Dulwich Medical Centre

[jimbo1964]

A couple of years ago I had a leg injury that required some regular specialist dressings by a nurse. A&E at Kings said just ring your GP and fix up a few nurse appointments. I called the DMC and they had no appointments for two weeks. So I had to go to the Lister who didn't have the correct dressings so she had to bodge it. Then I went to the Bart's walk in clinic who gave me a supply of the correct dressings to take with me. After that I just taught myself to do it.

[Azalea]

Doesn't Guys also have a walk in clinic?

[JDR]

Also done, I had told the practice manager a while ago I would complain. Some of the DR's are great. Dr Prabakaran deserves articulate mention but virtually impossible to see. Very saad, Dr Gupta Senior I would imagine didn't realise what his sons would do to his practice and patient care when they took over from him. I remember when they were all in the practice. At least then you could complain to the organ grinder. Now they hide behind practice managers and large houses. Every reason why private companies shouldn't be involved in provision of health care.

[James Barber]

NHS England have just written to me to confirm they are investigating my complaint and will be visitnig the practice and asking for them to explain.

I will ask to be present if at all possible.

[jimbo1964]

Good news.

[Cora]

Fantastic news, thanks James

....but do keep logging complaints with the number listed above..

[PeckhamNicola]

And after you've complained for heaven's sake register somewhere else. If enough people jump ship that should get the message across loud and clear.

[James Barber]

I suspect having the odd dozen people leaving the practice wont even register with them. They'd need many hundreds to feel any impact and frankly the lcoal choice of quality meidcal practices is very limited.

But the complaints authority is likel to notice one practice getting many more complaints that others.

For private businesses - and all GP Practices have always been private businesses - they sure give mediocre customer service at best. The rapidly expanding London population is made what was a bad situation much worse.

[JDR]

James Barber if you do, please report positives as well. The nurse Marjorie Simpson and Dr Prabakaran deserve positive mention. Both professional and go above and beyond the required level. Especially Dr Prabakaran. I have had so many health issues ( one problem) and absolutely brilliant. Thorough, patient, understanding and phones when she says she will, even if that means she'd phones at 9.45 pm as has happened previously. Dedicated is an understatement. Shame the owners don't share her work ethic!

[hpsaucey]

JDR Wrote:

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

> James Barber if you do, please report positives as

> well. The nurse Marjorie Simpson and Dr Prabakaran

> deserve positive mention. Both professional and go

> above and beyond the required level. Especially Dr

> Prabakaran. I have had so many health issues ( one

> problem) and absolutely brilliant. Thorough,

> patient, understanding and phones when she says

> she will, even if that means she'd phones at 9.45

> pm as has happened previously. Dedicated is an

> understatement. Shame the owners don't share her

> work ethic!

I'll second this: Dr Prabhakaran is an absolute star. If it wasn't for her I would have moved practice a long time ago. top at her job, kind, listens, professional, and, for me too she went out of her way to help! She is, of course, hard to get to see beign so popular!

HP

[DMC Healthcare]

We would like to apologise to any patients who experienced a delay in getting access to their GP last week at the Crystal Palace Road practice. This was due to unseasonal high demand and doctor absence due to unexpected sickness.

Please be assured that measures are now in place to support this demand. We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused to you.

We now have two prescribing Pharmacists and one junior making a total of three pharmacists who are onsite daily and can see patients for the following: Hypertension, Diabetes , COPD and Spirometry, Asthma, smoking cessation, Influenza vaccines, NHS health checks, contraception and minor aliments advice. They also deal with daily queries with medication from patients and local pharmacies.

The service provided by pharmacists is new to DMC and it is available to all patients. We have received very positive feedback and you do not have to see a GP where your condition may be of a minor issue and could be handled by a pharmacist.

Please help us to help you in such circumstances.

For all those patients on long term medication or requiring repeat prescriptions please sign up to the Electronic Prescribing Service (EPS) If you require a nomination form please email the practice on [email protected] and the forms are also available via reception This will save the practice and patients a lot of time once you have nominated your prescriptions to go to a pharmacy.

I?m sorry to report that approximately 10% of appointments each week are where patients DO NOT ATTEND. Last month this was 219 appointments wasted.

We now have a new check-in screen in the waiting room to register your arrival and enter personal clinical data about yourself. There is, as I?m sure you are aware a problem with appointments, both routine and urgent, in the NHS.

In South Southwark there is a new federated approach to practices? appointments and access to GP services. Please be prepared to discuss your condition, briefly over the phone if you feel the need to be seen on the day of your call. A doctor will call you back and assess your needs accordingly.

For many types of check-ups, screening and health advice one of the practice nurses can also help you. Please click on the Other Clinicians tab on the website to see what they cover. If you are calling for test results please call after 3.00 pm.

When demand on the phone lines is very high, usually early mornings, please note that you can pre-book appointments on the patient access at [patient.emisaccess.co.uk] Once you have registered and have your log in, you will need to provide the practice with your ID to complete the process.

You can also email to us directly at [email protected] for appointments or any query regarding DMC Crystal Palace Road.

There is additional GP cover from week commencing 16 February and we are in the process of recruiting an additional GP and a Community Psychiatric Nurse.

We do encourage all patients to give us as much feedback as possible to improve patient contact with DMC Crystal Palace Road with current services. We can assure you that every effort will be made to ensure that any contact you have with our services in the future will prove to be satisfactory

[Sue]

That's all very helpful, thanks DMC

[James Barber]

Many thanks for this information provide so far.

