pm, clinics for Croydon patients are held on a Tuesday and a Thursday for Lambeth patients and toddlers clinic by appointment only from the doctor or health visitor.

Postnatal Checks

Postnatal checks for mothers and babies are made at eight weeks with a GP. Baby’s first immunisation can be given by a practice nurse at the same time - please ask for a combined appointment.

Midwives

Antenatal clinics for our Lambeth patients are held on Thursday afternoons from 2.00 to 4.00pm. The Lambeth midwives are based at Kings’ Healthcare, Denmark Hill.

Antenatal clinics for our Croydon patients are held at Auckland Road surgery. The Croydon midwives are based at Mayday Hospital.

The doctors hold their own antenatal clinics and patients can book appointments for these clinics via reception.

Other Services

smoking cessation We provide a full family planning service. Please advise reception if your appointment is for family planning as you may need a double appointment reserved for this.

Advice about meals on wheels, home helps, social workers, etc, can be obtained from your doctor. If there is any service not mentioned which you feel we should provide, please suggest it to a receptionist or to your doctor.

Referral is made through any of the clinicians for welfare benefits, dietetics, phlebotomy, osteopathy, counselling, chest clinic and a drugs and alcohol team.

To obtain emergency contraceptive treatment please telephone the surgery and ask to speak to a doctor. A message will be taken and the doctor will phone you back. If it is out-of-hours, please ring SELDOC, our answering service, on 020 8693 9066 and a doctor will ring you back.

Osteopath - Fiona Walsh

Fiona is available here on Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning. Referrals to see her are made through a GP and arranged by Anne.

Sexual Health Clinic

The practice also runs a walk in Sexual Health Clinic on Wednesday evenings between 6.30-8.00pm and on Saturday mornings between 9.30-11.45am.

We also run a Sexual Health pre-booked appointments service on Wednesday evenings between 5.00-7.30pm and on Saturday mornings between 9.00-10.30am.

Every Pound Counts Benefits Advice Service

The practice will run a Welfare Benefit Service that is available to all patients referred by their GP or Health Worker.

Pre-booked appointments will be available on alternate Friday mornings between 9.00-11.40am.

Asthma

Run by specialist nurses. For managing all aspects of this illness and advice on medicines, diet and lifestyle issues.

Phlebotomy service

Pre-booked appointments with our phlebotomist are available on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings between 9.00-9.45am for fasting bloods only.

The walk in service is available on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings between 10.00-11.35am.

Counselling

If your Doctor thinks that counselling is appropriate for you, they will refer you to a counsellor and ask you to read the Talking Therapies leaflet. Your first appointment will be for 30 minutes, to ensure that this is the best treatment you can be offered. Subsequent appointments will be for up to 50 minutes.

Diabetes

There is a nurse-run diabetic clinic for all patients with diabetes at Crown Dale. Patients should attend at least annually. It is run by nurses who have specialist training in diabetes care.

Flu Vaccination

A flu clinic is run from October to December.

Minor Surgery

Following an initial assessment, removal of lumps, cysts etc. under local anaesthetic.

Smoking Cessation

Specially trained practice nurses provide support, advice and treatment for patients who want to stop smoking.

Travel Advice and Immunisations

At Crown Dale we provide appointments with a practice nurse offering travel advice and immunisations for trips abroad. We like to see patients, where possible, at least 6 weeks prior to travelling because most immunisations take at least 3 weeks to become effective. Pressure on appointments is high and you may therefore, be unable to book an appointment immediately.