I’m a GP receptionist and prepared to be honest about my job.

I think the biggest problem is that a lot of doctors are now franchises. They work on a we don’t have to see you now and cutting medications to save money.

I've never held the opinion you describe in your OP -the receptionists at my gp surgery are all very polite and nice.

The receptionist at my dentist is even nicer so much that I actually enjoy talking to her as she has such a sunny nature!

There are rude people in all walks of life, doesn't matter what the profession.
I think it is just magnified slightly when it's a GP receptionist as it is to do with peoples health/very personal information and so is very emotive for some people who may feel the receptionists are acting as a "gatekeeper" so get more hacked off than they would with something less personal.

Our GP receptionists are great - one is my allotment neighbour too which is very handy!

@TwistedSisterUK Is there a training course for receptionists? and is there training for triage?

@Leftbutcameback
My daughter has been a medical receptionist for 4 years. She is paid minimum wage.

Calling you Mrs Smith whilst e.g. doing a smear could seem rather formal but if that's what you prefer it would be respected

That’s a bloody weird attitude! Surely the more intimate the procedure, the greater the need for formality.

I don't think you're dragons OP. I volunteer my symptoms to the receptionist because she doesn't care about me - she probably does like any human being but not in that way - in the hope that she'd be able to get me a quicker appointment with the right person.

A couple of things. I called at 8am on a Monday after suffering an excruciating earache the whole weekend. The receptionist said she could fit me in on Wednesday and I took the appointment. Less than an hour later a GP called to tell me to come in at 2pm. I didn't know but a prolonged earache could be the sign of something very serious like an infection in the brain. The GP told me the receptionist gave me her first available appointment and flagged me as a possible emergency. It was an infection and the GP killed the pain immediately with anaesthetic drops and gave me a prescription for antibiotics that cleared it up.

A funnier thing. Last summer during lockdown I was waiting in the surgery for a routine appointment. We were all masked and socially-distanced. Suddenly there was one of those summer cloudbursts and a poor little dog tied up outside was soaked and howling.

The receptionist asked whose dog he was and a woman said she'd left him tied up outside because dogs weren't allowed. The receptionist told her to bring him in and he sat quietly under the woman's chair.

Another receptionist objected because of rules and the first one announced: "I know. Let's have a vote. Hands up anyone who wants to leave the poor little dog tied up outside in the pouring rain." Not a single hand went up and she said: "Vote passed. The dog stays."

Maybe it wasn't orthodox but it was a bloody brilliant bit of initiative and really cheered me up.

I don't have any difficulty getting appointments at the vet for my animals and the staff are unfailingly polite and caring and always make a fuss of four legged friends. Much nicer than at the Drs when the DC were small.

Ah, but on the way out I settle the bill.

The staff in my Doctors surgery are fantastic.When the phone is answered it is a real person at the other end and i think this goes a long way to how polite the patient is, none of this press 1 stand on your left leg and howl to the moon. I have in the past had to turn down appointments they have offered me as the appointment is in 5 minutes time and i can't get there that quick, repeat prescriptions are sent to the Chemist the same day. Nothing is too much trouble for any of the staff. As for the woman that was so full of her own self importance in my last surgery the least said the better.

I don't tend to make assumptions about people who do a particular job and put them into one category.
Thinking of people in general (not GP receptionists in particular), some are lovely, kind, caring and have the ability to try to understand and empathise with others.
Then there are those who are rude, patronising, intimidating and make us feel even more rubbish than we did to begin with.
I've experienced both.

No matter what role we have, there will be good and bad in everyone.

I am sure there are many many receptionists who do a great job but my Dad nearly died recently because even though we insisted on a face to face appointment the receptionist said No. I could understand if she was just following instructions but when we asked her to go and check with another GP ( after describing my dad’s symptoms ) she said they were very busy and it was a phone appointment or nothing. I took him straight to walk in centre who blue lighted him to A&E.

www.lloydsdirect.co.uk/by-lloyds-pharmacy?utm_source=g&utm_campaign=12548592688&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=116699501742&utm_term=550991289247++kwd-1026544361999&matchtype=e&placement=&gclid=CjwKCAjwoduRBhA4EiwACL5RPyDpkeZ5cJ3TcfvPgmKDfPZwRMN3lqWK7UdsNv9yGddJ2wNfeNrGNhoCTqYQAvD_BwE

To be fair our GP practice has been a zillion times better since Covid. Whizz your issue onto the portal and the Dr either calls you back with a solution, you get a text to say orescriprion is at the pharmacy or you are called in at a time you negotiate directly with the Dr. Why it couldn't be done that way pre covid I shall never know.

