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

It makes me wonder whether there is a whole slice of the population who struggle to get seen because their communication skills aren't top notch

Sorry but that is just not true. You are just lucky with your GP surgery. If you had read some of the stories above, you would realise that.

I have no beef with the way I'm dealt with by receptionists. But I think that's because I'm a (politely) assertive person who communicates quite precisely. When my daughter left uni and started with and needed a GP other than her uni medical centre she quickly found that it wasn't so easy for her. She's getting better with some training from me!
But it makes me wonder whether there is a whole slice of the population who struggle to get seen because their communication skills aren't top notch. And if so, are receptionists trained to help? I hope so..

@Lemonyfuckit I googled it since I read the replies and it turns out its a whole ongoing issue - hospitals regularly trying to dump aftercare on GPs. GPs have been protesting about it since before the pandemic. It is the hospital's fault, but GPs could communicate a bit better.

You’ve been Lad Bibled OP

Still they want to know what is it that I want to convey that can’t be conveyed by the reception. When I read out the result, then they immediately say, “wait, wait, I will call the doctor” …… FFS

That is fucking ridiculous and wrong. This system is unbelievable.

£50 deposit per appointment of which £45 is refundable if you keep up. Let’s face it there is no such thing as a free meal.

I missed a phone appointment a couple of weeks ago. First time in 60 years.

The call was scheduled for 9 am - 12 noon. The call never came. I received a text message at 4pm saying I had missed the appointment. Nope, I had no missed calls, and certainly none from the GP. I have no number blocks on. Waited in all day, phone on high volume.

I'm now down as a DNA which seems very unfair.

By 4pm I had my head down a toilet being sick anyway so I'm not sure I'd have had much of a conversation. I'm seeing a nurse tomorrow to have some sutures removed so I'll see if I can find out what's going on. The practice often has a 'phone system on the blink' type message on its website though.

It all seems so antiquated. I'll pay for a service but it has to work properly and not stress out patients who are already unwell.

Bold StrictlyAFemaleFemale
Heres a question: if you could change 1 thing about the nhs what would it be and why…..

For me it’s simple, more use of the myGP app and add as much to it as possible. Get anything we put on there looked at by a Dr and THEY and ONLY THEY can decide who is seen and who isn’t.
Receptionists are not needed and certainly do not need to know a patients business.

Ok, there has been a point made several times on this thread that some customers are just rude.
I have had cases where I’ve stood at the reception only to be ignored until the girl has finished hacking with her colleague about matters which I would like to think that involved the practice, But as I doubt that Robbie Williams was on the drs list or the ever so important pictures of Danni in her dance troupe costume needed to be discussed while the sick waited. I found that quite rude. May explain why people are holding a phone for an hour or so when they needed to make an Enquiry.
Or how a receptionist knows how to cure customers by sending them to the chemist, that must surely mean that no expensive doctor needs to even be there. Strange how the receptionist doesn’t display their certificates on the wall. I could go on about several more things, but I won’t. I’ll just wait for the day that a drs surgery can be fully automated and we can be rid of these utter waste of spaces once and for all.
Please don’t bother with any abuse or replies, after I have had my say there is nothing else to be discussed.

Why thank you @RisingMoon, I do like things to have a poetic ring to them

[quote limitedperiodonly]**@RisingMoon* I see. @browneyes77* too then. It just seems out of proportion to me. They weren't doing anything wrong. Only quoting something they found interesting just like you were. Or do you think Mumsnet is a private club or like a priest's confessional?[/quote]
Cunt and FUCKERS isn’t out of proportion for the traditional “slag off the DM” comment.

At least one poster must slag off the Daily Fail for shoddy journalism on a thread that the DM have quoted. It’s a well established tradition.

And I thought that browneyes77’s letter to the DM had a poetic quality to it that was deserving of repetition.

I've not read through the thread at all but in my experience, GP receptionists are dire when it comes to answering calls from patients with mental health issues and who are in crisis.

I speak from experience this morning: Utterly shameful on the receptionists part and zero fucks given despite me sobbing down the phone to her.

“It’s sneaky and it’s wrong in my eyes and in the eyes of many others on here.”

Yes, but above all, it’s lazy and unreliable. How difficult would it be to actually interview a couple of GP surgery receptionists?
To pick up stuff from an anonymous forum is ludicrous. I just don’t see how anyone can find it acceptable journalism.

