Receptionist attitude should I complain

I’m not surprised teaching is easier if your practice is using you as unqualified triage (which is a practice choice, not “the rules” - not all practices use receptionists at unqualified triage).

Some practices are well run, some are poor - I find it striking how many of the poor experiences described here and IRL correlate with poor attitudes from the partners owning the business and their use of cheap labour to triage patients.

Yes they do treat us poorly and I myself was (initially) shocked at what we were asked to do and the level of responsibility placed on our shoulders given we are not medically trained. The level of knowledge we need is insane given we are essentially paid minimum wage. Much of the triaging process however is common sense and we do have guidelines to follow so that we can ask the correct/probing questions to ensure that patients are signposted correctly....but I agree there are times when I am concerned....

....and because of this it's v stressful.
You're trying to please everyone and also make sure you're not missing something that could be life threatening. It's too much responsibility....
At the same time you're expected to be bloody wonder woman....and there is little praise. I've never worked anywhere where I've felt so devalued and overworked at the same time 😞😕
Funnily enough it's the patients that give me the most praise and thanks and job satisfaction...if not the critical, unreasonable management.
It's probably time for me to leave and join a well run practice, but home life is stressful at the moment, for various reasons, so don't want to add more stress to the mix by changing jobs

Honestly you might find a better run practice transformative. The problem with telling untrained staff it is “common sense” is that you have not had the years of training and experience to spot when common sense doesn’t apply or when common sense is unconscious assumptions. They are unreasonable to demand this and its exploitative.

I sit within the “catchment” of three practices, all serving the same demographic. I think mine is easily the best of the three, I wouldn’t send a dog to the poorest. My practice uses a doctor or very occasionally a practice nurse to do triage. I have known my GP since before my first DC, I have seen various changes over the years as old hands retired and new young guns came in. Both new and old partners agreed that using a doctor on triage saves them significant time and work over the longer term. I happen to know their practice manager from school gates dates (she started as a receptionist) - she says the same, it makes no business sense to use reception staff in this way.

Both the other practices use receptionists as triage, both complain bitterly to my practice’s manager that their patients “abuse" the triage system by calling 111 to try and force appointments. The local A&E department complains about their patients costing time and money in A&E for GP issues. Any local A&E can tell you which GP practices are well run and which are not. All the practices get the same pay rates - I think that is wrong.

Don't fret to much. She's probably really cross because shes being replaced by an AI receptionist. My Doctor has one already, it can be rude in 53 languages. I bypassed it recently but joked to the rude human receptionist that she must be scared of being replaced. There was an icy silence, and no I didn't an appointment.

The AI won't have empathy or have a chat with the patients or make eye contact or smile or comfort a patient who's having a really bad day or spend time listening to a lonely elderly patient who won't have spoken to anyone else that day but you. AI cannot replace human warmth which is what I hope I can offer.
Funnily enough I've been reading that AI will be replacing the GPs eventually!

I don't disagree. It's probably time for me to move to a far better managed practice 👍🏼

@DestituteDesperate did you get a reply?

Funny how very few "human" receptionists can do any of that either!!

I don’t think its a coincidence that the reception staff at my practice have been there for donkeys years and some have progressed into more medical management type roles with practice support. The turnover at the other practices is notably higher.

Culture comes from the top - life is always less stressful in a well run organisations even if its still demanding.

That's good 👍

I would definitely complain, making a point that at the time of the incident I was soo shocked/intimidated myself, despite not being directly involved, that I felt I couldn’t say anything (or something to that affect)

It's a good thing to let your practice know about things that they fall short on . I do and yes they probably say " not her again" but you know what? You get good attention.

Lol....well I can only speak for myself :) :)

https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/teesside-nhs-receptionist-receives-royal-34626166?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUYTiljbGNrBRhOIXBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeI2tzyRIf6Mmt0KDpHMAk_Mgs0hLlvjBUjLrjSKIXwReMSWWezqUpEBh9vsk_aem_Dqd5FPW6Ky1hTnAofJasmA

Don't know if you can see this? Just popped up on Facebook. It's the lovely receptionist I mentioned upthread.