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.

Its the nanny state.. i DO NOT know better just trying to make it clear that not everything justifies gp appointments and common sense should be used where it can be. i am you were concerned about your veruca. of cousre i am curious to know what the gp said maybe live with it for now or gave you exactly what you could have bought from the chemist, its all beacause no one can risk responsibility except for over worked gps who with whom the final buck lays.

politeness works every time for most things

Some conditions require a longer appointment. And a quicker appointment. When I had post menopausal bleeding I phoned for an appointment, expecting it to be 2-3 weeks.

Immediately I got an appointment the next day, double appointment with a female doctor (did not ask for that).

If I had said I did not want to say what my appointment was for I may well have had to wait a few weeks and be given an inappropriate appointment.

Receptionists don't have crystal balls. They need some information.

OK, have read the rest of the thread, including your last post, vintage. What it seems to boil down to is the tone of the receptionist. She said:

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

but you would have preferred her to say:

"Do you need to see the GP or will a nurses appt do?"

To me, these mean, or at least imply the same thing, but given the context and your previous experiences you saw it as her being rude.

Just to add, I am a bit sensitive about the "I pay my taxes" argument, because one of the rudest, most patronising snotty beatches I ever met used it on me when I was a hospital receptionist . That's my context

i am with you on that.....

TBH until about five years ago, I thought you had to be seen by a doctor to get a prescription. Then I caught a kidney infection over a w/e - now that is the sort of thing that may not be an "emergency" in one sense of the word, but when you are in a lot of pain and discomfort you want to start necking the antibiotics asap, so you do need to be seen pdq.

Anyway I phoned up on the Monday morning, was asked to come straight in with a sample to see the duty nurse. After a quick chat she concurred with my self-diagnosis :o nipped in to get the doctor's sig and five minutes later I was on my way with a packet of antibiotics. Sorted.

Years ago, though, I would have had to see the doctor to get the pills, so now I am a big fan of seeing the nurse. Once you're there, if it's more complicated they usually sort something out.

ASByatt - by saying "we pay our taxes" doesn't have to mean we pay their wages.

Unitl I had my chhildren I was a civil servant so I'd obviously not be talking about NHS employees like that.

What I mean is that as tax payers we have as much right to be treated as fairly as the next person and that actually, from our family, the govt are getting a large amount of taxes for people who don't actually need to use the services the taxes provide very often.

Compared to the high amount of taxes DH pays, the amount of anything we ask for in return is minute so I was meaning that I don't feel at all guilty asking for a GP appointment in that respect (IYSWIM).

We save loads of energy, we are rarely ill, we don't need regular meds, we only drive one car etc - I mean as a family who are quite the opposite of a burden on the tax system, we shouldn't be made to feel guilty by receptionists because we won't see the nurse.

ipswichwitch I will using that phrase next time.

About the verruca thing - I think most of the drug treatments available for them say not to be used during pregnancy so flying start was correct in going to the GP.

{skipped to the end}

YABVVVVVVVU. I hate the low levels of respect and tolerance shown to GPs receptionists. After university, I spent 4 weeks temping in a lovely surgery, with the most warm-hearted mother hen receptionist staff. The way patients thought thay could speak down to the staff, coupled with the demands from some of the doctors made me really feel for these poor, lovely women.

Some doctors would straight-forward REFUSE to see any patients unless they had an idea beforehand what the general gist of the problem was, this was especially the case when it was an 'emergency' or out-of-hours call. If we didn't get this info, we got told off. We ask for a bit of info, and you get some mad woman on the end of the phone telling me I had no right to ask, I wasn't medically trained (although I should have said that whilst I didn't hold an MD, I had done a neuroscience degree....) and downright refused to give any info... 5 minutes of explaining later, she had a simple UTI.

Honestly, in my 4 weeks as a receptionist we had people collapsing and emptying their bowels in the waiting room, people bleeding over us, sobbing to us. I spent 10 minutes on teh phone keeping a woman going though a MC calm whilst the doctor got out to her - telling the receptionist your weewee hurts is not going to throw us!

Giving your GP a bit of a heads up before you go in might even lead to you getting better care, so how is that a bad thing?!

Urgh.

Plus every single day we would have people phoning up, demanding an appointment when there were none left (I am not God, I can not stretch the space time continuum and invent a new hour in the day). jAsking if you could see the nurse means that if you COULD, then that is an appointment space saved for a patient who may need that space.

I would thin kworse of a receptionist who didn't try to put patients needs first, by dispersing patients through the various nurse-doctor levels.

I have SO much respect for those women I worked with. They were lovely people who would go out of their way to help people, and got so much more abuse from snotty (in more ways than one) patients than they could ever deserve.

(re- the veruca) all the patient would have to do in that case would state that due to her pregnancy the pharmacist had advised a prescription would be needed from a doctor. Getting snotty, refusing to give symptoms, and speaking down to someone is not going to help your situation.

