Melbourne Grove GP - new lows

[KatDew]

oh and yes the rude receptionist was a bloke. I found it particularly 'charming' the language that was used as he was on route to hanging up the phone. I'm sure you could argue that he didn't actually swear *at* me, however he must have thought I was deaf if he didn't want me to hear it.

[catma]

I moved from Melbourne Grove and am at DMC Chadwick Road, which so far is OK - ish. I hadn't realised how much my experiences at MGMP had made me distrust the practices I come in contact with. I find I am now immediately on the defensive and anything which I perceive as poor practice I now complain about officially. What I want above all things is to be able to see the same health carer/GP when I need to. As someone with a rare condition (which means that most GPs want to talk about that rather than the thing I am asking about!) I need to be able to have that taken into consideration for other ailments but don't want to have to explain it over and over and over again!!!! It seems that modern primary care isn't about being able to build up a relationship with your GP and therefore being able to work together. I don't think I would actually trust any GP practice to deliver a good service now.

[MrsAk]

Yes, at Herne Hill Group Practice I think they save quite a few appointments which you can't book until the actual day. It used to be that you had to queue up from 8am but now you just call up. I have always managed to receive an appointment for the same day if calling up in the morning.

[Southwark CCG]

If anyone has any concerns or queries regarding any GP practice in Southwark please don't hesitate to contact the NHS Southwark CCG Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

You can contact them either by email [email protected] or telephone 0800 58 77 170.

They are open from 9.30am - 12.30pm and 2pm-4pm Monday - Friday.

[KatDew]

Thank you Southwark CCG for your reply. Unfortunately I don't really want a bland letter from the practice vaguely apologising and stating that in future they hope to perform better. I just want them to be able to provide a basic level of service and to be reasonably polite.

I don't have huge expectations, however on the very rare occasion that I use the service I don't think it's unreasonable to ask that someone who has some degree of medical training could see a two year old child within a reasonable time frame.

I can also understand that working on reception in a medical practice can sometimes be a frustrating experience, however if at 8am in the morning the receptionist is feeling the need to resort to aggressive behaviour and swearing in the background then possibly they are in the wrong profession.

[first mate]

Having read through the extensive list of complaints on their website it sounds as though MGMP is is need of something quite radical to get its house in order. Perhaps an undercover Panorama or Dispatches is in order? It really does sound like a disaster waiting to happen. Unbelievable that things have been so bad for so long. Is it still one of a number of practices owned by Concordia?

[brain_opera]

If you're anywhere near the Rye try Nunhead Surgery. I've just moved to Nunhead and I feel lucky to be at this surgery. I rang for an appointment on Thursday, expecting the 3 week wait I'd become accustomed to at DMC, and was shocked to get one for today, and they were lovely.

ED really needs a better surgery. For some people the choice is either DMC (abysmal) or MG (equally abysmal).

[Jessie]

not just absymal, but potentially life-threatening.

[brain_opera]

Yep! They've left me without medication on three occasions; on one of those, I had to ask on Facebook if anyone took the same one and borrow theirs to tide me over.

[Ondine]

I emailed Concordia today to ask what they are doing to improve this practice

[brain_opera]

Funny that it's the privately run surgeries that are suffering these problems (DMC, Melbourne Grove). Whereas Nunhead Surgery is, to my knowledge, run by the GPs.

[first mate]

Here's a link to the people responsible for the mess that is MGMP

http://www.concordiahealth.co.uk/our-team.

Not surprisingly, they run at least 7 GP practices across London and the South East. They have a smart shiny website, chock full of men in sharp suits with backgrounds in mergers and acquisitions, marketing and business leadership. Their MD, Adam Hurd, has been "pivotal in transforming struggling GP practices" ....... transformed into what we are not told, but I am sure the long suffering patients of MGMP could make a few suggestions.

The website even states that one of their practices has won some kind of award- go figure.

The person in charge of clinical matters is nurse practitioner, Sonia Hall, she

"supports the clinical team across all our sites, providing guidance and ensuring the right person is doing the right job for the best patient care". Sonia is also in charge of "demand management".

Sounds like they have one person that manages staff across all seven plus sites. Good for profits, bad for patients.

[Penguin68]

Funny that it's the privately run surgeries

Actually. all GP practices are privately run, although the traditional model is that they are run by 'incumbent' doctors (as a private partnership) rather than by a private company. Sometimes a practice will be owned by a single GP, with other GPs employed as salaried doctors. There are now (post Shipman) very few single doctor practices.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong, or right, in using professional management practices in running GPs - (most GP partnerships now employ non-medical practice managers) - clearly there are day-to-day management problems with Melbourne Grove - complaining to relevant commissioning bodies (and to the head-office) would seem an appropriate response, as would withdrawing custom.

Scheduling appointments (capacity management) is always difficult - particularly as the NHS has a real problem at GPs and hospitals with no-shows. This is exacerbated when waiting times are extended and patients get better (or die) before they get to see a doctor. There are good algorythms (and experience) to address such 'traffic' management issues, but they need sensitive handling. Poor customer-facing staff are a problem for every business - often medical reception staff see themselves as 'protecting' their doctors - and too often they start to channel Rotweilers.

[El Pibe]

I've always found the Lister walk-in centre puts kids to the front of the queue, though I guess it helps if they have a temperature.

The trick with MGMP is just phone at 08:00. I've always managed to get a same day appt' phoning then.

