to think that the receptionist at our GP surgery always asks why we need to see the doctor when we phone to make an appointment?

[astragirl]

Surely that's personal info, no? I so want to tell her to mind her own bloody business!

Ours would only ask that if I called today and requested an emergency appointment this afternoon. Booking a routine/advance appointment wouldn't need this information.

I suppose if I refused to tell her she would have to book me the appointment anyway?!

I dont like it either but they are just doing what they ate being told to do...

I think though, you are quite in your rights to say 'it is personal' if you want to?

The one at my old surgery used to do this.

My DH suggested saying 'I have syphilis' to shut them up... in the end I went with 'I'm not prepared to discuss my personal medical information with you, thanks'

YABU.... Surgeries provide all kinds of services such as repeat prescriptions & routine vaccinations, smear tests and other non-GP functions as well as consultations with an actual GP.

I used to say 'its personal' but that never worked so now I go into great, great detail about all the awfully intimate reasons that I need to see the doctor and keep going on my rant of intimate problems until I get the idea that she wished she hadn't asked!!

Sometimes they are told to ask by doctors so they can make an appt with best person for the job, you may not need to see a GP, instead could see nurse or nurse practitioner or perhaps the GP's have different speciality areas so by asking they can direct you to best person.(I went to docs not long ago ony to be told ahhh you need to see DR x, he deals with that bye...so waste of my time and theirs!) You could always just politely say "it's personal" if you don't want to tell them.

It's very annoying, yes. Our surgery justifies itself by analysing if you actually do need to see a doctor or if a nurse can deal with it, and then try and give you an appointment at any time in distant future.

I often wonder how many people actually tell lies to get past the receptionist. Invent symptoms that aren't there to get to see a doctor about something else. It's got me wondering.

And I think you're right. It is personal information. Supposing receptionist was a neighbour and you didn't want your ailments or whatever broadcast about to neighbours.

Are! Not ate! Bloomin iPhone!
Yep mine only ask on emergency ones too, they need to assess if it is urgent or not! Blooming heck, if I phone for an emergency appointment it is urgent! Lol

Well I'm sure that you have the right not to discuss it- just say it's a private matter.

On the other hand though it can be useful for the receptionist to know, so they can priorities more urgent cases. Also a couple of times when we've taken DD for something potentially contagious they have given us a separate room to wait in, which seems a very good thing for the other patients. They can only do this if they know though.

Well,it is probably because appointments aresometimes taken up by people who do not need one.
The Receptionist is probably not having a good guffaw with the other staff outside about Mrs X and her recurring bum boil...more likely that she wants to ensure you get seen by the correct Dr-my GP always gives you a lady GP for things that may require you to show your fandango for example-or maybe require a double appointment.
So I think YABU. Give the woman a break,she is just doing her job!

They do this at my surgery. Usually to assess whether you can see the practice nurse if its a non urgent/minor ailment.

I think sometimes they are trying to see if they can send you to the nurse practitioner instead.

I needed a second set of antibiotics in the New Year when my first lot didn't work. I'd been up all night coughing and rang up on Tuesday 4th January or whatever the first "real" day of the year was (after the bank holiday). I rang as soon as lines opened and was 44th in the queue! Finally got through and of course all the GP appointments had gone.

I cried into the phone (not even strategic, I was that fucked off with the cough and had had no sleep for days) and she aksed if she could put me on the Nurse Practitioners "cancellation" list. I said, yes please. She called me during the school run and gave me an appointment.

So I went in and she listened to my chest and was able to prescribe me some very strong antibiotics and a ventolin inhaler. No sign of a doctor, she obviously has those prescribing rights.

So I walked out of there with my script - who needs GP's eh?!

I think the Nurse Practitioners with prescribing rights are fairly underutilised, everyone just wants to see a GP but there's not a lot they can't do.