Good to see you're recruiting to provide more capacity to see people.

One thought - if someone wanted to call in and cancel an appointment it could take a VERY long time to get through to someone. So some of those no show appoijntments could perhaps have been released for re use IF the DMC was easier to communicate with.

So what else are you planning to make the start of the day reliable and the phones answered within a few moments/minutes?

[DMC Healthcare]

Thank you for your comment. The measures we are taking will start to take pressure off the morning rush. To cancel appointments at DMC Crystal Palace Road the best way is for patients to call the main number 0208 693 2727 and then press number 1. Anyone registered to receive the SMS reminders on their phone can also cancel their appointment by SMS reply.

[Cora]

Sorry DMC but the point is that last week was NOT a glitch week. That is the problem.

But I am glad to hear that 'measures are now in place to support demand' and that next time a patient needs to call the practice they will get through within 5mins, be able to book an appointment with a GP within 48hrs and a nurse within the week, the need to queue will no longer be necessary...and when I go on-line there will be appointments there for me to book.....

Sadly I think I will be disappointed....you don't mention employing any more staff to answer the phones and is one GP really going to be able to deal with all the excess...

I would have thought that taking patient feedback seriously would mean closing your patient lists and increasing your service and medical staff. Having pharmacists is great and they can take some pressure off but you still need more Drs to deal with the daily demand. It would mean cutting down on the profit but would make the business fit for purpose.

Along with other users posting here, this is not about the quality of care but ACCESSING continuity and quality of care which is down to ensuring the management of the company invest enough into the business to support the existing staff and their users.

[Earl Aelfheah]

First step - stop taking on more patients until you have increased capacity / addressed service issues.

[tash b]

Well nothing has improved I just had a call from one of the receptionist to say my Thursday appointment with the nurse has to be cancelled and when I asked ok well when is the next one I get told there isn't, confusing there is no appointments, now waiting for a call tomorrow to try and get one.

Rahrahrah could not be more right stop taking new patients would be a step.

[James Barber]

Do keep complaining by emailing [email protected]

If enough people complain something will be done about it.

So far an investigation has been launched and suddenly the DMC are on the forum and employing extra doctors and pharmacists. So we must all keep the pressure up to get things permanently fixed.

[Azalea]

Stable door and horses bolting.....damage limitation attempt from DMC.

[Townleygreen]

let's face it DMC offers an appalling "service"...

[Robert Poste's Child]

I was astonished to see them say that there was a problem getting appointments 'last week'. I left three years ago after more than five years with them and it was always a major issue.

Nor can I see how 'additional GP cover' this week and recruiting one more GP longer term could possibly resolve the current issues. My experience was that the place ran largely on locums anyway. It looks from their message as though they expect the pharmacists to provide cover, just as recently they've been relying on other practices to pick up the slack, but that's just not good enough when people want to see a GP. While it's a step forward that after years of complaints they are engaging with patients, I still get the impression that their decisions are driven by profit rather than care.

[ednewmy]

"a delay in getting access to their GP last week"

Last week? Pull the other one! I've been registered with DMC Crystal Palace Road since 2011 and it's always been virtually impossible to get an appointment within a sensible time frame. At best you're offered one in about a month's time, at worse you're told there are none to give out and to call back at another time.

There have been a couple of occasions during this time where I've been particularly unwell - unwell enough to be in need of a GP appointment that day to ensure that nothing too sinister is going on. The kind of appointment that would detect something serious in time before it developed, worsened, and resulted in a trip to hospital, at more expense to the NHS.

It feels almost absurd to say that I was relieved that one of these occasions was at the weekend, as it meant I could be seen by SELDOC who provide a service that is out of this world amazing compared to the appalling state of affairs at DMC. The other occassion DMC had nothing for weeks, by which time it would be way too late. So I'm afraid to say I just waited til the evening and contacted SELDOC who saw me within a few hours and investigated everything the way I would have expected my GP to about 10 hours earlier. I felt like a burden on SELDOC, but frankly I was at a loss as to what else to do, and wasn't going to go to A&E.

Frankly with the way DMC operates, it's enough to make you feel that the GP Service is no longer part of the service offered through the NHS. It's so difficult to get an appointment within a sensible time frame (or even within a ludicrous time frame) that it feels like the NHS is only there in times of dire dire need, which may start to happen more often if patients can't see a GP who can detect things early that may one day present themselves as a major problem.

(Think I will copy and paste this rant to the NHS. Sorry it's so long and well done to anyone who managed to read it all - I tend to go on a bit!)

[ali2007]

DMC is a disaster. I wanted to speak with a nurse so called the surgery - they gave me a phone call appointment 2 weeks later. I got several text messages confirming the appointment - then no phone call came. I called the surgery to find out why & they said that that nurse was off for a month and someone should have called to cancel all the appointments. They offered me another phone call appointment... but a further 2 weeks later. Really a WHOLE MONTH TO GET AN APPOINTMENT TO SPEAK TO A NURSE! It was the final straw and I have now just left the surgery - appalling service. Mailing the NHS now...

[Didine]

No appointment today...

[Robert Poste's Child]

If this was a school it would have been labelled 'failing' and put in special measures years ago. Why doesn't this happen when there are lives at stake? You would have thought that even this government could find good reasons to make it work as if people can see a GP quickly they spend less time off work and more paying lovely tax.