to not want to give symptoms to GP receptionist?

[vintageteacups]

So I called the GP surgery this morning and, as like the last time I rang, the first thing the receptionist said when I asked to book a doc's appoinment for dd (9) was:

"what seems to be the problem? We have a nurse's clinic this afternoon"

I calmly said that I would like a doctor's appointment and didn't tell her the symptoms.

What on earth? We pay our taxes and it's our right to take dd to see the gp, yet this cold fish of a woman just went "right, Dr .... at 11:50 then", took the name and address and put down the phone.

As has happened before, I felt really guilty about taking DD and felt as though I was wasting their time (even though I hadn't said what was wrong wtih dd).

Surely they can sift out the ones who turn up every monday morning with a spot on their finger and another runny nose (however, it's surely their right to book an appointment if they want) compared to me who has taken dd and ds probably twice each in 2 years. I have been once in 2 years!

They have a comments sheet - was thinking about extending it into a letter.
The receptionists have a really bad reputation for being grumpy and unhelpful.

I'll happily tell anyone even slightly medical anything about my health. Really doesn't bother me TBH.

Referring to your point 5. inverted - have you seen the huge houses that GPs live in and if profits are so terrible, how come the ones in my town send their children (and most have 3/4 kids) to the private school (one of the most expensive in england)???

To the people saying that receptionists can ask you for symptoms in order to assign you to the most appropriate clinician: my GP surgery has a website listing each practice member's special interests. I can tell them who I need to see, and don't have to share my symptoms.

Just wanted to add that we are already seeing services that have been provided by GPs being returned to the hospitals. At our practice, it is no longer possible to get stitches removed, we have to travel to a hospital (with no public transport links to our town). The nurses at the GP surgery used to do a great job .

I'm another person who's happy to give information about my health to receptionists, provided it is asked for in a respectful way and treated as confidential. I assume that it usually is.

Unfortunately the following conversation has soured me slightly. It happened about a year and a half ago.

Me: Hello, I'd like to make an appointment with the doctor please.

Recpetionist: What are your symptoms?

Me: I've got a lot of pain in my lower back [a LOT of pain] and I think it might be a kidney infection as I've just had cystitis and this happened before.

Receptionist: Hmmm. Are you sure you've not just got your period?

As it turned out I had a pretty bad kidney infection. The receptionist in question had a history of being rude and ignorant. She was the doctor's daughter.

I understand that doctir's receptionists have a hard time of it and I've witnessed them being verbally abused in the past. But I'm a teacher and I regularly get shouted at, told to 'fuck off', etc by large teenagers and it hasn't turned me into a sour-faced old cow. I still treat people with respect and receptionists in particular should be aware of the needs of the, often vulnerable and ill, clientele that they're dealing with.

Inverted snobbery - the six month dispensing repeat depends on the admin of both the GP surgery and the pharmacist. In my experience something always goes wrong and a great deal of my time gets wasted sorting it out. It is not very effective either. I shall also add that I used to be able to get a blood test at my doctor's surgery and make a mutually convenient appointment with the nurse to do so. Now I have to go to the surgery around the corner to see a phlebotomist, a different one every time, there is no longer a holistic element and most importantly there is no appointment system. When I get there (I can't get there before 8.30 because of school runs) there are usually 12 retired people ahead of me and the wait is absurd. The practice manager agrees it is wrong, the phlebotomists agree it is wrong, but apparently the doctors don't see the need for an appointment system, not every for the first six appointments which could be reserved for working people. Is it that everyone in the NHS is always late, so thinks that it is acceptable for everyone else to be late or unreasonably delayed for work.

The point I'm trying to make inverted is that if health professional want me to respect them and their time it is a two way street and it woudl be so much easier to do so if it felt as if there was a little respect for me and my time in return.

Finally in response to your comment about pressure of work most other professionals work very very hard (as do many many people who are not professionals) and at present in a difficult and dynamic economic environment where everyone is seeing profits fall and working/living with less than they had a few years ago. If they are late or get tied up dealing with the NHS they may lose their jobs, lose a deal, work late and end up paying more for childcare as a result. There is a little real world out there. As a primary healthcare worker do you think you might be able to remind those in the primary healthcare bubble about it please.

I went to the out of hours clinic last weekend as I had been told to get blood pressure checked every day. Understand why I suppose, but was quite surprised when the receptionists asked everyone who came in what their symptoms were (to triage and prioritise I suppose?) - the reception desk was right there in the waiting area so everyone could hear the conversation. (Hate to admit that it actually made waiting slightly more interesting hearing what ailments people were coming in with), but thought that was a bit counter to confidentiality? One older woman did say 'it's a bit personal' and I thought good for her, the receptionists accepted it without question.

I find doctors receptionists hilarious (and usually very annoying).

Whilst waiting for the GP at one of our antenatal visits, we couldn't help but hear a fairly bullish receptionist grill some poor unfortunate young woman. Not only did I hear the entire sordid history, I was actually able to make the diagnosis in the waiting room.

On our way out, I told the GP that we heard the entire conversation and that her next patient has a pretty bad STI.

we can see here how different situations are...awkward staff at times , awkward patients at others. ' try and see from the other poerson's point of view' seems to be the solution for lots of situations ;BUT: if you've a bad feeling about a sick child :be as pushy as you need

DoctorDaddy, patronizing, much?

