Why are so many GP receptionists rude?

[Jenna2212]

I don't think I've ever heard of a surgery where people have positive things to say about the receptionists. At a time when people are most vulnerable and in need, why do GP surgeries tend to recruit such hostile people to greet sick people?

Have you had any bad experiences with your GP surgery? Feel free to post below. 💊

I’ve never come across a rude receptionist at the GPs surgery. I have, however, heard some very rude patients making demands of receptionists, threatening them, shouting at them.

I used to be one and we got into trouble from management if we were rude,even slightly.
It's a stressful job but I always tried my absolute best to help patients.
Spoke to one the other day though and she was awful.

The ones at my surgery are absolutely lovely.

Not excusing the bad ones but I do think that they must get tired of being treated awfully by a lot of the public and I reckon some automatically assume they are going to get abuse so don’t bother to be kind? (Obviously not ok).

I work in a pharmacy connected to a GP surgery - it’s shocking how some patients speak to us. I think, unfortunately, after many years of being spoken to like crap it’s likely you’re a bit cautious and on edge to begin with. It’s also incredibly busy and people in pain aren’t in the best head spaces, add to that the lack of appointments. It’s an incredibly stressful job. I do give people the benefit of the doubt and when they become rude just try to remain calm, but it is hard when it’s the 10th time that day you get treated like crap undeserved. I think the only solution is to keep changing jobs - new staff members who haven’t dealt with it for years are probably more likely to put up with it. Having said that, then you get a person who is less experienced instead.

In the main ours bend over backwards to be helpful.

Ours are great and will do everything to help if they can - the problem is getting through to speak to them!

The ones at my new surgery are lovely. But the old surgery, OMG, so cold and unhelpful. Maybe it was a power trip? Especially during Covid it was a nightmare to get an appointment via them. I think it probably had an impact on people trying to get an appointment as sometimes I just couldn’t face their unhelpfulness!

Well, if it's any consolation they probably hate you too - snotty little girl indeed 🙄

Awful.
Poor woman.
I have been in the waiting room and seen a man come in begging for an appointment after trying for days to get through at 8am to be told, no, go home and call again, it's the only way. He was actually in tears.
I've since been told that GP surgeries have a legal requirement to keep some appointments for walk in patients such as these, my friends DP reminds them of this, and manages to get one by walking in sometimes. I don't know if it's true though.

Go and be a GP receptionist yourself maybe if it's important to you? Be the change you wish to see in the world?

Absolutely horrendous experience, I’m so sorry you went through that. I’ve “only” been told if GP doesn’t approve this request the patient will come down and personally murder us. My first week I was told someone that if I didn’t get their meds sorted I’d be personally responsible for their death so when I hear they’re dead, remember this chat.
That last lady calls back every week but she’s stopped saying that to me now that I have more experience. People have NO idea what it’s like to work with healthcare.

I think it's hit and miss. I deal with GP surgeries, the receptionist a lot through work and occasionally for my family. Generally they are pleasant enough, most of my work contact is over the phone.
I think a lot of the time they end up matching the people they have to deal with. They get a lot of grief for things that aren't their fault. They are the face people see and I've seen how people think they can blame and verbally abuse them. There's only so long you can be upbeat in the face of it!

People are rude to them if there's no appointments, if test results aren't back, if a GP is off, if a GP has made a mistake, about wait times for referrals etc etc

Oh but some are just plain rude themselves, not sure why they'd pick the job!

Luckily my experience has been positive both in south west London and Scotland. I remember in London after having a baby they were so supportive and empathetic and I guess up in Scotland in a small village everyone is just much friendlier anyway.

I wonder if they get frustrated when they ask a patient what’s wrong (so they can ensure they are seen the best person) and the patient is rude and evasive about having to tell them. I can imagine it gets old quickly.

