Dulwich medical centre - good feedback

[Fuschia]

Just called them because I hadn't realised a prescription had run out.

Really helpful receptionist who said she would get their on site pharmacist to provide enough to tide me over if not possible to get a repeat today.

[Dopamine1979]

Nice to see a positive post.

[damzel]

Whilst their appointment system leaves me cold, I have always found the receptionists extremely helpful and accommodating. I recently wanted to make a non-urgent appt for a particular day of the week and their diary hadn't been opened up far enough to schedule it. The receptionist made a note of my request and called me the day the diary was extended, so I didn't miss the slot.

[lane lover]

Even in the desert, it rains every now and then ...

[woodland]

I too had a great experience recently with the a doctor there - she was really helpful, patient and understanding. The receptionist was also very freindly and polite too. Let's hope that this is the start of good things.

[Sue]

I think many of the good things have been in place for ages for many people (including me).

I agree the appointments system does need sorting out though. I thought they were going to?

[tfwsoll]

I managed to get a same day appointment last Monday - I had to ring for about 10 minutes but got an afternoon appointment, as requested. I have seen the doctor (Dr Wong?) a few times and he is very thorough and doesn't rush you through the appointment. I do get frustrated by the engaged phone and the fact I generally have to get a same day appointment rather than being able to book a non-urgent one but overall the care I have had from the surgery since it opened has been good. I should add that I have had been to the surgery for a range of illnesses - and a few health scares - over the years so I have been a fairly regular customer.

[Jeremy]

Yeah, I have no problem with the doctors or any of the staff. It's just that the 3+ week waiting list for appointments is completely appalling and unacceptable.

[KylaKevin]

But youo didn't give the contact number.

[Belle]

I find their relationship with Lloyds on express prescriptions quite flawed. Almost every time I go to pick up a prescription it is late or has gone missing, with both sides blaming each other (i.e. DMC saying it was filled and picked up by Lloyds, and Lloyds claiming it hadn't been done by DMC). I'm quite sick of it. I've also never been told about the onsite pharmacy which is a bit annoying as on several occasions (due to their cock up) I've had children and myself run out of important medication. Infuriating. Agree there are a couple of nice receptionists and individual doctors but the overall system isn't working, for us anyway.

[midivydale]

Yes Belle I too have had no end of problems with the dmc-lloyds process. To the point where it has had me reduced to tears. The final drop was when the pharmacist accused me of telling fibs..I have now cancelled it (and made a formal complaint)and have set up the same service with sainsburys pharmacy and so far I cant fault them. Not one hiccup so far. Worth a try?

[Sue]

I have an automatic repeat prescription with DMC-Lloyds and have had no problems at all with it.

Just picked it up at Lloyds yesterday in fact, and it was there on the day specified two months ago.

Must admit I did once have an issue (with different medication) when DMC were blaming Lloyds and vice versa, but that was a long time ago and was a one-off.

[Fuschia]

I have cancelled our link to Lloyds snd instead collect repeat prescriptions from DMc myself and go to a chemist

[Convex]

I also never get my prescriptions sent to lloyds any more, I had 3 issues, found DMC to be helpful and lloyds pretty awful.

The time that made me give up on them was them not having my (very common) medication in stock - apparently they had stopped stocking it. I always pick up my repeats and go to either of the ones on lordship lane now.

Re DMC, I also find it shocking that its so hard to get an appt unless you wait 3 weeks but having said that when I have needed a doctor quickly for my son they have been really good at squeezing us in.

[1983groke]

It's a shiny APMS (private provider) building, but other than one excellent doctor, my experiences there (and my girlfriend's) were always pretty terrible. Doctors that are embarrased by human bodies, shocking failure to understand very simple issues (demonstrated when I got to the physio and heard what had been written on the referral) and an appaling appointments system. I work for the British Medical Association so I understand how these things work - this practice will get paid (in broad terms) based on the number of patients on their list - hence why they clearly have way too many registered patients and it is so difficult to get an appointment.

[JDR]

1983groke

I am a physio and tbh irrelevant of the Drs level of knowledge ie GP / reg/cons what they write on physio referrals is terrible! Lazy? Or just lack of respect for the knowledge of other healthcare professionals? Not sure...

However you are correct about GP contracts... Though I believe another problem with the contracts are that they can't close their lists for short periods. Meant to stop them declining patients that they didn't want but they had minimal time periods they could close for. This has had the unintented effect that thy don't close them at all and end up oversubscribed. They daren't close them in case their numbers go down too far. They are at fault because they may be following the contract but not the moral and ethical duty they have.

My experiences are varied. In the past excellent, cause for complaint due to not investigating a condition the doctor himself suggested that I had and more recently poor / non existent appts. I'm very capable of getting what I need, but being an articulate middle class forceful individual should NOT be the way to get basic healthcare.

[Fuschia]

I have had several complaints about DMC which is why I posted about the good service from the receptionist

The staff there do their best, I know, though they are all very much 'employees' of a big machine

[LadyDeliah]

DMC repeat prescriptions with Boots in Peckham work very smoothly.

[JDR]

Fushia you are right, my issue is the organisation of them rather than individual staff members who have always been very professional. In that respect I haven no complaints.

[Belle]

I think I may try another chemist then, though longer term will probably switch GPs anyway. I've had prescriptions which weren't on the express system with Lloyds but which still haven't been done (i.e. it was DMC's fault) - despite having allowed more than the minimum 48 hours etc, and that's just inexcusable. Once, ok - but 3 or 4 times in as many months is ridiculous. In fairness, my husband sent a complaint in and got a very swift and detailed response from the practise manager. Like you midivydale I've been on the brink of tears at times, it's extremely stressful not being able to get medication you know your child needs, especially when you have jumped through all the appropriate hoops.

[standswithfist]

have tried to call all morning... on the phone now and i'm 6th in the queue!

[KylaKevin]

It is good to hear all about that.