FAQ

Q. Who is DMC Healthcare?

DMC Healthcare is a leading provider of primary care services on behalf of the NHS, with GP practices and walk-in centres in London and South East England. DMC provides a range of services to meet the needs of local communities and is leading the migration of secondary care services into a primary care setting.

Q. Where are your clinics?

DMC Healthcare operates the following GP practices:

DMC Crystal Palace Road, 163-169 Crystal Palace Road, East Dulwich, London SE22 9EP Tel: 020 8693 2727

DMC Chadwick Road, 60 Chadwick Road, London SE15 4PU Tel: 020 7639 9622

DMC Silverlock, 3 Warndon Street, Rotherhithe, London SE16 2SB Tel: 020 7237 4091

DMC Healthcare also operates the following NHS GP-led walk in centres:

DMC Medway NHS Healthcare Centre, 547-553 Canterbury Street, Gillingham, Kent ME7 5LF Tel: 01634 575232 (8am to 8pm). Satellite clinic at: Twydall Clinic, Twydall Green, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 6JY (9am to 6pm)

DMC Medway Walderslade GP surgery, Land At Greenacres School, Walderslade Rd Walderslade, Chatham, Kent, ME5 0LP Tel: 01634 661140

DMC Sheppey NHS Healthcare Centre, Sheppey Community Hospital, Plover Road, Minster-On-Sea, Sheerness ME12 3LT Tel: 01795 879199 (8am to 8pm)

DMC Vicarage Lane, 10 Vicarage Lane, Stratford, London E15 4ES Tel: 020 8536 2080 (8am – 8pm)

DMC Healthcare also operates a mobile healthcare centre:

Sheppey Mobile Healthcare Centre, Leysdown (Merlins car park), Sheerness (Tesco), Rushenden (Working Men’s Club), Queenborough (Borough Hall), Warden Bay (Public House) Tel: 01795 879199

Q. Are you part of the NHS?

We are a GP-led organisation that provides services to the NHS. In the same way the NHS sub-contracts GPs to provide services to patients, we have set up our company specifically to provide services to the NHS.

Q. What services do you offer?

The healthcare services available vary across each of our GP practices, walk-in centres and our mobile healthcare centres. To find out exactly what is available at your local centre, visit our website: www.dmchealthcare.co.uk or contact your nearest centre.

Q. How do I register at one of your practices?

We are currently accepting patients across all our practices. There are three ways to register: you can register via a downloaded form which you take to your nearest DMC practice or simply walk in to any of our practices and register yourself.

Q. What do I need to bring with me to register?

You don’t need to bring anything with you, however, if you have downloaded a form from this website, you will need to bring it to surgery so that it can be signed.

Q. What can I expect from my GP?

Your GP will be able to help you with a broad range of physical and mental health problems, including both acute and chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and asthma. Your GP will also provide health education and advice – anything from giving up smoking to eating a healthy diet. Some GPs are able to provide additional services, such as minor surgery, or contraception – please speak to your GP for more information.

Q. What can I expect from my nurse?

Your nurse will be able to help you with long term management of a broad range of chronic diseases. They also offer health promotion and screening, including smear tests, and cardiovascular risk assessment. They will offer advice on all elements of living a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, they run clinics in wound / ulcer care, travel vaccinations, childhood vaccinations, sexual health advice and ear care.

Q. What can I expect from my Health Care Assistant?

Your Health Care Assistant will provide Well-Man and Well-Woman checks. They will be there to advise about healthy lifestyle, and to offer practical help and support including giving up smoking, blood pressure control, diet and exercise.

Q. What can I expect from my admin team?

Your admin team is there to help you with all aspects of your care, from booking appointments, talking through test results, arranging your chronic disease clinic appointments and organising your medical reports. The team will deal with you in a courteous, efficient and professional manner.

Q. How quickly can I get an appointment?

DMC Healthcare operates an appointment-only system. If your condition is not urgent then you will be offered an appointment to see your doctor within two working days or you can choose a convenient time up to two weeks in advance. We have set aside slots each day for emergency appointments only.

Appointments can be booked by:

1. Coming in person to the reception
2. Calling your local practice

Q. What do I do if I need to see a doctor outside of normal surgery hours?

Many of our practices are open from 8am until 8pm, but if you require urgent medical assistance outside of these hours, then please contact the local out of hours provider (link to centres and services page) or NHS Direct on 0845 4647

Q. Do you have interpreters?

We can book interpreters to assist with consultations. Please note that appointments with interpreters must be booked in advance.

Q. How do I get a repeat prescription?

There are two ways to order repeat prescriptions:

1. Visiting your local practice
2. Writing to your local practice

Q. How do I get my test results?

You do not need to visit your practice to receive your results. We will contact you either by letter or telephone to advise you on what to do in the event of any abnormal test results. If you have not heard from us and want to check the status of your result, you can call your local practice after 3pm to find out.

Please note that all results need to be checked by the doctor before they can be given out. The doctor will advise if any further action is needed following the test after they have checked the result.

Most blood tests will take around three days to reach the surgery after you have had the test. Urine results will take around five working days to reach the surgery, while X-rays and scans can take up to two weeks for the results to come back to the surgery.

Q. Are there any costs that I will need to pay for travel vaccinations?

For registered patients, the only costs for travel vaccinations are for those vaccinations that have to be ordered on an individual patient basis. Vaccinations such as Yellow Fever, Meningitis (ACWY), Rabies and Japanese encephalitis do incur a small charge. Patients requiring these vaccinations will be notified about associated costs at the point of booking.

Q. How do I notify my local DMC Healthcare practice of any changes made to my name, address or telephone number?

It is really important to keep your practice updated of any name, address or telephone number by advising the practice receptionist and filling in a form. You can fax post or email your form to us.

Q. How do I raise a concern or make a formal complaint?

We are committed to delivering the very highest quality of care for all of our patients. If you have any feedback as to how we can improve our performance, or if you would like to raise an issue or make a complaint then please visit our website (insert URL) or contact your local practice manager. Please view our complaints policy here (insert URL).