dulwich medical centre

[garages2018]

Good afternoon. I now think its time to say my views of my doctors centre. over the months I phone my doctors

for a appointment any part of the day to find i am put in a queue, you wait and wait for someone to answer but

when you get to you are second in line you can wait anything up to 30 minutes. A couple of times like today answer

phone said YOU ARE NEXT IN LINE, This was answered in over a hour. My wife is with another doctors in Lordship Lane,

they answer within 4 minutes and always fit you in for appointment or phone consultation that day or after.

My doctor if you ring at 10.00 if they answer the phone to be told, No consultation and ring back tomorrow after 8.00

Asking reception why phone is not answered all you get is, all staff are busy on other jobs.

Has any body had same problem.

[Monkey]

Move practice. It?s been like this for years. When I complained, they wrote to me saying it was because they had a lot of staff on maternity leave. These bloody women!

I just don?t understand how they get away with this.

[Hoi Polloi]

GP surgeries are private enterprises paid for by the NHS.

Surgery owners are paid a full salary assuming they work full time.

I think there is no one to check on them whether they work three hours or twelve hours a day.

Why would they bother working for ten hours if they can get away with working just three hours?

[Mrpharamist]

It?s a hustle. A racket. Filthy Lucre.

[Ginster]

I've actually found they've improved.

You can also book appointments online (thought I've not tried it yet).

You do need to phone at 8am, there isn't much point in phoning later in the day as they've used up all their slots for the day - they'll tell you to phone the next morning.

The 3 times I've rung in the last 6 months or so I've got through after a short wait (yes it's a phone queue but we know it opens at 8am so you just get in early if you can and I just carry phone around ringing on speaker til it's my turn). Then once they take your details a Dr will phone you back (so far usually within 2 hours, usually faster). They'll either do something over the phone then and there (which I had, a physio referral, and a re-issue of medication previously prescribed). Or they will make an appointment for you to physically come in (again, usually that day). I find that as a Dr is calling you - they have the medical training to triage you and put you in for an appointment or not. I think it's working well.

[damzel]

I've been number 1 in the queue now for over 1 hour! I have to hang up because I have a meeting, guess I'll try again tomorrow. Need to change to a different surgery, had enough of DMC.

[candp]

They haven't improved. I can't get a Dr appointment even though I was told I needed one by a nurse there. Come back and call at 8am everyday until you're lucky... They are stealing a living and referring patients to 111.

[KidKruger]

Needed asthma inhalers top-up. Couldn?t get auto prescription renewal because this was a re-emergence of asthma.

DMC wouldn?t see me / when waiting in line on phone I kept getting dropped when almost at top of queue.

So I couldn?t get an appt, dialled 111 who arranged an appt for me at Beckenham Beacon centre, got there and (I had to actually ask) was told 3.5hrs waiting time.

The waiting room wasn?t that big and people not very far apart, so I left after 10mins as didn?t feel safe.

Kindness of EDF sorted me in the end.

Complete joke.

[Sue]

KK try The Gardens if you are in their catchment area.

I was at DMC once, moved a long time ago to another practice which also had, let's say, some drawbacks, but have now (so far) been third time lucky at The Gardens.

ETA: I've always found when 111 arranged appointments for me that they were for a specific time and I was seen on time.

Maybe I was just lucky (or you were unlucky).

Admittedly one time it was a bit time critical because it was A&E for possible poisoning 🤣🤣🤣

[KidKruger]

111 warned me that the appt time was a ?turn up? time.

But I must have been naive not thinking it could be as long as 3.5hrs?

[gabys1st]

DMC Chadwick Rd have the ring at 8.00 am. and yes thee is always a que - you can wait or opt to be called back when near the top of of thr que. I was surprised to be rung 10mins later when was told 2nd in que...not even a 5 min wait and was able yo book phone appt for 10.00 am that day.

[oimissus]

Does anyone have any alternative suggestions for a good GP (especially one with good knowledge of the menopause) in the area of DMC Chadwick Road?

[Nutmeg]

The DMC on Crystal Palace Road is an absolute shambles (to put it politely), you phone at 8am on the dot, hang on for 50 mins then when you finally get through are told all appt slots are gone for that day and no advance booking, repeat the process for any number of days. Then if you do eventually secure a phone call appt its a lottery whether you can actually take the call while at work especially as they never phone at allotted time. Patient care seems to be a low priority. Its beyond frustrating.

[KidKruger]

Has anyone else experienced waiting ages and ages in the phone queue, only to be dropped off the queue when you get to 2nd/3rd position, repeatedly - or is it just a conspiracy against me !

[Ginster]

I guess I've been fairly lucky. I did leave it late one morning, told I was position 50 so gave up. Next day I tried calling from 7.58, hang up/redial etc until it opens and was position 10, annoyingly it didn't count down my position like it used to so I just held on. Got through after 10-15 mins, Dr called back just over an hour later, prescription issued and got a 5pm appointment for a specific manoeuvre that not all doctors can do - so I was actually pretty impressed.

A previous time 4 weeks ago also got through, prompt call back and prescription sent (as it was a recurring thing so they didn't need to see me).

