Surgery staff taking about me in earshot

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

Apparently it's a "pain in the backside" as I've turned up 15 minutes early (I've not? It's 5 minutes early) and they invited me to wait in the waiting room yet this is now causing an issue? I'm the only one here.

When I arrived at the surgery the sign on the door says "please wear a mask. If you do not have one, one will be provided for you". I didn't have one. So I was provided one from a big stack on the counter.

She has said to her colleague "and she didn't turn up with a mask, I mean it's obvious isn't it?"

I'm sitting right here! And the sign on the door says I would be provided with one


I wasn't asked on the phone to arrive exactly on time or wear a mask.

[monkeysox]

It's rude of them to comment. Masks and arriving on time are widely known though

[Yesmate]

Why not just tell them you can hear them or better still ask to see the practice manager there and then and make a complaint.

What is your AIBU?

[PlatinumBrunette]

Say very clearly, "I may be a pain in the backside, but I'm not deaf, you know" and give them The Look.

[Minniee]

I'd ask them if they are talking to you, or just about you?

I wouldn't be able to say nothing.

[AryaStarkWolf]

I'd have to say something to them, literally what you said here. Assholes

[steppemum]

as you go in for your appointment, just say to them - I can hear you, and you were out of order and rude. If you don't wnat to supply masks, then don't have a sign on the door which says you will.

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

Ive not been into the doctors since 2019, nor have I been asked by the surgery to do do the for those things.

Had the sign on the door said "please only come in at your appointment time / please wear your own mask" I would have done so.

I'm only leaving the house to walk round the park once every few days so I don't have any masks. I would have bought some had I been told to wear one.

[Toilenstripes]

Have a word with the practice manager or just embarrass them by saying “It’s incredibly rude to speak about patients in such a way. Perhaps you could both do with some training.”

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

Im here for a smear so already a little tense.

I'm going to talk to the desk staff on my way out.

[MissEliza]

How rude! Say something to them on the way out and to the practice manager.

[Goosefoot]

They are asshats.

A lot of people in health care are stressed at the moment too, though, as well as patients.

[michelle1504]

They shouldn't have been speaking about you within earshot however most people do know about wearing masks and entering the practice bang on time at the moment to avoid having to hang around in a waiting room and potentially expose others to potential infection. They are likely worried about catching it and have had to put up with months of people just not bothering to follow rules.

Personally I would just leave it and remember to follow the correct rules/etiquette for next time.

[EnlightenedOwl]

My gp surgery is practically dead. Stressed my backside. Unfit for purpose more like. Complain OP

[BrightYellowDaffodil]

They were rude. Yes, they know the rules but that doesn't mean they are obvious or known by everyone. They should have advised you on the phone when you made the appointment - they can't blame you for not following a rule you didn't know about! You've clearly done everything the surgery has actually asked of you (in terms of using the offered mask) and they were unprofessional to behave as they did. I too would say something.

[TARSCOUT]

To be fair are you sure they're talking about you? They're talking about someone who turned up 15 minutes early, not 5 and if you thought it would be OK to turn up without a mask I'm sure there were countless others?

[RedRed9]

Had the sign on the door said "please only come in at your appointment time / please wear your own mask" I would have done so.

You couldn’t have worn your own mask though because you didn’t bring one with you. What would you have done - leave and waste their time and the appointment?

Them talking about you is rude though.

[Winniewonka]

Was it the reception staff talking about you? If so ask them to get the practice manager and repeat what you've posted here. If they say practice manager is unavailable, tell them you'll be emailing them later and give the reason why.

If it was clinical staff you overheard, still send the email but you might not be able confront them as they could be with other patients.
Don't say anything before your procedure😀!

[caramelbun]

I work in a surgery. You should send acomplaint email to the practice manager so it is fed back (or phone call, whatever their procedure is for complaints). It is not a good standard.

[diddl]

Sounds as if they're not busy enough!

I can see you being early might cause a problem if it led to too many in the waiting room-but then they need to deal with it as & when!

If they expect everyone to have a mask-why have they got some available?

Even if you had one you might have forgotten it!

Here the rules are for public transport & shops-of course that also means Drs, dentists, but that won't occur to everyone.

And of course some people aren't shopping or using public transport atm so might not have bothered to get masks!

[Chloemol]

Yes rude. When I called for an appointment I was asked if I had a mask as I needed to wear one, to ring the bell and advise who I was and if they weren’t ready for me they would say and I wait in the car park and they come and get me

They shouldn’t have expected you to be a mind reader

[NeutrinoWrangler]

As Winniewonka says, I'd wait until after the procedure to speak up-- and even then I might not if I knew I'd be returning and dealing with the same people repeatedly. It shouldn't affect the quality of your treatment if you complain before the procedure, but human nature being what it is...

However, I'd definitely at least leave some anonymous feedback (however I could do it) to let someone in authority there know that it's incredibly rude and unprofessional to talk about a patient in that person's hearing!

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

Hi

Sorry, out of my procedure now- took forever as I was clearly tense. Poor nurse!

I've just walked out of the surgery tbh. Felt anxious on overhearing them, then spent 4 times longer than usual on the surgery bed so didn't feel capable of raising the point in a way which would have been well received. Plus there was a handful of staff on the desk as I left.

I'm feeling quite upset overall so will compose myself before emailing in.

From the responses I've seen above (I've had a quick scan), had they advised me to wear my own mask I'd have gone to the pharmacy next door and bought one. As the sign on the door said I would be provided with one however, I chose that option.

Also, I was the only one waiting in the room and the tenses the desk staff was using made her conversation sound as if she was talking about me. Not someone who had been in previous.

[pickingdaisies]

I've been to my GP surgery recently, they tell you on the phone about masks. They also ask us to call from outside when we get there,and they call us in when they are ready. It's very well run, and they are friendly and helpful. Unlike my previous surgery. Not sure how you are supposed to arrive precisely on time for your appointment, if you want to allow for holdups.

[pickingdaisies]

Sorry that made your procedure unpleasant OP, it's not my idea of fun at the best of times

[letmethinkaboutitfornow]

YABU - mask - I assume you are in the UK, where the have you been in the last three months??? Who would go into a hospital NOW without wearing one??
The likelihood of catching Covid there is a lot higher!

Not surprised they were talking about you. Which planet are you from?
I can see why your inconsiderate actions were annoying

You wear mask and try to spend as little time as possible in a hospital environment when a pandemic is on. 😔😳