Eyeroll moment of the day...

[MarmaladeSideDown]

I'm sitting here at home and the landline rang but stopped before I got to it, so I dialled 1471 to find out who it could be (family members often call it as my mobile reception here is rubbish). It was a local number and seemed slightly familiar to me, so I searched online and discovered it was my GP surgery, so I rang them to find out what they wanted.

The receptionist answered saying how could she help so I explained about the missed call. "Well it wasn't me", she said. Oh right, I thought. Here we go.

She then asked for my name and I said that DH and I both lived here and gave her my name and his. "Well, no-one has called you" she said so I suggested that perhaps the call was for DH. He has a hospital appointment tomorrow for investigation into an ongoing condition, so I wondered if it might be about that, but since he isn't here at the moment I thought I'd better find out in case he needs to contact them. "Well I'm sorry" says she in a very officious voice. "I can't give you any information about anyone else". I pointed out that it was they who had rung first, and I was just trying to be helpful in calling them back in case it was urgent. Not good enough apparently, and she refused point blank to even tell me whether it was him they were trying to contact.

What a pointless waste of my time that was.

Has anyone else felt themselves rolling their eyes out loud at the brick wall of officialdom today?

I comprehend it all thanks but the Receptionist couldn't have booked you in if she is not allowed to. Speak to the Practice Manager if you need clarification on what the Receptionists can and can't do. They are just following surgery protocol.

Our GP receptionist insisted that my 7 year old with a learning disability came in to sign a form giving me permission to access a print off of her medical records for her DLA renewal!

It is exceedingly rare on MN, that the replies of some of the posters turn into the most wonderful examples of the title of the thread.

😂😂😂

Doctors receptionists can be so rude. When ringing them up for an appointment, they now ask what my problem is....There is no way l am telling a receptionist any of my medical issues. You are not legally bound to give this information and can refuse, as l do.
Some, not all, can be arrogant and know all's.. extremely annoying.

You should fill in a form that allows you to speak about OH.

It's illegal and dangerous to discuss medical information without consent. This is completely in line with best practice. You can tell the other person there is a message, or both write explicit consent that your records can be shared but otherwise its really important privacy is maintained. This is for safeguarding and other reasons. It's frustrating for staff to get eye rolled because you don't know the law. Do you want any of your medical history shared by the practice with a voice at the end of the phone? You can't even confirm someone has an appointment never mind what it is about

🙄

Thanks captain obvious.

I hate it when people do this to my work

Check voicemail before calling back or I won't know how to direct your call

I kept getting text messages from Waitrose for about two years advising me of when my online order would be delivered-eg delivery will be in the next 15 minutes and the delivery driver is called John. I have never done an online shop with Waitrose. I phoned them numerous times to ask if they could find out who the delivery was for so the number could be changed so the actual customer could get the messages and not me. They could not help as apparently there wasn't an easy way of doing this. I then just mainly ignored the messages. A few weeks ago I got a call from an unhappy Waitrose delivery driver who wanted to know why I wasn't in as he was trying to deliver my order (not my order). I live in Hertfordshire and he was delivering in Kent-at last he said he could correct the details-no more messages since 😂

Epic amount of comprehension failure on this thread! 😬🤣

I don’t hear very well on a landline, so my husband and I both went into surgery, and had it noted on our records that either one of us could be contacted about the other. I only have calls to my mobile now as I can use the speaker…problem solved.

Are you a receptionist, by any chance?

Thank you OP for an amusing hour reading replies to your original post! You have the patience of a saint! 😇

I’m just impressed you can call and speak to someone at your GP surgery! 😆 I often get a recorded message saying to go on the nhs app, call again at less busy time, only taking calls between certain times of the day…oh and if dying, hang up and call 999! The fact you could speak to someone is a win win..!!

Had the issue of someone dying. This time it was Social Services asking for MiL who had died a couple of days earlier, having been in a nursing home for 2 months. BiL is quite severely handicapped and lives in residential care, paid for by SS.