I had a basal skin cell carcinoma on my back last year, Dr texted and asked if I could send a photo which with the help of some stretching and a mirror I could. Dr rang back and referred me on a two week referral and had an appointment in five days. Pre covid that would have involved three thirty minute calls and a three week wait for an apt.

The receptionists at our surgery are fantastic. On several occasions when ds3 was little I’ve needed to make a fairly urgent GP appointment and they’ve said ok, how soon can you get here

Do you know what the logic is behind only giving appointments for the day you call?

A couple of years ago, long before Covid, I was trying to get an appointment. It wasn't urgent as such but just something I felt was wrong and needed to be checked. I phoned at 8.00 for 6 days running only for all appointments to be gone by the time I got through. Why couldn't I be given an appointment for a few days time? Surely it would save so many repeated phone calls just for one appointment.

I never did get an appointment and eventually the issue went away but that might not have been the case.

Also, do receptionists not get told about discretion? I was once in a packed waiting room only for the receptionist to call out "Dora - the nurse can do your smear now". I'm afraid I just walked out.

To get the service many want , appointments available at convenient times , more appointments then we need more GPS

I would say that doctors’ receptionists are much like teachers. Most do a decent job or better but those that do a terrible job have a massive impact on individuals’ lives.

There is one receptionist at a branch practice whom I consider to be an absolute horror. She is a walking stereotype - a middle aged busy body who gossips, is sneery and talks unpleasantly about people in front of us in the waiting room. She had also lost my records before and been unhelpful and unpleasant.

Almost every other receptionist has been pleasant and as helpful as they can be given the parameters they work with.

Really, the issue for me, is that appointments seem nigh on impossible to get, doctors are doing call back and then calling you for an appointment if they consider it important enough and this all eats in to proper appointments time.

We live in a 24hour society - shift workers, people working two jobs etc so it is not easy to get appointments. Why are surgeries not offering early and late appointments? Mine used to but you know, since Covid, it’s been wait for 30 minutes on the phone at 8.00am to be told there’s no appointments. And no pre-booking either.

The system doesn’t work and it is the receptionist who bears the brunt of people’s frustration when all they want is to see a doctor.

No issue with the receptionists at my practice - they are lovely but they’re doing an impossible job because of their bosses.

Pre-covid, you could book non urgent appointments with the GP online, having a choice of evening or even Saturdays as long as you were happy to book a few weeks in advance. You could also use e-consult to get a response by the end of the next day. If urgent, you could phone the surgery in the morning and you’d be seen by the duty GP, advanced practitioner nurse person or for a while we even had a paramedic attached to the surgery. It was grand.

Now, you cannot phone for an appointment. You have to fill in an e-consult. If an elderly person or someone with no computer phones up, the receptionist just completes the e-consult with them and submits it. You’re supposed to get a response by 6pm the following day but usually it now takes 2 days. It’s usually a text telling you they’ve booked you a phone appointment for 10 days time and that appointment could be anytime up to 6pm on that day. Which is no good if you’re a teacher, nurse or any job where you can’t simply answer the phone. Even if you specifically say in your econsult that you need to see someone face to face, you are still sent a phone appointment.

My questions are…

Who is doing the triaging? I don’t think it’s a doctor so it must be the receptionists. Aren’t you terrified you will miss something important?

What are the GPs actually doing? Are they at home or are they in the surgeries? Do you feel the same frustration with them as the rest of us do?

Do GP surgeries realise that they are playing a huge part in Emergency departments struggling to cope, because people can’t see their GPs, so problems get worse or they think going to hospital is the only option to actually see someone?

