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 have no problem discussing my intimate problems with the doctor's receptionist, nurse, ... cleaner. I find that being prepared to chat to them means that you get the BEST treatment. Don't forget nurses can often be MORE experienced and more expert in dealing with certain problems.

If she had a rude manner, that's one thing, but as other have said, many people do ask to see the GP about something the nurses can deal with, so she had to ask. I am always pleased to be asked because if it's appropriate I know I'll be seen sooner than the GPs -who are often full up.

I hate it when people say they "pay their taxes". And you seem to be implying by your manner that what a nurse might be able to do would be worthless, so I wonder if your manner was somewhat at fault.

It was the use of the terms "fobbing off" and "not important" which makes me think you think seeing a nurse is second best, when in fact it may be wholly appropriate

Our surgery has an online booking system so I can avoid speaking to receptionists,the online form does say 'reason for visit' but I just leave it blank or put follow up. There are always same day appts with the Nurse Practitioner so I book one of those when knowing that I will get referred on to a duty GP if there is something they can't deal with though usually this is not necessary.

When I took my ds for his MMR I had been waiting 45 mins for my appointment with the nurse (she is notoriously slow). Eventually the nurse came out and had a conflab with the receptionist. The receptionist called me over and told me that as I had been late the nurse was refusing to see ds. Thing was I wasn't late I had been 10 mins early. So I explained to her and she insisted I was wrong and was exceptionally rude in front of the whole waiting room while ds was bawling his eyes out. I was nearly in tears as she accused me of lying and I couldn't quite believe they were being so nasty.
Then I remembered I had the official appointment notification. Well that shut her up- turns out she had messed up the vaccination appointments on the computer. No apology however, and I had to wait another 30 mins as the nurse saw all her other patients first. I took ds for a walk in the interim but only after the receptionist said if I left the building I would forfeit my appointment and I said fair enough then I would be making an official complaint about my treatment. She let me go. I wish now I'd just made a complaint. It was the sheer joy she took in telling a mother with an upset baby that she had been waiting for nothing. I have since left this GP practice.

I used to be very anti-receptionist until I got friendly with one, and since then, I can see both sides pretty clearly and understand why they're stuck between a rock and a hard place... though there's no need to be rude, that goes for patients too.

Many GP's have practice nurses that can deal with most minor ailments/accidents/illnesses and prescribe drugs, this frees up the GP to see people they need to see.... the way to sift through people to make sure they see who they need to see is to ask the question 'what's the problem/what are the symptoms?' unfortunately I don't want to discuss my ailments with a receptionist and often don't know what the problem is else I'd have gone to the pharmacy or asked for a prescription, rather than advice and diagnosis.

So, its easy really. A "GP emergency" is not the same as an A+E emergency, but if you need to see a doctor because you're ill, then when they ask if its an emergency, say yes. When asked what the ailment is, say its of a personal nature or private, whatever.

Receptionists are snippy and have earned that reputation, but GP's are also renowned for giving receptionists a shed load of grief if someone turns up in their surgery with a sniffle.

I guess it needs to be this way, I needed a regular slot with my GP for a few months and it was nigh on impossible to get the appointments timed right because so many patients were insisting on seeing a doctor for their sniffle. Our practice nurse is fantastic, so maybe I am lucky... but certainly the older patients cannot get their heads around seeing a nurse, only a doctor will do even if all they are suffering from is old age... its a national service, its always going to have its annoyances, and I think although we deserve a decent services we've also got to take a deep breath and roll with it to a certain extent.

So you got a same day appointment, an emergency appointment which should be kept for those most in need of them, because you felt you had a right to it and the nurses clinic wouldn't be good enough. How do you propose they sift through the patients if not asking about symptoms or at least severity, you seem to be suggesting that you should be downgraded if you go to the GP regularly but that would surely cover children/patients with long term serious conditions.

I hope you are not wasting the doctors' time with your sense of entitlement, and that if you are they have some sort of code for your notes so the receptionist knows in the future not to ask about symptoms but make you an appointment later in the week (as this is what you seem to want). I also hope you aren't feeling morally righteous because some people here have added their horror stories about doctors' receptionists, yours didn't do anything wrong.

'mm - thing is though, by questioning what's wrong and whether you can go to the nurses clinic, instantly implies (imo) that you're not important.'

I'm sorry but I think that's a bit offensive to nurses (an no I'm not a nurse before you ask). If it was something the nurse couldn't deal with fair enough but she only asked. Nurse practitioners can do a lot more than many people think. Write prescriptions, write sick lines and in some instances I prefer to see the nurse.

"So you got a same day appointment, an emergency appointment which should be kept for those most in need of them"

At our surgery, it is a choice between this and a pre-booked appointment in three weeks time. Guess which one most people choose?