[Nigello]

I have had good results from DMC - and less good ones. Using their online booking form you'll get a phone appointment within a day or two. As for being rung at the wrong time - well, it happens but since when are folk without their phones these days? If your employer doesn't like your being rung by your GP at work that says a lot about him or her especially in pandemic days. A couple of days ago I was promised a repeat referral form via text, which never came. I rang, explained it was the first step of any treatment plan, recommended by a doctor there, and so was therefore important and it came a few minutes later. 7/10 but 10/10 doesn't exist because it is perfection, so not too bad especially when you cut a bit of slack here and there.

[gabys1st]

I chose that option and was pleasantly surprised at how short the wait was.The surgery is, like most, very short of Docs,tho' they do now have "Doctor Professionial. Am delighted that they also have someone who takes blood now. Have been impressed by how helpful and pleasent the Admin/reception staff are.

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

> DMC Chadwick Rd have the ring at 8.00 am. and yes

> thee is always a que - you can wait or opt to be

> called back when near the top of of thr que. I

> was surprised to be rung 10mins later when was

> told 2nd in que...not even a 5 min wait and was

> able yo book phone appt for 10.00 am that day.

[sk1009]

Personally, I have found that DCM Crystal Palace road has gone down a steep hill recently and myself and my family have been patients there for over 20 years. I have found that recently they are employing mostly locum doctors and pharmacists whilst before you would have regular doctors working certain days of the week. Since august, they have a new pharmacist who seems to have no clue and is rude. I have regular repeat prescriptions which I have always received 2 months supply however since she?s been there, she?s changed it to 1 month at a time and when I questioned her about the change during a telephone consultation I was told to be ?lucky that has been allowed?. Some admin staff are incredibly rude whilst others are more polite and helpful so it is your luck who picks up the phone.

Advance bookings online have been stopped at DmC Crystal Palace for a while now as well so you are forced to wait in an 8am queue even if it?s not an urgent matter!

[hellosailor]

I think the employees reviews on DMC are pretty much all you need to know. They are as shocked by the scandal of this surgery remaining open as the patients are. Below is an example of many of the reviews on glassdoor.co.uk

0

★★★★★

Former Employee, more than 1 year

Greed and incompetence

28 Sep 2020 ? Anonymous Employee

Recommend

CEO Approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Some colleagues are fun and care, most are leaving though.

Cons

The NHS would do well to shut this outfit down. Money is the motivator, not patient care.

It explains why there are too few staff that understand what a good service looks like.

Those that are good, are not supported to deliver a good service and invariably leave or are hounded out through the bullying management from the family.

The family run the business like every penny is their own, having to give any of it away to staff in miserly pay or suppliers is an affront to them. The link to being contracted to perform a service and actually delivering that service doesn't register with them.

The NHS would do well to realise the money they are pouring into this outfit is largely squirrelled into the pockets of the owners and all their feckless family members to subsidise their house building projects.

If this was a finance institution, they would be locked up for chronic mis-management and public endangerment.

Take heed of the warnings on here. Do not join this company unless you enjoy chaos and bullying by people who will always look down on you. They have been handsomely rewarded by such behaviour in the past so think its ok or even good business. Current contract losses would suggest otherwise, but they won't see that.

Advice to Management

Shut down your business, stop harming patients and the mental health of staff. Do so before the law catches up with you.

Another employee review site tells an identical story

https://uk.indeed.com/cmp/Dmc-Healthcare/reviews?fcountry=ALL

[adam16]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2063458/Family-doctors-firm-raking-1-8m-YEAR--patients-say-surgery-appalling.html

I think this article seems true by the negative publicity DMC are receiving.

[sally buying]

That house is certainly worth more than 2 million I would think?

[Nigello]

It is from 2011 so not sure whether any of that still is valid. If any of you are unimpressed please email your MP with your full name, address and telephone number. Ranting on her, I am afraid, will have zero impact on your care at DMC.

[hellosailor]

Thanks for mansplaining that to me Nigello. I don?t think this will penetrate even remotely but having an opinion isn?t ?ranting.?

I, like you, am an adult. I understand and have gone through the official processes of complaint. My post wasn?t an attempt to force change at DMC - no one would be foolish enough to consider that a possibility. As I touched upon, the British Medical Council have been contacted by several parties to alert them to the fact that the modus operandi of DMC is negligent to a life threatening extent for some of their patients. So far that has had no consequences. So no, emailing my MP isn?t going to cut it sadly. If only it were that simple. Please refrain from condescendingly telling women to stop ?ranting? when they express an opinion that isn?t about rainbows and butterflies.

[ianr]

hellosailor wrote on [corrected to 5] December:

> I think the employees reviews on

> DMC are pretty much all you need

> to know. They are as shocked by the

> scandal of this surgery remaining

> open as the patients are. Below is

> an example of many of the reviews on

> glassdoor.co.uk

Can you please also post the reviews with the two highest ratings.

[Nigello]

You lost me (and plenty of others, no doubt) at "mansplaining". Goodnight and good luck. (Also, it was addressed at "any of you" not you personally, and how the hell am I expected to know or care which sex any of the posters are. Rather solipsistic and bizarre!)