Receptionist attitude should I complain

Of course - the well-known dickhead monologue!
Worth learning to be able to quote it properly on MN.

No, that isn't what I said.

Report it 100%

Why?

The last place I lived the doctors’ receptionists thought their job was to prevent people from seeing a doctor and that the default tone of voice was withering contempt. I’ve moved to a place where the receptionists are invariably helpful and polite, will move heaven and earth to get you an appointment and have even intervened with the GP who was unable to understand the prescription instructions of a consultant. I do wonder what training they receive and whether it is at all standardised.

The surgery will have a dedicated email address or contact for handling complaints - don't just email the general address of the surgery. Use the formal complaint route. I did this recently and the issue was thoroughly investigated and I felt that it had been addressed adequately.

That’s just not true .

I feel incredibly lucky as the receptionists at our surgery are all really lovely.

Some doctor receptionists are beyond rude and unhelpful. I changed surgeries due to the neo Nazis that made it impossible to get an appointment.

OP as you said yourself, you don’t actually know what was said or whether the patients had done something to illicit that response?
I can see how you’d want to stick up for someone but from what you’ve said you don’t appear to have the full picture.

To be fair, the receptionists at my surgery are now really good.

They had a new batch after COVID that were complete bastards. They didn’t concern me as I’d give as good as they tried to dish out. There was a large number of complaints online about them. Not one of them works there now, one by one they were gone. The ones there now are fine.

I needed to book two weeks of daily appointments this week and it was done by them in no time. I’ve no problem getting same day appointments either.

There are good ones out there.

No but it sounded like she could hear the tone from both sides.

I think it's you who should wind your neck in. Please read my whole thread, then you may see that I didn't jump in and be a cow. It was me who complained to PAL's, it's me who quit because I no longer trust them. Cheers anyway, thanks for the telling off.

Yeah, I would definately email the practice manager. What is it with drs reception staff 🙄

We only have one GP practice where I live, but they operate from 3 different premises.

I've never encountered or witnessed rudeness from any of the reception staff. If anything, it's the opposite: they seem to go out of their way to be accommodating. I was 20 minutes late for an appointment once because of a road accident that led to a big traffic jam and they still let me see the doctor.

I don't understand why there seem to be so many rude and unsympathetic GP receptionists. Why go for a job that is likely to involve dealing with people who are anxious, ill and/or upset if you have that sort of temperament? And why do surgeries appoint people like that?

I find it quite mystifying.

That's very cynical. Not everyone is two-faced.

I'm sorry I upset you, I was actually defending you (which to be fair to me is completely evident from the content of my post) because I misread and thought the person who attacked you was continuing to do so. I didn't realise that was you responding. I clearly wasn't telling you off though as I explained that your actions are not silly and you don't need to be piled on for looking after yourself.

Absolutely do complain.
As a 3rd party witness to such rudeness one time in a large medical clinic, I did similar.
I was waiting for a smear.
I mentioned it to the nurse who did the smear how awful it was to witness.

In the email I spelt out again how upsetting it was to have to sit and witness such appallingly unnecessary rudeness to an older woman, who appeared to be querying something at the desk, and that I mentioned it to the nurse that I saw.

I noted her voice was loud and obnoxious.
That her voice carried some private information that I neither wanted to hear, nor should be hearing.

I also noted that I would be putting it up on the community FB what I had witnessed and that I was copying my complaint to the local health authority, and my GP.

I also noted that the reception area was full, that people were clearly appalled by what they heard, and whilst they may not make a written complaint like I did, they could rest assured it would be the talk of the place.
I added my number.

I put my post up on FB at the same time as I didn't want them asking me not to.

I kept it simple and too the point.
Just that it was very upsetting to be forced to witness such unnecessary rudeness towards an older woman, by a receptionist in X medical clinic, and that I had emailed in a complaint about it.

I got a call back very quickly and the Practice Manager assured me it was going to be investigated.
On the FB there many remarks about various incidents of various levels of rudeness.

When I returned to the clinic 6 months later she was nowhere to be seen.
The receptionist on duty couldn't have been more pleasant.

It's sickening how often this happens. I sometimes go to the surgery with DM & each time, I witness rudeness or shortness from the staff at reception.

Not sure who's attention you should bring these incidences to, but I can only imagine how many complaints they're actually dealing with.

I support you raising what you have described, OP and Id add that often far too much is put on reception staff in doctors surgery's. They are ending up actually having to filter symptoms and doing all but diagnosing these days. The tasks are way beyond the pay grade because of pulling back on medically qualified staff. It's a really stressful job for little money and we all have our limits I wonder how much actual guidance and support they receive.

You need to report it. Imagine if people are not approaching the surgery for help because of this woman.

I'd have reported the gobby bitch to the surgery manager, and hopefully she would have been sacked on the spot.

Most receptionists I've had have been brilliant, but I've had a few off ones, and I had one that was so loud and awful I actually reported her there and then, after giving her a very loud bollocking in front of other patients. She was very loudly saying ''So you need to see doctor so-and-so about your so-and-so.'' I barked at her to keep her voice down, as my details are not of anyone else's business, as theirs are no business of mine.

She continued to be very loud, then said ''So what do you need to see the doctor about?'' I replied ''It's of NO business of yours. It takes 10-16 years to qualify as a GP, and a receptionist 10-16 seconds to be convinced she is one!''

That got the other patients laughing!

At another surgery, I had to see a pharmacist who would need to ring me back. I informed the receptionist that I was working f/t and might not be able to answer, but I'd ring back as soon as I could. She was absolutely fine about it, but when I saw the pharmacist that day, she barked ''WHY didn't you answer the phone when I rang?" I snapped back ' Because I was dealing with customers, and I did inform the receptionist I might not be able to answer there and then' and she just made a really condescending and patronising noise. I walked out and refused to see her!

I am a receptionist in a medical centre and you should absolutely report her behaviour to the practice manager and the lead doctor.

The last person who spoke to me like that regretted it instantly but its taken me a lifetime to learn to stick up for myself.
The worse thing for her as I was telling her off was thst people in the waiting room started clapping. She was mortified 😂

There was one just like that at my last surgery where the others were barely better.

During one interraction where I was being perfectly reasonable having been given the runaround about an essential.prescription "it's at the chemist, go back". I did, it hadn't been sent. When I returned the third time I got "I HAVE TOLD YOU IT'S AT THE CHEMIST, GO BACK AND GET THEM TO PHONE US". To which my response was a cut glass "who exactly do you think you are speaking to, I have had the run around for 40 minutes. Please now ask a Dr to wrote a paper prescription". I AINT DOIN THAT, THIS IS THE N.H.S. and it's free.

I went home and asked my GP to telephone and why. They were apologetic and the prescription was at the desk within 15 minutes.

However, this was a rinse and repeat encounter and I changed doctors. The new surgery is a great improvement. I think standards cascade from the GP's and their attitude to patients and it's notable that old surgery paid NWW (SW London/Surrey) and the new one pay £2 ph more.

You get what you pay for.