If the practice employed another GP, even a part time one, a lot of these problems would be solved. However, I guess they prefer to keep their profits for themselves, now that they are all business centres

I think everyone is giving the op a hard time. The receptionists aren't medically qualified and unless there are notices up in the surgery saying otherwise, patients should be able to see a doctor if they feel they need to. The nurses in my surgery are incredibly slow and I avoid them like the plague. The last time I saw a nurse it took her 20 minutes to take my blood pressure because I had to wait while she wrote a letter (not for me). Time wasting works two way.
None of the GPs seem to work a full week. I asked about this (very politely) when trying to book an appointment to see one in 2 weeks time, only to find they were all booked up, I wasn't given a straight answer but told to ring in for an emergency appointment, which I hate doing as it amounts to the fastest finger on the button in the morning and no guarantee that you'll get an appointment as they're all taken within 15 minutes of surgery opening to take calls.

crystal - patients don't always know best. Sorry, they just don't

BTW - I'm not a GP or nurse

and if the op felt she needed to see a gp, she could just say so instead of getting all huffy

They always try that is because they want to tell you its not that serious and that you can wait to see anyone

I agree with Jamie

Actually maypole I once called up with a UTI and there were no appointments with GP left but the got me an appointment with the nurse for 2 hours later, had my sample off to the lab, initial dip test done and a few doses of antibiotics taken before I would have seen a GP. So sometimes it is actually a way to be seen quicker.

Fear of having this conversation with the receptionist made me delay asking for help with pnd after dc1 was born. Yes obviously I could have said "it's personal" but obviously I was feeling pretty vulnerable,and not very rational, and I wanted to see a particular gp that I felt comfortable with and I didn't want to go into why with the receptionist.

I like being refered to the nurse, once in with the nurse you get to see a doctor very quickly if needed and if not you have had your symptoms dealt with.

Anyway, Our receptionise ususally asks, is it something that could be dealt with by the nurse? sometimes I say unfortunately no it isn't and sometimes I tell them what it is and see if the nurse can deal with it.

Jacksterbear. That is a really good point, a real shame, and I do think it's why how the receptionist communicates is is so important.

Crystal, how do you know your GPs don't work a full week?

Last time I went to the surgery I got chatting to the receptionist and she detailed the working hours our GP had been doing that week: it was horrendous.

But it's not all in the surgery: he liaises with Social Services and with Mental Health services, he goes out to schools where there is a problem with child support, he still has to make some home visits- just because he can't come out for anything less than a serious case doesn't mean he is not dealing with serious cases. And there is a lot of paperwork-a fair bit of which is actually life-saving.

I really do not like seeing nurses as you get the "little knowledge is a dangerous thing" syndrome in play. The last time I accepted a nurses appointment ( about something totally different) I was chastised about being on HRT and told about risks that I was well aware of and had researched. When I asked her what specific research she was basing her views on all she could say was "well, that is what we are told" so I made a point of explaining to her the sources from which she could get up to date information and inform herself. ( and I complained about her) she won't try that again! Going back a few years the GP always did the smear tests, but now you get offered a nurse. If I go privately for this I get a consultant for quite a small fee - GP doesn't like that because it messes their statistics for take up about.

PS - what I really meant to say was I would never give a receptionist any information about my symptoms, that is a private issue for discussion with the GP only.

Okay - I didn't get at all huffy when she asked. I will really polite, as I always am. And this is definitley not to do with being embarrassed about giving symptoms - I really don't care who I tell.

And I'm definitely not anti nurses and believe nurses to truly be the backbone of the NHS. In a year or two's time, I'll be doing my midwifery degree so I'm not being precious about the services the NHS provide at all.

I think many of you misinterpreted my posts.

However, as a patient, it is equal to be being a customer and yes, I feel, as my extremely hardworking DH, that as we pax our taxes and rarely use the GP/NHS system, that we should be made to feel as though we are being taken seriously. (DH is armed forces so doesn't even need to use the NHS).

I think that a poster further got it right when she said the receptionsist could simply ask whether the problem could be dealt with by a nurse or does it need the GP.

In fact, in my old surgery, that's exactly what happened. I realise in a typed post, it's hard to get across emotion but basically, the receptionists are known to be arsey to most patients and whilst I think that they are trying to dwindle down patients with 'spots on their fingers', it's the way that they seem to tasr everyone with this 'you're wasting our time' mentality.

My sil had to book an appointment for her ds to have jabs but they said she had to go at a certain time. She said she needed a different time as she woudl be breastfeeding her baby at that time and the receptionist simply said "well, that's the only time we have". No offer of trying to help her or anything. So SIL took the baby, fed him in the surgery, had to stop mid feed, he threw up all over her and on the floor and SIL was really upset. She wrote to them and got a nice letter back from the manager saying the receptionist should have been more helpful.

I understand what people are saying about trying to give appointments with GPs in certain areas but our surgery doesn't do that; it's so busy, you don't get a choice; you either see who they give you or you don't go!

Oh and I honestly know how much training nurse practitioners get; I'm not dissing them, just the way the surgery deals with its 'customers' because essentially, that's what we are.....customers.

The national survery that was completed a few years back showed that many surgeries were failing in customer relations.

Thanks crystal - you seem to know what I'm on about.

Oh and I don't mind everyone giving me a bit of a hard time; it's AIBU after all .

I don't really understand what you are saying then. If you do not mind seeing a nurse if appropriate, and are not uncomfortable discussing your medical problems then I don't see what the problem was. The only valid criticism is that she was "arsey" and that is not peculiar to doctors receptionists unfortunately.

I don't see the point in simply asking whether it would be suitable for an appointment with the nurse, because the receptionist would have to detail exactly what each nurse at the practice can do to everyone who rings for an appointment. Try getting through to make an appointment then!