Fucking gp receptionist....

[Hellbentwellwent]

I’m livid.

Just called in the surgery to get a repeat prescription and while I was there thought I’d ask if my blood results had come back. So I asked the receptionist.... for clarity there is a desk in the waiting room which is the only place to speak to the receptionist. There were other patients sitting waiting, easily in earshot, 8 foot away, and it was quiet. All I wanted to know was if I had to speak to the gp or if there was nothing to note on the results. Instead however the receptionist thought it was appropriate to announce to us all in the waiting room that my hormone profile was in line with a hysterectomy. Thanks very fucking much, I’ve just had a hugely traumatic surgery, very recently, I’m in my mid thirties so young to have had it done and feeling pretty bloody emotional over the whole thing in the first place and this this silly bint decides to share it with a room full of patients.

I said thank you, she smiled and said you’re welcome, then I said, no, thank you for sharing that with everyone, and the smile melted of her face as I looked around at a room full of people looking at us.

I walked out on the verge of tears. Just got home furious.

What the fuck ever happened to patient confidentiality???

I shall be emailing the practice manager after a glass of wine to complain.

Hi OP,

You are absolutely right to feel outraged by this breach of confidentiality IMO. I would feel the same way too.
The receptionist has not handled your data in a confidential manner and has fallen well short of the responsibilities of her role.
I too would have complained to the practice about this and I hope you get a satisfactory response and an apology.

I am very sorry to hear your news and hope you have the support of family and friends at this time.

For those who have posted such harsh replies. Would it be acceptable for a receptionist to give out the results of a HIV test or cancer test for example and blurt out to someone that they have tested positive in front of a waiting room full of people? Of course this wouldn't be acceptable, how is the OP's situation any different?

@AnuvvaMuvva Might the results have said, "hormones in line with someone who's had a hysterectomy" and she was just reading it out?

Not her place to do it, and not THE place to do it.

There is no money for "training". Someone will say don't worry Jane and file it in the bin. Most people would have assumed you were asking for the results.

are there a lot of GP receptionists on this thread or something? Training is included in all jobs: what the duties are, who has to make the tea, opeing the post not shouting confidential information in a waiting room

What might help is if you're in a waiting room and you hear something you shouldn't, perhaps we should all mention it to the practice manager on our way out? or follow up in an email?

(I'd be tempted to write something like "I was at the practice today, glad to hear Ms X isn't pregnant, she has 6 already..."

Why do so many people feel like they are personally needing to stand up for the NHS? I work for the NHS and no one and I mean NO ONE talks about this pressure we are meant to be under. It's nothing to do with pressure. Its nothing to do with government or money or pressure it's just basic skills any staff member should have. No one needs to be kissing the arse of the NHS like this.

Yes she was wrong, complaint is justified.

If you'd asked me that, I would have assumed you were asking me what the results were.

Well hopefully this will be a lesson to you, to listen to the question and not assume you know better than the person asking it!

Medical data is a special category of personal data, where anyone handling it must take extra care with it. This was blatantly and flagrantly a breach of the surgery's requirement to take special care of this personal, sensitive data.

The onus is not on the patient to specify - please don't tell everyone about my health, but simply answer with a "yes" or "no".

A complaint to the practice manager was entirely, unquestionably, without doubt the right thing to do. Everyone who works there should understand these very basic tenets of data privacy. Everyone makes mistakes, but refresher training will help to prevent avoidable mistakes...

I think by asking the question in that environment she probably presumed you were prepared to hear the answer in that environment...

I think by asking the question in that environment she probably presumed you were prepared to hear the answer in that environment...

The OP was prepared to hear the answer, to the question she asked - are my test results in. Acceptable answers include:

• Yes, would you like me to tell you what they are?
• Yes, there is a note, shall I hand it to you to read?
• Yes, shall I make an appointment for you to discuss with GP?
• Yes, shall we go to a private room and I'll tell you?
• No

If you are in possession of someone else's personal, sensitive data, you should not under any circumstances handle it based on your own assumptions or presumptions. This is not a difficult or controversial idea, I can't understand why so many people seem to think the OP's expectations are too high. This is a basic right, enshrined in UK law.

You asked and she Told you. Get a grip

I do not think the OP overreacted. Receptionist should have engaged her brain.

My doctors surgery is really poorly designed. No noise, entirely open plan so you can't help but hear everything. And any time someone picks up a prescription, makes an appointment, asks for blood test results they have to confirm their date of birth. So everyone sitting knows exactly how old you are. Doesn't bother me (as I'm still young!) but i know some people are very sensitive about their age.