Thank you for your hard work. I'm just about to start a new role as a GP receptionist (three sites) so good to know your experience

[quote limitedperiodonly]**@RisingMoon* I see. @browneyes77* too then. It just seems out of proportion to me. They weren't doing anything wrong. Only quoting something they found interesting just like you were. Or do you think Mumsnet is a private club or like a priest's confessional?[/quote]
They’ve been doing this for years and people are sick of it.

And the difference is I quoted things within the same discussion board. I didn’t go publish it in a national newspaper. Bit of a difference.

They join Mumsnet and then lurk on the boards to pick up threads people post and then post them in their newspaper. They don’t ask the person if they’d mind them publishing it, they just post it.

It’s sneaky and it’s wrong in my eyes and in the eyes of many others on here.

If you find that kind of shady, low morals behaviour acceptable, then that’s your choice. Most of us don’t.

But then maybe you’re the journalist who published it….

@RisingMoon I see. @browneyes77 too then. It just seems out of proportion to me. They weren't doing anything wrong. Only quoting something they found interesting just like you were. Or do you think Mumsnet is a private club or like a priest's confessional?

[quote RisingMoon]@limitedperiodonly

Self-righteous indignation feels so good. And one can never go wrong when directing their indignation towards the Daily Fucking Fail.

Besides, I was only quoting @browneyes77

Except for the FUCKERS part.[/quote]
😂😂 absolutely!

I have lots of rage towards any of the Daily Mail journalists that trawl through these threads and share peoples posts. It makes people scared to post their issues, in case they get picked up and published.

So no amount of obscenities will ever be enough for these people!!

@limitedperiodonly

Self-righteous indignation feels so good. And one can never go wrong when directing their indignation towards the Daily Fucking Fail.

Besides, I was only quoting @browneyes77

Except for the FUCKERS part.

@RisingMoon you need to see someone about those flashes of rage.

An example of where a receptionist could have done much more to help was when my mother was in her local GP and an elderly gentleman came in at the end of his tether looking for assistance for his housebound wife. In my view the receptionist could and should have arranged a home visit, or called a paramedic on his behalf. She did neither and said "sorry can't help". My mother said the guy actually banged his head on the reception counter and walked out again. She doesn't know what he did next but it is an illustration of the unwillingness to help.

Another one would be that my mum needed her ears syringing. The GP said we can't do it because of covid. So she called the hospital who said we can do it if we have a referral from your GP. GP said we don't give referrals. It turned out, after lots of messing, that it's not offered on the NHS in my mum's area anymore except in certain instances with a GP referral which my mum didn't qualify for. So why didn't the receptionist just say that?

People can be entitled, but they are also treated very badly by people who are paid to help them.

Most receptionists are good, most doctors are good, most teachers are good, etc. Even my own profession: I'm a lecturer. I think I do a good job. But if someone's talking about a negative experience they had with their own lecturer, I'd never jump in and tell them it's not true!

When I was immunosuppressed my consultant gave me 2 months supply of meds including one emergency course of ABx to keep handy. That gave my GP 2 months to get the medication onto my repeat list. If I used the ABx I emailed the GP to let them know and requested another Px to have in my cupboard. Surely this is just common sense?
I also need emergency prednisilone from time to time, so I have an arrangement that as soon as I need to use my supply, I inform my GP and they do another Px so I have it "in stock".
I can't understand why all GPs can't put a sensible system in place and train staff to understand it.

[quote TroysMammy]@31flavours why would a Receptionist need more detail? Over the phone I ask "would you like to give me a brief idea what's the problem?" If a gentleman then proceeds to say e.g. " I've got a lump on my testicles and when I lift my scrotum you can see it and it's uncomfortable" then I just add that information on for the GP to read.

If someone wants to talk on the Reception Desk which is a public area, we have a microphone as I'm hearing impaired, I say "just to let you know what you want to discuss here may not be as confidential as it is over the phone". It's up to the patient if they want to proceed.[/quote]
Your reality is not everyone else’s reality. As to why they would want more detail. Hell if I know! Maybe to have a giggle. May be just autopilot asking questions. Probably a question more for them.

Anyway, my point was not to denigrate all receptionists but I very much doubt the infringement on my privacy is an isolated incident.