Yeah.. A little. I knew the GP, so she knew i was half serious, half amused..and it made the point much better than telling her the faults of her staff that she already knows.

Vintage - you would struggle to get one kid to private school on one GP's salary let alone three!! Perhaps you are not taking into account inherited money and property as most doctors are from a middle classed background - but not all of them.

I totally agree with the lack of holistic care and it's going to get worse when services are farmed off to private providers. Everyone, regardless of their background, deserves respect, compassion and a responsive service from the health service. I agree there is no excuse for lack of respect and courtesy - even if the health care professional is often a recipient to disrespect.

As for living in a primary health care bubble - I think this is simply untrue. We are all aware that there is a lot of uncertainty in our future and the face of general practice is likely to be changed forever.

....Be careful what you wish for...

If this is turning into a GP bashing match, I'm off......

There is no way on earth Id give medical information to a med receptionist. Maybe a PN but not a receptionist, no way.

Doctordaddy, no, it's a receptionist bashing one, you are Ok.

Inverted, I went to school with 3 of my GP's children. A 24k a year school. Struggling, he is not.

Lady - you are missing the point. Just because GPs send their kids to private school does not mean their salaries are paying for it. Many have family money or a spouse that is working as in an extremely well paid job as well.

£24K x3 kids equals £72K a year net on just school fees. Do you honestly think one GP's salary could pay for that. I can tell you - it can't! I do the sums for them.

Fur coat and no knickers and all that......

What about the GP in the news a couple of weeks ago then who declared £650,000 per annum!

and you believe EVERYTHING you read in rags?

GPs who earn significantly more than average are

1. Doing a massive amount of wrok outside the NHS in their own time so likely to be clocking up 80 hrs + per week
2. Earning money from property bought years ago
3. Hiring a lot of salaried staff so doing all the management themselves - again clocking up 80 hrs + per week.

We can all double our salaries if we work double the time can't we?

No I don't believe everything and appreciate it was an isolated case. I still believe GPs are very high up the earnings scale though, and rightly so. I just don't think it is right that healthcare provision assumes that the jobs other people do are less important and does not take into account the fact that punctuality outside of healthcare is regarded as very very important. I appreciate that the case in front of me may be very complex and the person may require 30 minutes and it is important they have that time. I did not appreciate the HV arriving for the first visit at 9.25 when the letter said 9am. I was her first appointment. I do not appreciate the GP running into the surgery at 8.50 (appointments start at 8.30) saying to the receptionist "I've had a terrible morning with the children". Lateness which translates into messing other people around just seems to be embedded within the NHS. My DH cannot keep his clients waiting and I cannot be late for meetings, disciplinary hearings, etc., why do health care workers think it is their right to be late and it is OK to keep people waiting because they do not start on time. I even recall a paediatrician calling DS in when he was a baby, not having the courtesy to look up and saying "you all turn up late and now you're all here at once". I wasn't late but I wasn't seen on time and surely the first words shoudl have been "I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting". Do you really think that if GP's et al were reliant on my paying them directly for their services the entire sector could continue to be so disrespectful. I don't think so - my husband knows that if he doesn't provide a quality and efficient service for his clients, they will not pay his bills.

Re the OP. I'm not sure what the problem is TBH. She asked what was wrong in order to signpost you; the information wasn't forthcoming so a GP appointment was given.

All sounds fair enough to me.

As regards to whether it's vital to do this or not - well if you are the next patient who can't get an appointment for your pretty sick 3 year old because the patient before insisted on seeing the GP for an ingrowing toenail then I'd say yes it is.

As far as being grumpy goes - I expect they get a huge amount of of grief everyday just for doing the best they can.

When you are sitting in the surgery, you don't know that the 3yr sick girl's mother didn't ask for her app at 10:30, do you?

That's the whole point of confidentiality; first come first served and if I feel as sick as a dog but someone else has called up and got the app before me, then that's fair - even though they just might be thinking they've pulled a hamstring or something and I feel on death's door.

She wasn't triaging me; she was trying to give all the patients a nurse's app if at all possible.

inverted - strange then how my GP has 4 girls all at the pricey public school I previously mentioned. Stay at home wife, house they bought when I was a little girl and come from a normal working/middle class background.

I think someone who takes a GP appointment when a nurse appointment would do just as well then is pretty inconsiderate TBH.

She was trying to give people nurse's appointments in order to save the GP's appointments for the people that really need them. Which may well have been your dd. Trying to make the best use of limited resources.

Confidentiality is an issue though and I would agree with you on that.

Yes but if someone honestly thinks they need a GP appointment, then they are not thinking they're taking an app from a more sick child/person are they?

So bascially, this goes back to my original point that the surgery should be making moer of an effort to advertise their services better and perhaps say that they will charge patients if they don't book into a nurses clinic for something that is on the published list - hey presto = problem solved.

vintage that is exactly why they need to ask questions. Advertising the other services would really only have an impact on people who are already relatively sensible. As I have already said you cannot assume others are as sensible as you.