I work for the NHS in an admin capacity. However due to all our reception staff leaving I was told by my manager that I now have to do all my work whilst working on reception one day a week. So there I was on Friday, on reception.
A man approached. I smiled, said good morning and asked if he had an appointment. He said yes but didn’t know who the appointment was with. The reception area is for about 5 different clinics. I asked his name. I didn’t catch it, i asked again and he replied but again it wasn’t clear. So I asked his date of birth. I managed to find him on the list and saw straightaway he was 15 mins late. I told him to please take a seat while I checked whether the doctor could see him. Knocked on doctors door, explained patient had arrived. Doctor said no way was he seeing patient as patient late and he was due another patient in 5 minutes.
I went out to reception and told the patient doctor unable to see him because he was late. Patient became aggressive, shouting, leaning over the desk trying to grab my name badge, screaming that now he knew my name he was going to make trouble for me as it was my fault the doctor wouldn’t see him. I explained it was the doctors decision not mine. Eventually he left.
He then came back an hour later and started verbally abusing me. Again saying it was my fault and it shouldn’t matter that he was late, that he knows who I am and not to think I’ve “got away with it”. He swore at me and basically humiliated me.
I can’t stop thinking about it. Keep going over it in my head, can’t sleep, worried he may do something ie find out where I live. I just feel shaken up. I feel angry that I just sat there and let a man scream and swear at me.
I know it’s extreme but I don’t think I can do the job anymore. I am a very shy person and there’s no way I would ever have applied to be a NHS receptionist (2 of our receptionists left due to stress from dealing with angry patients). And yet through no choice of my own I find myself having to do this.