horrible call to GPs

[caravel]

I’ve NC as this only happened this afternoon and feel paranoid!

I’ve had a shitty year with health and this afternoon I called my GP to book an appointment to go through bloods. I was told to ring after two on Friday which is when they deal with blookwork results. I have been worrying about all this anyway and feel embarrassed about this personal problem relating to surgery I had earlier this year. The receptionist was just awful, told me she had one appointment and I could take it or leave it but I wouldn’t get another for a while and that I was dithering on the phone and she didn’t have time for it. I wasn’t dithering, I asked if the appointment was with the same gp as last time (I was told to request this by my gp!). She said she couldn’t tell me that as I could take what I was offered and if I didn’t want it she would hang up I couldn’t have been more pleasant if I have tried and her attitude came out of nowhere. I still can’t really process what happened, I realise that sounds dramatic it was just so aggressive! She kept intermittently talking to someone else about her lunch, nothing job related and then said my name to someone while I was on the phone. I said could I take that appointment please and was it over the phone or in the surgery and she hung up.

I have since called back to check if my appointment is actually booked for next Thursday as I asked and apparently it is. A nice gentlemen answered so she must have left for the day.

I probably sound so silly posting about this I just feel taken aback by her attitude and also concerned she is talking about me and maybe even talking about my records given that she so loudly announced my name to someone while I was on the phone, for a reason I don’t know.

I feel so fragile at the moment that I guess I am blowing this out of proportion I just feel really alone and confused about it and have been in tears which is really unlike me. Also wondering if it is lack of human contact over the last few months that has made me especially sensitive or something. I’m not sure why I’m posting just feeling down and maybe need a kick up the arse or a bit of perspective, I’m usually quite tough and this sort of thing wouldn’t bother me.

@caravel

Thanks. I don’t m know why it’s knocked me for 6, it’s mainly her saying my name to someone mid conversation quite loudly, made me feel like she’s gone through my records or will do now and she sounds a nasty piece of work. I feel quite vulnerable about it. Really wish I hadn’t called.

Out of interest, what sort of challenges and horrible experiences do gp receptionists have? I ask as I’m clearly naive here, I would have thought booking appointments was an easy conversation with most people. I don’t mean that comment unkindly, I’m just surprised so many have said they have a hard time of it.

Thanks again for making me feel less alone.

There is a lot involved being a GP receptionist. Booking appointments is just one of many things we do. That in itself has challenges as unfortunately there just isn't enough appointments for everyone, even with the new telephone consultation appointment system. We also have many tasks to complete including chasing clinical letters, blood results, scan/x ray results. Requesting prescriptions, scanning clinic letters and acting on the consultations requests through the GP's, district nurse referrals, new patient registrations and more recently, e-consults and patient access accounts. We receive hundreds of emails a day from patients, care homes, nurses and hospitals/other organisations that we have to action. Despite all this, there is no excuse to be rude to patients. We have 10,000 patients where I work, each one deserves to be treated with respect and kindness. As you've experienced, this is sadly not always the case.

She sounds like your typical surgery receptionist cow

@caravel that sounds like a horrible experience, but try to let it go now.

I'm not giving you a kick up the bum, but here's a hug, and

Go have a nice weekend.