@pincklop that the nature of the job though, they are there to answer the phone and make appointments and stuff not sit there for an hour while patients slowly ring in to say they need a doc

Every few months there's a thread like this where everyone kicks the crap out of GP receptionists because 'they're all so awful and rude'. GP receptionists follow the processes laid down by the practice, they don't have any power, they are paid minimum wage and held personally responsible for things they have no control over.

It doesn't excuse being horrible but anyone who soaks up the abuse they do everyday develops a hard shell out of self preservation.

There's no such 'legal requirement'.

It's good practice to have on the day emergency appointments (they would be stupid not too!!) but they can't be kept specifically for people who 'walk in', people on the phone will be given them, and when these appointments have gone, they have gone. They can't just pull appointments from nowhere. That poor man though, the demand is just absolutely ridiculous. I really hope he got an appointment in the end.

Wow. Your judgment and disdain almost certainly oozes out of you when you speak to them so not surprised they weren't falling over themselves to help you frankly.

From reading this thread it sounds like it’s the patients behaviour which is unjustified.

My current GP the receptionists are amazing, I’ve never had anything but kindness from them. We live in a fairly deprived ward of our city and our GP practice covers some really vulnerable and complex social cases and I think the practice put quite a lot of time and energy into who they hire and it shows. My doctor is an absolute star as well.

however I have had GP receptionists and it feels like they are gatekeeping care. Obviously they have to prioritise who gets urgent appointments and not everyone who rings up saying they need an appointment today really does, but ultimately if you have no medical training that is a really fine line to walk and is always going to rile people up!

It’s a difficult job for not a lot of money. I’ve done a lot of customer service work and as previous posters have said, the general public are reliably rude, self centred and entitled. You certainly couldn’t pay me enough to try and deal with them when they’re also sick!

I’m a clinician in a GP practice and the receptionists are lovely. I remember standing behind one at the front desk sorting out a query regarding a patients report, with the receptionist. A patient came up to the desk and barked at the receptionist that she was booking in. The receptionist gently asked her to wait a second while we got this specific bit of information. The patient got mad and slammed her hands down on the desk. I was stunned!
Anyway, turns out that patient was mine and I was seeing her about 10mins later. She was absolutely nice as pie to me - after being so rude to the receptionist. Couldn’t believe the difference.

I do think it's also about the doctors behind them.

We used to have a lovely surgery. Receptionists were all lovely (had various ones over the years) and the main doctor was always happy to squeeze in an urgent case, never had to wait more than a couple of days even for non urgent. The doctors were all insistent they would see people who needed to be seen. Really lovely bunch.

Then the main Dr retired and the practice was taken over by a group practice, and the other drs moved on. Now getting an appointment is impossible. If you get through the receptionists, you get a curt text from the doctors which either tells you to go elsewhere or giving information which isn't correct on what you've said (and I've written it down to make sure they had that information). I believe occasionally they do manage a phone consultation, but I haven't managed even that for over a year now, even though it's been things where the previous GP dealt with.

The receptionists haven't changed, but the doctors inside have.

Because the public are so rude and vile to them most of the time. When I worked in a gp practice I often had to hug them in tears from some sod shouting abuse at them. They're not paid enough to tolerate the crap they do (doi dr)

I've been with the same surgery since 2002, they have changed over the years but on the whole, the receptionists are always nice over the phone and usually very helpful.

In 2002 I could ring up any time and make an appointment sometimes for the same day but now it's the 8am bunfight and more often than not, you fail to get anywhere.

I miss those days.

Ours is lovely. As are the staff in the dispensary. I’ve found on here that people are quick to shout rude when someone is just being efficient or to the point. We infer a lot from one limited interaction.

I do live in a nice area though so perhaps the scumbag ratio is lower so they aren’t as fed up. I’d imagine if you spend most of your day dealing with the section of the public who just want a methadone script it would be quite wearing.

There is a section on the recording before you get through to the receptionist on the phone that says they may ask for your symptoms but you don’t need to tell them if uncomfortable.