I was in MiL's flat. Landline rang. I answered. Call went something like this:

SS: Hello, is that Mrs Malbec?

Me: Yes (I took DH's surname when we got married 15 years earlier)

SS: It's about your son, X Malbec. We need to review his care.

Me: I don't have a son. I think you mean my MiL, Mrs Y Malbec.

SS: Are you not Mrs Y Malbec? You said you were Mrs Malbec.

Me: I am indeed Mrs Malbec, but I am Mrs Y Malbec's daughter-in-law, Mrs Z Malbec

SS: Well can we speak to Mrs Y Malbec then?

Me: I'm sorry but that won't be possible....

SS: (interrupting) Why not? Why won't you let us talk to her?

Me: Well Mrs Y Malbec died 2 days ago.

SS: Well who will look after X Malbec's affairs? (Note, no "I'm sorry for your loss" or other pleasantries). We really need to speak to Mrs Y Malbec.

Me: You'll need a ouija board then. My husband Dr W Malbec is X Malbec's legal guardian and has been for a couple of years. This should be on your files.

SS: Well we've tried calling him and his phone isn't on.

Me: Well he works on a secure site where mobile phones are not allowed. However, I can get a message to him. Would you like me to do that?

SS: Well that's most inconvenient. We need to talk to him.

Me: Give me your name and contact number and I'll try to get a message to him. However, if he is on a flight test, this may take a while.

SS: That's no good. Can't you become X Malbec's guardian?

Me: Umm, other than by marriage, I'm not related to him. He has a perfectly good guardian.

SS: We need to be able to contact the guardian.

Me: Take that up with the Ministry of Defence as they don't allow mobiles on secure sites.

SS: Couldn't your children take it on?

Me: They are 13 and 11. I don't think that's legal.

SS: Well that isn't good enough.

Poor DH had just lost his mother, was working long hours on MoD sites and was being hassled by jobsworths who didn't listen or offer any sort of sympathy.

@mummybear35 This was the 'press 3 for general enquiries' option. If I'd chosen 'press 1 for appointments' I'd still be on hold.😂

@Malbecfan I'm so sorry to hear all that. It must have been horrible to have to deal with someone so officious who wouldn't listen to what you were saying.

Thanks. It was almost funny - it gave DH a laugh when I related the conversation afterwards. He thought the ouija board comment was brilliant. Sadly, the stupid SS person ignored it.

Ohhhh… it all makes sense now. Well…it doesn’t, it’s actually nonsensical, but it explains why I can no longer make a non-urgent appt. to see a doctor in a week’s time. How stupid.

It's frustrating for staff to get eye rolled because you don't know the law.
How about actually reading my comment!!! I work in healthcare- I am well aware of GDPR regulations and consent!

I was advising a GP practice, not my own GP practice, that THEY had called me about a medical appointment- which was not my appointment. The message was for someone else including the patients name. I never asked the practice to give me anyone elses information FFS!

Do you want any of your medical history shared by the practice with a voice at the end of the phone?

This practice left a message for some other random person, on MY number. Again, I was calling the practice, to advise that THEY had called and left a message for the wrong person and they'd need to contact the correct person instead. 🙄

If my eyes roll any further, they'll go full circle.

Similar to others. Speaking to Sky to cancel my father’s account who had recently died. They insisted on speaking to the account holder … him.

I told them that wasn’t possible as he had died. They still insisted they needed to speak to him. We continue in this vein for a while.

In fairness after nearly losing my rag with the person on the phone I asked to speak to their supervisor who put me through to the correct team that dealt with the matter.

Hold on. You said.

He has a hospital appointment tomorrow for investigation into an ongoing condition, so I wondered if it might be about that, but since he isn't here at the moment I thought I'd better find out in case he needs to contact them.

and you’re grumpy because they refused to let you “find out” Perhaps he’s been shagging around and had an STI but told you something else.

He may be a shit, but you have no right to try and “find out” (again your words) from the GP practice anything about his medical issues.

And then to give the receptionist a hard time. Well YABVVVU. (Yes I know it’s the chat forum…)