And patients DO have reputations in GPs, if you make their life hard then they are less likely to go out of their way for you.

Scheherezadea - surely though, that's your experience of your time in one surgery.

And actually, saying that the lady had a simple UTI is a bit . For all you know, it could have been a whole lot more than a simple UTI.

If you had the thread, which you admitted to not doing, you'd have read much more detail than simply the first thread; especially the bit about me not minding/being embarrassed about telling them the problem.

I am another who shudders at 'I pay my taxes' and 'I pay your wages' Sadly ime at least 75% of the time it is used to justify threatening or even physically assault people..

OP you did get treated though she only asked a question, it wasn't that they refused treatment.. Or have I misunderstood what happened?

its awkward one the receptionist has a job to do i know but if say youve got piles as i did when pregnant her asking whats wrong with you when your 8 months pregnant and wheezing and puffing looking like a hippo i really dont want to discuss my symptoms because yes they have actually asked for a list of symptoms at the desk with a queue behind me ... on the phone i guess i dont mind but i always think about whn ive been in the waiting room ive overheard the telephone conversation because they speak so loud as in on loud speaker (not because the persons elderly ) just loudly with every call hello mrs jones whats your fIrst name ? (repeating it all back alloud) oooh you have got puss comming from where?? oh your minge ill book you in with dr x he loves a bit of minge lol sorry makes me laugh

Giving you an appointment with the nurse is not "fobbing you off" it is sending you to the most appropriate person for your problem which then frees up GP time for those who actually need it. It doesn't mean that they think you're less worthy or something

You calmly stated that you didn't want to discuss your symptoms and the receptionist calmly gave you an appointment with the GP. She probably thought you were "a cold fish".

I fail to see what the problem was here, other than that you appear to look down upon nurses and receptionists.

"What I mean is that as tax payers we have as much right to be treated as fairly as the next person "

Well they'll ask every person the same questions. It's not about you, they don't care about your medical problems. They cannot assume that everybody knows about different clinics or the responsibilities or abilities of nurse practitioners as opposed to GPs. So they ask everybody to actually provide you with a better service. It's a good thing. And as with everything, you have the right and ability to decline to give information. But don't assume you're being judged or denied access to a service because a receptionist is doing his/her job.

I've said it before on these threads, at the point where the receptionist is forcing you to mime out your problem in a packed waiting room on a makeshift stage, then I'll agree. But while they're trying to provide a service that you're so keen on asserting your right to, I think you're being ridiculous complaining about it.

perhaps it was the way in which the receptionist spoke somethin=mes i find ours very harsh matronly and not very helpful for eg my neice asked for an appointment for her new born as he was acting strange not feeding a bit hot and the receptionist said sharply you will have to ring in the morning we have none with any doctor and put the phone down i wasnt around at the time or id have reasured her and helped i guess she didnt like to ask thinking she should be able to cope anyway. it upset her because as they say its not what you say often its HOW you say it.
I always if possible see the nurse i find they often have a better bedside manner and you get seen quicker

oh just re read for the OP just like to let her know yes it used to be that the nurse had to run off to get the px signed but im pretty sure they have been given permission now they can also sign depending obviously what the medication is and what its for

Oh deary me - I just knew if I posted on AIBU, it'd all go pear shaped!

I soooooooo don't look down on nurses and receptionists - quite the opposite.

Okay - so it has nothing to do with me giving symptoms; I don't care telling anyone my sympoms, vaginal or otherwise!

It's also nothing to do with not thinking nurses aren't good enough.
Perhaps I shouldn't have used the words fobbing off but in the case of MY surgery, it is the case that generally, they try to give you a nurses appointment before giving any GP apps.

In my mind, this is wrong. Everyone who lives in the UK is entitled (actually whether they pay taxes or not) to an appointment with a GP. That is how the NHS works. Now, in an ideal world, any patients that can be treated by the nurse, should be. However, I'm merely stating that actually, I'd rather not be told to give my symptoms to a non-medically trained person who will then (using random skills of deduction) tell me I can or cannot see the GP.

There are times I would never ask for a dcotor's app for certain things, as I've previously said, such as a blood test or smear test or dd's asthma. However, for everything else that isn't covered under the nurses remit, I'd like a GP appointment.

Fair do's. You're a clever person who knows (or thinks she knows) what she needs. Many aren't, and the main thing is, the receptionist is not a mind-reader

What I mean is, you are taking this all rather personally.

at our surgery you have to wait 4/6 weeks for the gp of your choice so compared to that the nurse is fantastic friendly fast and just as effective but of course certain problems have to be sorted by the gp no getting round that

its not going pear shaped vintageteacups just everyone doesnt agree is all i do and dont (i love this fence) lol but i have to admit getting past our receptionist is like mr muscle V the hulk couldnt think of a good analogy