We live at the Honor Oak side of Devonshire Road and are having trouble getting a doctor. I am currently at Hilly Fields surgery but need to move as now out of catchment area. We have been trying for six months to get a doctor - can anyone help? It seems we are in the Bermuda Triangle - in no one's catchment area, especially those doctors to which we could walk!!

If no doctor is accepting you, I believe you should contact the Primary Care Trust and they'll force a doctor to take you.

Have you tried the Jenner? You may be in their catchment area. Alternatively there is also a surgery at the start of Forest Hill Road which may also be ok for you.

We had the same problem when we rented a house in Haredon Close near you. It took 5 months to finally find a GP, in the end I called the NHS and they forced the Brockley Surgery to take us. At the time, it was a bit of a walk for us but the house we have now bought is close to the surgery, as we are now near Brockley rise so it is a short walk.

I have also heard good things about the Jenner surgery. Do not dispear, call the NHS, explain the problem and they will assign you to a local GP and will send you a letter with the GP they have assigned to you, that you then take to the GP and they cannot turn you away with that ketter. it worked for us.

Yes, it's a waste of time going round different surgeries trying to register. Despite all the talk of NHS choice, in reality, you're placed in a catchment area and you're stuck with the GP that's been given that catchment area. If that GP won't take you, the PCT will force them to take you. It's annoyingly that simple

When I tried to sign up with a doctor in the Forest Hill area a couple of years ago one of the many doctors I called to try and register told me to call patient referral at Lewisham Council. They sent out a form and I had to list three surgeries I had tried and failed to register with. I returned the form and got a letter a few weeks later telling me they had put me with the Forest Hill Road practice.

It was very frustrating as the delay meant I couldn't go to the doctor when I needed to. But, frustrations aside, the Forest Hill Road practice is excellent. They have a drop in session in the morning in case you need to see a doctor sooner than you can get an appointment. They also have a very good practice nurse who can often see you for more minor things anyway. Good luck.

It's worth noting that if you're not registered with a GP and need to see a doctor, you can still go to any GP and register as a temporary patient in order to get seen. There's no reason why anyone should go without treatment, even if they're not registered currently with a GP.

We also live at the HOP end of Devonshire Road and we go to the Vale Medical Centre on Perry Vale. They've been very good so far.

Thank you so much everyone for all this information. I am pursuing the NHS now and will let you know how successful I have been!!