I did see one for my blood pressure after having my most recent baby (pre-eclampsia hangs about sometimes a few weeks after the birth) and she was unable to prescribe me blood pressure meds under the circumstances so there is some stuff they can't do. But she got me in with a doc by barging into his office so they have power that receptionists dont have!

It does come across as kind of rude though. Just say "I have a medical condition". "What sort of medical condition" "The kind a doctor needs to diagnose". etc

When I was registered at the student health service at universtity, the receptionists would always greet a request for an emergency appointment with "is it a medical emergency?" - of course it bloody was! If my car had broken down, I'd ring the AA not the GP.

I'm perfectly aware of what GPs do and what nurses do, and if I was unsure, I'd ask!

My parents surgery is like this - it is very open and no privacy at all. I have been under 5 practices in my life and only this one has ever done it - it really annoys my Mum - I have told her to very loudly proclaim she suspects she has very infectious disease. I would refuse personally

This happened to me this morning! I was really annoyed. I just replied, 'It's not an emergency but I'd prefer not to discuss it thanks.' I think they are trying to find out if you need an emergency appointment but they really should ask like that. Much better if they were trained to say, 'Is it an emergency? Is it something the practice nurse could deal with?' FFS it's not hard is it?

YANBU. It is very cheeky for them to ask IMO.

I don't see a problem. I'd rather end up with the most appropriate appointment, our NP is fab anyway. I assume the receptionists treat the information in the same confidential way as the GPs and nurses do. Bit patronising to assume they are gossipy busy bodies.

At our surgery there is a sign explaining why the receptionist needs to know. It is for triage purposes, as what you class as an emergency may not be in their eyes.

If they are full to the rafters, they might possibly squeeze you in if they can, if it really can't wait.
I have to say my GP's surgery is great, they will always try to fit DC's in.

should NOT ask like that. Grr!

Because they're usually told to by the doctors and practice manager. They don't need full details,just the basic details.

My first job was as a medical receptionist,and we were told to ask for basic details,as often the issue was one that the practice nurse dealt with,or was an issue that required a prescription,e.g headlice.

I took no pleasure in asking,believe me. I'm really not interested in your medical history,and even less interested in having a discussion about the colour and texture of your vaginal discharge,while I'm in town,about to order a sandwich for lunch.

I don't understand why it's such an issue for people to tell the receptionist,so long as it's done away from other patients,as it's more than likely that the receptionist will be the person filing away the new pages in your medical file later.

I'd rather they asked so they could make sure I saw the right person, I don't see it as an intrusion at all.

When I got pregnant with DS1, I phoned my surgery for the results of the pg test and who was on the phone but the mother of an aquaintance. Guess who told her daughter that I was pregnant and let her mates in the local shop know?

But i know who I need to see for what personally or would ask if unsure! they never ask at my docs at all - or my previous 3 so not always necc IMO

Nosy receptionists. Whatever happened to patient confidentiality?

Chil I think if you call and ask for an apt with the GP, then it's pretty clear you don't just want a repeat prescription, no? They do this at my surgery and often I say "it's none of your business". They are recpetionists, not clinicians, they do not need to know.

I've argued with ours before when I had a problem getting DS to take meds so tried to make a second apt in two days. I was told they would refuse to see me, come back another day, WTF??? No offer of a nurse, just sod off basically. In the end I spoke to a doc on the phone who told us to come in, ha!

On another occasion DS and I had the same illness so needed meds, but I couldn't get two apts together. I said "oh that's ok, I'll just mention my prob when we see him about DS". She replied that the GP would not speak to me about it. What, he would ignore me? I know there is a time issue but what I needed was a prescription, which would require a 30 second scan of my notes, not a twenty minute discussion.
The GP was happy with this, BTW!

Receptionists have access to patient records,they have to,as they generally pull and file the notes,so I don't get why people get all worked up about this.

I had to sign a confidentiality agreement when I started as a medical receptionist,because the role required that I handled patient records.