I've never found the staff rude, occassionally a tad terse perhaps, but never rude.

Of course I never get snotty either....

[LeahP]

MGMP is a complete and utter joke.

I am always referred to the walk in centre which is only good to the unemployed or people who don't work during the day.

I had to take a full day?s holiday to get a repeat prescription that the nurse would usually have done over the phone before MGMP changed their policy a few weeks back.

It makes me so angry.

[El Pibe]

You know you can set up electronic repeat restrictions with sainsburys pharmacy.

They receive them from MGMP and you pick them up at your convenience (I have to do this for my toddler's 3 medicines every week).

You'll give yourself an ulcer getting het up about things you needn't, then you'll need another repeat prescription....

[brain_opera]

It wasn't just that the didn't do the prescription. They didn't action a medication change (from a specialist) for 5 months.

[KatDew]

El Pibe previously I would have agreed with you, one of the good things about Melbourne Grove in the past, is that they would see kids on the day when they were sick. However I can assure you having tried on both Wednesday and Thursday last week (and yes at 8am) that wasn't the case.

Also having been at the Lister for three hours on thursday they weren't running a 'kids first rule' either, although I really would not expect that at a walk in service.

I've worked for the NHS for the last 15 years so I would really hope that I wasn't perceived as 'snotty' but I'll make sure I try to avoid phoning for any reason if I ever have any form of cold/flu just to avoid confusion.

[Zebedee Tring]

You can also request repeat prescriptions (as opposed to restrictions) from Day Lewis, which is next door to MGMP.

[ellieaness]

Well, I'm 29 and never get anything that over the counter medicines can't sort out - hay fever, the odd cold etc.

I do go to the dentist and have had to visit A&E once in that time but that's it :)

I can understand if I had children it would be very different but there was an interesting story that made the headlines a few weeks back and that was 'British stiff upper lip stops sufferers seeking diagnosis for cancer' and they were suggesting we were too polite to insist on seeing a GP with worries we may have. I would suggest that for the vast number of people, it's so difficult to book in to see one - let alone move to a new area and join a practice that a lot of people decide they're better off not bothering. It's not a good state of affairs frankly.

Sue Wrote:

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

> ellieaness Wrote:

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

> -----

> > What s it with Drs Receptionists? I've not been

> > registered with a GP or 6 years and unless

> going

> > to see one becomes significantly easier I can't

> > see that changing for a bit at least.

>

> xxxxxxx

>

> So what do you do if you're ill?

>

> If you've been so well for 6 years that you've

> never needed to see a GP, please share your secret

> :)

[MrBen]

If I had my magic wand, they should be accountable..... for service levels and customer satisfaction and given a public rating, like for example care homes. Any surgery that fails on both those key metrics should be investigated accordingly and the rating would allow people to vote with their feet. This would drive a culture of building GP practices with patient service at their heart rather than all the bullshit masking a thirst for bums-on-seats profit that you see in this crappy disgrace of a practice.

[catma]

A few years ago I found, through some newsletter I kept getting from the Health Authority, a link to the patient satisfaction survey data. MGMP was amongst the highest levels of patient dissatisfaction for Southwark (and from memory, London). So I emailed and asked them what they were going to do to close the gap between them and the best performers. I was invited in to discuss this with the manager and made my general feelings very clear. I was assured things had been identified and were being improved.... a year ago I couldn't stand it any longer and mmoved to DMC (Chadwick). They're OK, but my faith in GPs is really shattered after my MGMP years.

[Lynne]

Had a two week wait for the FH Road practice, then they lost my test results. Now been 6 weeks and I'm still waiting for the results. Good job it wasn't life threatening

Lynne

[LeahP]

http://lifeineastdulwich.tumblr.com/post/43413276676/urgently-requesting-an-appointment-at-the-doctors

[Natty13]

Glad it's not just me!

I would especially avoid Dr Anita Barnwal at?Melbourne Grove Medical Practice.?

Dr Barnwal has consistently misinformed me over several visits in the past six months. When I was pregnant late last year, I made an appointment with her following the advice of my midwife (from the same practice) to enquire about a whooping cough vaccination. Dr Barnwal dismissed it entirely and told me it wasn't necessary. I went back to my midwife the following week who was surprised to hear that and told me to make an appointment at reception for the vaccination. Not only was I misinformed by Dr Barnwal but she was also quite patronising in the process.

More recently, I have had two encounters with her regarding my infant. Sparing you all the details, essentially she prescribed medications in both instances that were not fit for purpose.

In one case, Dr Barnwal took a swab from my baby's eye and then prescribed Chloramphenical eye drops. I asked if we should wait for the test results but she said no and that it would be fine to start on these drops now.?

When I went to the pharmacy to collect the drops, the pharmacist asked if my baby had conjunctivitis and I told him no, not that I was aware of. He explained that the drops were for conjunctivitis and when I got home and read the label I noticed it said in bold print not to give to children under 2! My baby is five weeks old.

I called Dr Barnwal about these concerns. She was quite curt over the phone and told me to 'just take what she prescribed' again making me feel quite small and stupid for asking such questions. She then abruptly ended the call before I had a chance to finish asking questions. I called back and asked the receptionist to have her call me back. I waited all afternoon but no return call.?

I have been going to MGMP for 6 years but will be changing to a new practice after these recent incidents.?