Do you think things will ever improve or are we stuck with this situation now?

Great thread OP - thanks for this one.

I am pretty happy with the receptionists and overall medical care at my surgery. sometimes prescriptions go awry but in general it's okay

However I have one question:

How long does/should it take for letters to get scanned on to the system? I can view my notes and do not yet see a hospital letter with results of a suspected basal cell carcinoma surgery. It was a positive result so I would like to see this recorded on my patient notes. I had the surgery over 4 months ago. I even took a photocopy of the letter up to the surgery and explained this to the receptionist who assured me it would be scanned on.

'The auto transcription software I have come across is absolutely crap. Spent more time going over and correcting the errors. Quicker to type from scratch.'

Absolutely agree. They've had transcription software for god know how long - certainly 30 years - and it's still terrible.

I think @RosesAndHellebores makes a valid point, actually: I suspect they don't address their male patients as 'Keith' or 'Barry' on the phone, although I may be wrong. And I wonder if the receptionist would really be fine with being addressed as 'Barbara', and the GP with being called 'Jack'.

Interesting AMA thread OP in AIBU

Been listening as it is hard to get through to GP surgery
That's why I love econsult! And other professionals usually email the GP surgery as we have same issue. Usually find GP surgery / office staff/ receptionists helpful if able to get through on phone.

I work in a related field but not GP, and our team assistants take all the calls for active cases when professional is not available on duty or as under their care. (Emergencies go through to a front line team so these aren't those. )

People are so abusive to our team admin - when they are just trying to ascertain how urgent it is (as the caller isn't willing to wait) and they are trying to get a clear concise message sent through to the right person. They don't need to know ins and outs but "they'll know what it's about" isn't helpful when worker is in holiday " They are covered by same GDPR and confidentiality we are and who do they think sometimes type our letters or take minutes.

They get berated when "someone hasn't rung them back" within a few hours (as if each worker is sat doing nothing all day!)

It's not the TAs fault that the lines are like a wall of telephone calls lined up.

Not their fault that duty worker may be on multiple calls in midst of huge crises for 5 other people trying to juggle setting up urgent arrangements and can't be interrupted to take 15 other calls about situations far less urgent.

People don't understand that urgent is a perception and relative to other crises for other people as you triage.

(I'm an HPC , our appointments are mainly booked by telephone reception or some by HCP themselves . HCP will write it down. Appointments from booking office the patient writes it , they can have a letter sent but it takes time to get there . Text but not everyone has a mobile )

So

Latecomers - how do you deal with them, do they wait to the end or are they fitted in?
Persistant latecomers . Like every appointment ( some of ours are weekly )
The ones who either don't arrive /arrive late with "Well she said 14.30" when it was 10.30 . I dont know what was said , it was between them and the office .
If the Clinic is running late , how do you deal with the invariable complainers ?

TIA

It’s a tough job, that’s for sure. It doesn’t pay well, either. Thank you for what you do. I have to say all of the receptionists at my GP are always polite & efficient, never had a problem.

@RosesAndHellebores

They shouldn't be paid NMW. They need good communication skills, organisation skills and good IT skills. It's the GPS who don't want to pay more and get left with either committed shining lights like the op or the dregs that nobody else will employ.

Now this is something I agree with you. I get paid a few pence short of £10 an hour and compared to my colleagues I have the skills you mention.

I can spell tonsillitis, tetanus, whooping cough and gall stones whereas my colleagues can't and they don't feel a bit embarrassed. I'd be mortified if I couldn't use the English language correctly for any job I do.

There is a Receptionist who patients can't warm to and frankly it's embarrassing when patients mention to me how rude and obstructive she can be.

The majority of the receptionists at our village surgery are rude and dismissive, I get that they've a job to do but so have most people, they have a very bad reputation here and have had for years, they've been reported many times and nothing has altered so much so that people have moved to another practice in a different village, I moved months ago and am much happier, the reception staff at my new surgery are lovely and helpful, much much better than the others at the previous surgery who adopt the computer says no attitude.

She's never going to be able to answer them all when she returns, unless she's taken a week's annual leave...