My old doctors used to give blood results via the receptionist it was great

Now I have to wait a couple of weeks for an appointment for a doctor to tell me I need more thyroid medication but I’m presuming someone has complained and ruined it for the rest of us

Goodness sake, would people read Op's post? She asked if her results were in. She didn't ask what they were. The correct replies to that question have been listed several times. Op hasn't spoiled anything for anyone, she's dealing with a breach of confidentiality. (And a failure in common sense and compassion in my book, there should be no need for special training in that!).

You asked and she Told you. Get a grip

The OP asked if her results were back. She did NOT ask what they were or for them to be announced out loud to all and sundry.

By your logic, if you popped in to the surgery and asked if there were any appointments next Thursday. It would be perfectly fine if the receptionist answered “So that would be to have your haemorrhoids looked at then” to the whole waiting room.

No, all that’s needed is a Yes or No. This receptionist didn’t engage her brain - or her empathy.

I complained about a receptionist once.

Called in the afternoon, was told that all blood test results had arrived and to collect a print out. Visited after work & opened the envelope to find a vital result wasn't included. I politely informed the receptionist and asked if she could just tell me what it was.

She tried to blame me by stating as I “called in the morning”, it was before the result had arrived. Confused, I politely clarified that I called in the afternoon where the person on the phone told me this result would be included. She suddenly started shouting loudly to the point that people in the pharmacy next door were staring at us, let alone the others within the GP. You know those people who have to “win” by being the loudest? Basically she lectured me like a child, it was humiliating especially as I had done nothing wrong.

Fair enough it probably wasn’t her error, but it wasn’t mine either and she was so rude and unhelpful. So whilst she wasn’t specifically shouting confidential information, the practice manager completely agreed with that she was rude and should have lowered her voice. He definitely had a word as she’s extra nice to me now lol

You asked and she Told you. Get a grip

If she'd engaged her brain she could have said "they're in the normal range for your condition" or just said they were within normal range. No need at all to broadcast her condition.

I work in healthcare. EVERYONE is aware of patient confidentiality. EVERYONE. Its not a case of a lack of money for training, at the very least its being aware of not sharing personal data with people that aren't entitled to it - not hard to understand.

The receptionist may well have been told to pass the message on to you, but they breached patient confidentiality whilst doing so. All it takes it common sense. Write it on a note, say something like 'everything appears normal for your condition'', print a letter off with the results on. Anything else than announcing it to a room full of other patients.

OP you were totally right to complain.

I complained about a receptionist once ... the practice manager completely agreed that she was rude and should have lowered her voice. He definitely had a word as she’s extra nice to me now

Think yourself lucky, mnthrowaway. I once complained about a GP who prescribed completely the wrong eye drops for my DS - he has a serious eye condition and what was on the Rx could easily have compromised his remaining sight

Needless to say the records were immediately "lost", but no doubt according to some on here I should have considered us lucky to see a doctor at all ...

This is one of those threads where I suspect some people disagree solely to be a cunt under the guise of debate.

So well put. I am afraid I will be copying and pasting this pithy summary into other threads and passing it off as my own wording

am I the only one to find it odd that you complained about her announcing your results to people in the waiting room when you have just posted the same thing on a forum to hundreds of complete strangers?

If OP had posted a video of the interaction I would at agree

Now I have to wait a couple of weeks for an appointment for a doctor to tell me I need more thyroid medication but I’m presuming someone has complained and ruined it for the rest of us At my surgery I get a call to say a new prescription is waiting for me. No one has ruined it for you, your surgery just needs to sort out a reasonable system.

lovelala
Why do so many people feel like they are personally needing to stand up for the NHS? I work for the NHS and no one and I mean NO ONE talks about this pressure we are meant to be under. It's nothing to do with pressure. Its nothing to do with government or money or pressure it's just basic skills any staff member should have. No one needs to be kissing the arse of the NHS like this.

This with knobs on!

You were not over reacting OP. You wanted a yes or no answer. If you'd wanted further information after that then you would have asked for it. You did the right thing and I don't blame you for being angry and upset.

Worrying that so many think people need training in order to have empathy and sensitivity. Surely it was obvious that that kind of info should be treated with sensitivity.

Absolutely agree with @Ilovelala and @EnidButton and others. Some people are just shit at their jobs, nothing to do with funding, nothing to do with pressure. They can't perform their duties with even minimum regard to patient dignity and confidentiality. This receptionist is one such person. Even if the NHS was shitting gold bricks on a fifteen minute basis she'd still be crap at her job because she hasn't got the basic common sense and care to perform it properly. Sometimes, people are just rubbish. And it isn't pissing in the face of dead Clement Atlee and all the brave pioneers of universal healthcare to point that out. It's actually ok to remark when things aren't as they should be.

OP I'm sorry this happened to you. I hope they take your complaint seriously and provide sufficient training that other patients don't have their confidentiality breached in this way.

She needs retraining
Privacy is so important and sge needs to learn this fast