Melbourne Grove Medical Centre

[first mate]

Actually it's the reception staff at Melbourne Grove that I feel sorry for. They are in the middle, in a no win situation, taking the flack for those in charge who have assented to and implemented this deplorable system.

The Doctors, and in particular the Doctor in charge, Simon Fradd, are fully signed up to a political experiment, this is about them saving money but at our expense. Those practice members who disagreed, like Dr Brew Graves, left, fast.

The only way to change it is for everyone to complain, in writing, to the local Health Trust, the local Practitioners Cttee, and our dear MP. Nothing less will make any difference because at the end of the day it's all about saving money.

[charlottekb]

I put in a rant of complaint via the Concordia website after yet another shocking experience with the reception staff. It was the weeks leading up to this new system and as a way of apologising Mr Fradd called me to explain the system etc and deal with my problem personally. It was then that I realised the surgery had been taken over by a private company with no concern for the patients of Melbourne Grove. I left Dr Dewji on LL when I fell pregnant cos I found him to be totally useless. I joined MG cos it was local with a good reputation. Throughout my pregnancy I wasn't able to get to see a midwife for any of my checks but this was cool cos I just booked in to see Dr Brew Graves instead. When my baby was born and he had colic and 2 fraught and dangerously on the edge parents. Penny Ackland looked after us and made life bearable by seeing us at the drop of a hat, even if the waiting room was full. In all I was so impressed with MG. From Lancashire originally where its not a miracle to get to see your GP that week, I found the service to be as good as back home. Now Dr BG has left - crying shame, and I know from direct conversations that all the other doctors are pissed off with concordia's taking over. Home doctors are hard to come by. Never mind a surgery packed to the rafters with them. I too have had many missed 'telephone consultations'. More worryingly one involving my 11 month old. Ill stick around a bit longer but its not gonna take much for me to walk.

[glau]

It is the telephone consultation that is a bit of an odd idea - call me old fashioned but I do think that there is some value in the clinician actually seeing the patient who might be flushed or deathly pale, obese or anorexic. Breathlessness, say, would mean something completely different for an over or underweight patient. Not to mention the utterly humiliating experience of having to describe your symptoms in the middle of an open-plan office or Sainsbury's to a bored locum nurse. It just doesn't feel right to me.

[candp]

The telephone consultation system is dangerous and places profit before correct and thorough diagnosis.

I too had a missed telephone call back (i was on another call and they left me a message, when I called back they told me I had to wait another 24 hours).

Tired of the dozy love-lorn receptionists, the locum doctors (the existing staff are really demoralised and often absent), the phone robot and the dirty clinic, this was the last straw. I calmly explained to the office manager when I called back that if noone spoke to me today I would complain to: Concordia, the local MP who is a Government Minister, the relevant DoH Minister, the local paper, the EDF, my local councillors, the PCT and anyone else who got in my way. Yes, I may have gone over the top but I was cross! They called back within 5 minutes and a Concordia customer relations person called me twice to check I was ok.

They know that most of us are too lazy or inconvinienced to change doctors but the they don't want the guinea pig telephone consultation experiment (and future incomes) damaged.

[djfitz]

If this is such a problem then the only way to change it is to phone or write a letter of complaint. Every complaint received needs to be acknowledged and responded to, and is fed further up the chain from each practice to the PCT.

(see here for details)

I would encourage every EDFite here with a grievance to complain (preferably by writing). Try to complain about only one thing but make it very clear what that thing is - eg phone-back is at incorrect times, long cue/wait on phone etc. Above all be objective and preferably brief (you don't want to be perceived as a rambling whinger).

Having a moan on this forum is useful for garnering opinions but will do nothing to change their system.

Healthcare is something to be taken very seriously, especially trials of new systems you feel are not working to your benefit. One of the measures used to assess how successful the system is will be complaints and or satisfaction surveys. If you don't complain the system will be proven to work!

[Boris Karloff]

Melbourne Grove Medical Practice is rubbish. I was a patient of this practice and voted with my feet. I am aware that out of 4 GPs, 3 have either left or are leaving or are just not there! It is staffed by a bunch of bored nurses and temporary locum doctors. I think someone needs to inform the PCT because they are not aware of this problem. That's what a private company ('Concordia') can do to a previously excellent surgery.

[mells]

It is a total mess they have decided not to have a patient forum as they can't handle the out pouring from their patients. Southwark PCT recommend that these are held every 4-6 months but can't impose this on a private company. So we are stuck with crap surgery and no forum to express our views - great!

[Sue]

This may seem a stupid question, but why don't you all change to a different surgery?

Dulwich Medical Centre in Crystal Palace Road isn't perfect, but it sure as hell sounds better than the one you're all going to!!

[Cassius]

Hi Sue

I would very much like to move to another surgery but I have a wonderful doctor there that I feel 100% happy and relaxed with - and it has taken me 8 years since I last felt like that. If he leaves/retires I will change, but until then I have a reason to stay.

[Boris Karloff]

Couldn't agree more with you, Sue

[ianr]

mells Wrote:

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

> It is a total mess they have decided not to have a

> patient forum as they can't handle the out pouring

> from their patients. Southwark PCT recommend that

> these are held every 4-6 months but can't impose

> this on a private company.

Can you expand on this please? There is apparently still, according to the home page (bottom RH) at http://www.mgmp.co.uk, a Patient Participation Group. Is that the one you mean? Does anyone else know anything about it?

BTW, which of them is the smiling doctor in the banner at the head of the page?

[David Mc]

A model. It's none of the staff at MGMP!

[mells]

Their home page gives the impression that this still exists - do you know anyone who has been to one recently. A friend heard directly from them that they have decided to only allow patients to fill in feed back forms - a total cop out.

The pretty pics of smiling staff are organised by Fradd's nephews who are good at the PR side of things. They slightly misfired with the advertising on their new appointment cards which have a funeral director advertising on them. Really inspires confidence.

A fine old surgery going down the tubes

[Huguenot]

Hi Mells, I didn't quite understand that one, do you think people should fill in forms who haven't had any treatment?