Why aren’t doctor’s receptionists more discrete?

Except I have a headache. I may just need to take some paracetamol or drink some water. Alternatively I may have meningitis or giant cell arteritus (sp?) both of which need urgent treatment.
Do we really think it’s okay for a receptionist to decide if I need to see a doctor?

Our surgery have addressed this recently on a newsletter, and asked people to phone in should it be a private matter that they don't want to discuss at reception. Or you can contact the surgery via the website and there is a form to fill in but it shouldn't be used for emergencies/urgent appointments as it's not always seen same day.

We must be using the same pharmacy! I had 100% the same experience. I was trying to speak quietly and was instead forced to shout very personal details across the room. They were incredibly arsey about it too. I changed pharmacies, the privacy situation is still shit but the people are nicer.

You ask for that piece of paper and take it away with you.

I think assistants and pharmacists need training with this.
No one should be giving out info like this in earshot of anyone else.

It’s utterly inappropriate and I’m amazed that it’s just accepted. Pharmacies are even worse. Every month I’m in a queue basically shouting my personal details to the person who will bring my prescription out - because they’re standing a good 6 feet behind the actual counter, as that’s where the computer is. Full name, DOB, first line of address, and then type of medication. I once asked them if they could just move up to the counter and maybe write down the info on a piece of paper and take it back to their computer as I don’t want to be shouting my details, and they said that’s unsafe as the bit of paper means personal info are jotted down 😭 just shred it?! Better than me shouting all my deets

If you think this is bad wait until your in a hospital and realise the blue magic curtain isn't soundproof

Irrelevant - it’s private information and should be treated with discretion. Medical data is some of the most sensitive data there is.

It's unacceptable.

I'm have private insurance and at private hospitals ( I know it's completely different), but for date of birth (when checking in at reception) they provide paper and pen and ask you to write it down. That means the rest of the waiting room can't hear.

I've also been asked to check (and confirm) my address on the computer screen.

It might be worth asking if you can do this at least for DOB.

What worries me the most is that the receptionists are allowed to triage the patients. How much medical training do they get?
Im sure there must be times when serious illnesses don’t get prompt treatment because of this.

They aren't embarrassing FOR YOU. But a UTI was embarrassing for me, especially as there was a queue of men standing very closely to me who could hear every word.

What is embarrassing for one person isn't embarrassing for another. This is part of the discussion of this thread that there has to be sensitivity involved when talking about medical problems in a public place.

I b agree, but the patient can always ask to speak to her in confidence.,

UTIs aren’t embarrassing though?

And I agree staff should be discreet and try and maintain confidentiality as much as possible. Surgeries aren't always set up for privacy but staff should endeavour to maintain confidentiality.

It's really hard sometimes though - hard of hearing patients that need to shout/be spoken to loudly, indiscreet patients who themselves love to overshare!

My surgery has no spare rooms for private discussion with receptionists and nowhere patients can be taken - all rooms are in use almost all the time. We were aware of patients in the waiting room sometimes being able to overhear phone conversations from back reception due to the building layout so we got a licence to have radio in the waiting room, but now we get regular complaints about the choice of radio station.... we can't win!!

I do think this is probably a difficult situation for the receptionists and if it was me in her position I’d probably struggle. Even with all the training in the world, when someone has a manic episode in front of you it’s definitely jarring. I’m not saying she’s right - she should definitely try and get her into a private room but form the sounds of it it’s probably beyond the skills of the GPs receptionists and in a perfect world she would be being handled by a MH specialist.

TBF it can be taken as the wording in your title "Why aren't receptionists separate to the waiting room" discrete as well as "why don't they keep their blinking voices down" discreet.

Agree if they're triaging then they should have somewhere away from main thoroughfares to take the patient.

I don't think she was being a dick there. I wasn't aware of discrete/discreet at all, so I actually found that really useful! 😁 In some threads, it's not appropriate, but I don't think this is one of those threads.

In one of my old surgeries, there was a consultation room right next to the waiting area.

I felt so bad when I couldn't help but hear a fellow school mum's long appointment regarding her anal fissure in great detail. The waiting area was in two parts, but the other part had an infectious child waiting to be seen. I couldn't move to sit with them as I was on immune suppressants.

I was ordering my dd adhd meds she is 12 and the receptionist kept saying I couldn't order them a week in advance because they are CONTROLLED MEDS repeating CONTROLLED MEDS over and over I felt she was trying to embarrass me, I was not embarrassed as I know the good these meds make to my dd life, but I did complain to management there as others might have felt uncomfortable. You shouldn't have to give personal information in a public space.

Triage just means "to sort".

If they don't know roughly what the issue is, they can't direct you to the most appropriate person to deal with it. Not everything needs a GP appointment when the team also contains Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Practice Nurses, Health Care Assistants, Physiotherapists, Clinical Pharmacists, Social Prescribers, Secretaries, Admin support and Prescription Clerks, for example.

And whilst not medical professionals they do have training and direction from the clinicians/GP partners as to what needs booking where.

There are ways and means of doing these things, and most GP receptionists most of us have interacted with are bullies. They show no care or consideration to patients, and seem to revel in distressing people. This is not about the system.

I often object to non medical triage like this- receptionists are not medical professionals so they have no need to know what is wrong with you, because they are not qualified to decide how serious it is- therefore they cannot triage.

I think there are limited amount of appointments and forms that request information that they need to fill in.

I think it's the system - it's just not been thought about or priotised and then if there are complaints is well there are bigger issues or what can we do -or it's always been this way.

DMum refused to change GP surgeries to a nearby one till driving became a pain because she grew up with a village GP and people could hear in waiting room and people did gossip.

I agree. Same with hotels. I ask to do a silent pick up / check-in now. So write everything down and ask them not to verbalise anything. I haven't had any issues with this, surprisingly.

The same could be said about doctor’s ward rounds in hospital. I have excellent hearing and when I was in hospital a few years ago, I could hear all the other patients conditions on the ward. My daughter said that in her hospital, the other patients in the ward had to wear ear phones when the doctor was talking to them

@BakedPotatoBeansCheeseColeslaw I had a booking in appointment with the midwife (first baby and a surprise) and the receptionist said loudly "take a seat, the midwife will be with you shortly".

I live in the sort of place where everyone knows everyone so low and behold some raised eyebrows. And then I spotted my BIL in the waiting room! Mortified.

Thankfully they now have a touch screen to sign in for your appointment.