To be livid at the reception lady at my GPs

[Fishwife1949]

Right firstly i am a foster carer and the expectation is that any foster child will get a same day appointment (no questions asked)

My Gps have this very muddled way of giving appointments i was told you had to ring at 8;30 to get same day appointments when i rung was then told i could have a appointment next week (confused)

i informed the lady at reception the appointment was for foster child not for me or my child she refused to give me a slot, i then asked for her name

because when i am asked by sw why said foster child had not seen doctor i was able to give the name of lady at reception any why she begrudgingly gave me a slot then

saw GP WHO THEN asked me why i was rude the to lady at the front desk

i explained to the doctor that i was a foster carer and that he and i have a statutory duty to the child informed him that fc were entitled to same day appointment

and that i am constantly having issues registering the foster children and getting appointments, also its very frustrating them wanting to know what wrong with the child as they are not medical staff they are not is a position to judge weather a doctor needs to be seen or not

also explained to the doctor that i am not even allowed to give calpol with out it being prescribed

because the child is not my own i have to be very careful and be safe than sorry turns out baby had a infection after all but if i didn't take her and insist baby was seen i would have heel to pay from baby's social workers

the Gp was actually very good about my situation said he would get the ladies on the front desk to understand that i do not have PR AND CANNOT MAKE EXCUTIVE DESISTIONS ABOUT A CHILD and that i have to answer to parents, social workers and ultimately the courts

sorry its so long but i sick of people thinking i just do a bit of light baby sitting and that she TOLD ON ME

[megandraper]

Sympathies, Fishwife. It's a very good thing that you are doing.

[RobotLover68]

YANBU

[PunkInDublic]

Sounds like you do an amazing job, YANBU. We've looked into fostering and decided we've not got what it takes, maybe in the future, but right now we do not have the qualities, I take my hat off to you. It's not an easy job.

[secondseverncrossing]

Sorry, it's not clear from the OP - did she know that the appt was for a foster child when you tried to make it?

[secondseverncrossing]

to clarify - OP says "I informed her appt was for foster child" I don't know if you said "the appt is for my foster child X" or just "the appt is for X, date of birth xxxxx"

[OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos]

YANBU.

I didn't know any of this and I have contact with a LA child. There is clearly a big lack of information being given to people that have an indirect responsibility to foster children. I would give the receptionist the benefit of the doubt here. I think GP receptionists are often jobsworths, this one sounds no different.

[Fishwife1949]

YES she did we also have issues when trying to register the foster children


i actually dread phoning now the GPs is supposed to be part of the team around the child i feel alone baby is poorly screaming for hours and all i get is abuse from the lady on the phone desk and touted on to the GP (but he was very understanding)

AND WHEN SHE SAID I WAS JUST DOING A BIT OF LIGHT BABYSITING i was just [shocked]

the other thing is they always want to know whats going on with the children

[figwit]

YABVVU to have been rude to the receptionist

Receptionists are usually asked by the Gp's to obtain basic medical information from any-one asking for an appt. You can always decline to answer but they have to ask.

In my area, Fostered children don't automatically get a same day appt- it depends on why they need to see the GP- there is an expectation that as they are looked after then they will be prioritised to some extent.

Foster carers in our area can give calpol if they feel it is indicated in their professional opinion. It would be ridiculous to have a FC unable to give calpol post imms and unable to do so woithout the say so of a gp (if that is what you are saying)

[Fishwife1949]

yes i always make it clear who the appointment is for it would be be unreasonable for me to expect a same day appointment for my own child unless he was at deaths door

[secondseverncrossing]

Wow, yanbu then.

Sorry, it wasn't clear to me from the OP that she said you were doing light babysitting? I thought she just refused you an appt because she didn't know the rules (while I know that's not acceptable either I just wondered if it could have been resolved by asking to speak to her supervisor or something).

[Fishwife1949]

so just to be clear in my LA WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO give any medication yes (even calpol)

and you will know as a fellow foster carer that every la have there own rules

we have also been told not to give any information to the front desk people as in our la we had a instance were info was leaked to the parents they then found out the lady at reception knew the child and the birth parents

[NimChimpsky]

Absolutely nothing wrong with a receptionist asking what the appointment is for. They do it in order to make sure the patient is seeing the right person in the surgery, to establish need, to prioritise effectively etc. That bit yabu about.

It's not unreasonable for you to expect somebody to follow policy regarding patients but I will gently suggest that I don't condone being rude to GPs receptionists as a general rule. Perhaps you need to raise the whole issue with the practice manager if you're having so many problems with the place.

[kate2boysandabump]

YANBU Receptionist's are generally rude to people. I was completely patronised this morning when I made an enquiry.

figwit The OP wasn't rude to the receptionist and she is quite correct when she says she is not allowed to give even calpol without a prescription. The restrictions are very strict.

[Fishwife1949]

we have been told not give details out just to ask to see the GP I have told her this many times before as well as having to keep explaining these are not OUR CHILDREN SO THERE IS A PROTCAL that needs to be followed

[RichTeas]

It sounds from your post that you were being somewhat overbearing on the receptionist. Not everyone is aware that special circumstances apply to foster children, and perhaps if you explained this gently and politely the receptionist would have been more receptive. So yes in this instance YABU.

[ilovesprouts]

yanbu sound like my dds receptionist who told her to take painkillers only to find out she had blood clots on her lungs could of killed her if left anylonger :(

[Fishwife1949]

people think being a foster carer is like looking after your own child its not if this were my own child i would of just put them to bed with calpol and a teddy

bu i have to answer to every action i take and every action i dont take

[minibmw2010]

I don't think there's really any need for you to keep shouting, you've made your point!

[Fishwife1949]

sorry was just so gurrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Fishwife1949]

sorry was just so gurrrrrrrrrrrrr

[iknowwho]

I think it is ok to be annoyed and want a solution to it.
You have spoken to the Doctor about it.

To be livid is over the top and won't do your blood pressure any good.

[Sirzy]

I can see why you are frustrated but you must be able to see the issues it causes for the receptionist trying to find appointments which don't exist?

From what you have said it sounds like there was rudeness both ways. Perhaps when your not wanting an appointment go in and speak to the receptionist and explain the situation of needing an appointment rather than waiting until you need one so get frustrated by the system.

[Salamanger]

Yanbu, but sounds like she wasn't aware. The GP has said he'll make sure they are in future.

Asking for the receptionist's name isn't rude in itself, it would depend on your tone.

I always dread having to ask for urgent appointments and being made to feel bad about it.

[EnglishGirlApproximately]

I think the fault lies with the GP practice who don't seem to have trained the receptionist on the protocol of foster children. The receptionist would probably been in trouble if she hadn't followed all of the rules laid down by the practice manager. I would contact the practice manager and ask them to ensure that their procedures are up to date.

[ScrambledSmegs]

I think it's pretty off of the receptionist to have equated foster care with 'light babysitting'. It also sounds like all the staff at the surgery need further training and greater understanding of the role and responsibilities of foster carers and their own responsibilities as well.

I get why you're annoyed. But the GP sounds good, and the baby has been treated. Can you just get a cup of tea and focus on something else for a while. Being angry about this person will ruin your entire day, otherwise.