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. 💊

They are professional and polite, even to nasty people. Like most receptionists actually are :)

A lot of them have a pretty rough ride with their jobs.

Public facing job, healthcare, people are often unhappy and unreasonable about things that are not the receptionists' fault.

Tbh it would put me in a bad mood too.

I think there would be a lot more understanding if people commenting on here had actually tried to do the job themselves.
Same as in retail, staff on frontline do not make the rules, policies and procedures yet are constantly at the brunt of them.

Not saying it's ever OK to be rude, but it doesn't make any difference to them and their salary whether or not a patient is paying. They don't benefit from that. It is just the US system. UK taxpayers are also paying for the NHS.

Receptionists at my GP are lovely. Most of the patients I see interacting with them, when I've been sat waiting for my appointment are rude. Don't say hello back and no please and thank yous.

Not my experience at all!
prev London surgery had fantastic receptionists - universally liked, known for being fantastic etc.
current non-London surgery: same. Great on phone, great in person.
Also wondering if OP is having a slow day at the DM news desk?

I had all sorts with my current GP. Some are lovely and could not do more for you. They answer the phone, they ask the questions and book you the appointment.
Others, just.... well, I had them refusing to book appointments (for 4 weeks later, non urgent..), try to diagnose my teen (at the end, I was right my DD had anaemia, no she did not need paracetamol..), gave me the wrong information...
And so on and on.
But, I have to say, they have improved so much! From the times they just decided that they would just not give regular appointments till now. I had, at that time, to take a day off work to sit on the phone at 8 am, to call them more than 64 times ( this is not a joke, or an exaggeration), then battle through the receptionst firewall. I suppose they got so much to deal with, if every previous caller has been through the same as me, that by the time they get to my call they are fed up. But still. I have my own problems, which include a then undiagnosed chronic minor issue.
Now, we are mostly OK. Most of them are lovely. If I get a silly one, I just try again, with another one.
I think our Health Board got a large number of complaints about the surgery at their worst point. And it has worked wonders.

Its the refusal to listen that frustrates me. At one point all local GP surgeries were fully booked so I was once allocated by my local health board to join an oversubscribed practice and was instructed by them to go to the surgery to register and that the details from them would be on file but receptionist refused to listen and just parroted "we're not accepting new patients, "if we make exception for one we would have to for everybody". It was actually a passing GP in the background who came to my recure and asked my name/details.

I also have ASD and find it easier to write things down rather than struggle face-to-face if its complex. I have a health concern that I would like to discuss. It has quit a long backstory so I would prefer to email/message it to the GP so they can read it ahead of the appointment but receptionist says "no, if we make exception for one we would have to for everybody". I still haven't been seen about this issue because nobody will let me write it down.

When I moved in with DH I transferred to his surgery. No issues with the receptionist until we got married.
I went in to fill in the change of details form.
Now, I have a very rarey surname. Turns out the receptionist was very close to DH exW. Knew all about her affair with a colleague etc.
When she was manning the phones I knew I'd never get an appointment and when I miscarried at 16 weeks and needed an appointment she laughed and said ' it's just a heavy period '.
That night ,after 8 years DH got a text of his ex ' hope ladymalfo73 is okay'.
We made a complaint to the Practice Manager and the receptionist was dismissed.
She was so arrogant she'd emailed the exW using her work email.

What did you expect the receptionist to do when they don't make the rules ?
Getting arsesy because a GP won't make a home visit is beyond their control as is how the booking system works ...

I can guarantee you i was polite to them apart from one time when they started getting v personal over an admin error they made. I lost my composure a bit and cried - basically saying why are you so mean. Friends who were also registered with that GP had similar issues. I will agree with u that new GP defos more profitable and can probs afford to hire more professional staff.

I was battling with GP receptionists for MONTHS to get an appointment. My specialist oncology nurse sent not one but two emails AND phoned herself. Still NO.

I was so very overwhelmed and vulnerable.

I’m shocked and still feel betrayed and bitter. Hard to let go of tbh

Im sure the information about not tolerating abuse to staff is because of how forceful you have to be before anyone will help you in the NHS.
People as a rule mirror the climate they are in. If it’s aggressive and rude, that’s how patients will act. I’ve seen first hand how you get treated by following rules and being polite.

The receptions at our surgery are now in powered to make life and death decisions as they are allowed to determine if you are unwell enough to see a doctor. I didn't realise receptionists are medically trained and competent to do this 🤔.

@Amberlynnswashcloth please do write a physical letter, address it to the Duty Doctor and either drop it off or post it. (Ex-GP medical secretary here).

There used to be an epically rude one at my practice. Really needed some anger management training, she left ( maybe she was fired). Current ones are ok. I’m in London. When I used to take my dad to his GP in Kent, and frequently dealt with receptionists, they were so
much nicer, more patient. Maybe it’s better outside London?

Getting arsy is the ONLY way the system works IME
@slowlyfallingtobits

In our old surgery we had such a rude receptionist it was quite comical. There were loads of comments on her on google reviews. More alarmingly, one of the GPs was batshitt too!
Thankfully we moved and now have a lovely surgery where the staff are really polite & helpful 😊

The bully to GP receptionist pipeline is a recognised scientific phenomenon.

I think they are so oversubscribed and sick people who have to wait for appointments can be really rude to them. It’s a bit like bus drivers.

I can believe that @SummerDaysOnTheWay

I think people are generally arseholey to them, so they're straight in the defense. Ours will warm up after a please/smile/oh wowsers you must be so busy etc .

Not sure that would fly. Both my own and my DH’s GP surgeries have a pre recorded phone message from the practice manager which states that the reception team are responsible for getting you seen by the right person and that if there are no appointments left you’ll be directed elsewhere. That seems to be the norm in most surgeries That kind of suggests that receptionists have some sort of cover to be able to carry out what is basically triage.

The receptionists at my GP surgery in West London are very good across the board, polite and discreet in my admittedly limited experience. I’ve seen some patients behave very badly though. A friend who is a GP Practice Manager has great difficulty recruiting receptionists and maintains as it’s a minimum wage role, it’s rare for people to stay very long.

It’s funny because it’s true

Also the same at NHS hospitals. Why are receptionists allowed to be on their mobile phones rather than doing the job they are paid to do.
If you are a receptionist the bare minimum, in my opinion, is to be able to greet people with a smile and actually prioritise dealing with the person in front of you, rather than carrying on a conversation with a colleague or ignoring the patient.