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.

At all of the surgeries I've been registered (and it's a lot as a forces family!), they have all had an 'see any doctor' policy - which I love.

Apart from the reception staff and the way the management like to treat GP apps as though they're gold dust, it's a good surgery.

So to conclude then, I think it's the way the staff are (arsey with everyone) that makes it annoying. I'm not taking it personally; they get a lot of complaints about reception staff.

You're making the mistake of thinking everybody thinks the same way as you. They do not.

Last time I took dd to the GP, we waited 90 minutes while she sobbed with ear pain. The GP came out of his room after an hour and apologised to us all and then had a hushed conversation with the receptionist about why things like a minor scald and a smear were being referred to him (surgery should have been closed an hour and the receptionist was hanging around waiting to lock up). Of course these people knew they were entitled to a GP appointment and insisted upon it, refusing to talk to the receptionist about what might have been more appropriate.

To provide a service to everybody, they have to try and triage or people who desperately need to see a GP wait for hours or can't get an appointment at all and decide to suffer in silence.

Perhaps I'm in the minority when thinking that people working with the public should be considerate and polite and helpful .

SOH said it better than me

vintage - no - no - they should, but your OP was not an example of that, IMO.

I still agree with the OP in the case of our surgery. One of the receptionists is very rude and disrespectful, and HAS repeated my symptoms loudly in front of the entire waiting room when I came in to register my arrival for the appointment on the occassion I made the mistake of telling her why I needed to see the GP on the phone.

This is only one receptionist in one surgery though - I've never met any other unpleasant ones - mostly, they seem lovely!

i dont think triage is a job for a receptionist unless they have a nurse on the reception desk they dont have the relevant experience if they did they would actually be nurses not receptionists wouldnt they,having said that id understand if this particular patient came in every week but they are not always careful enough as in the case of the elderly or small children we have a particularly lovely polite cant do enough for you receptionist and two others i know of who just want rid of you off the phone asap so its kind of like everything in life some are nice some are not some cant do enough for you some are plain rude i think it depends wether they enjoy their job or not .

Exactly smile - however, the fact that they don't have reception nurses is down to money. So actually, the triage thing is not about caring to direct someone to the right care because they're being helpful; it's about the fact they don't have enough money to provide more doctors.

Much as I hate the dragons they seem to specialise in recruiting, they do actually have a purpose in asking what's wrong: it determines how long an appointment you need.

Bupa is v clever about this - you pay per 15 mins and must book in advance, so they run perfectly on time.

Our GP also has a triage system which works brilliantly - if you're working they prioritise you for first/last appt of the day; they always ask what the complaint is and for most things you have to see the nurse first, which frees up the GP's time. I've never ever been kept waiting more than 5 mins past the appt time, except when it's day before bank holiday when the triage system is skipped to allow people in to see docs straight away - that was a 2 hour wait!!!

I know how you feel OP.

I needed an appointment for my son last week (14 months old) the woman on the phone said;

"What are the symptoms?"

I was perfectly polite and said;

"Are you a qualified medic to be asking me that question?"

She said;

"No, I'm not a qualified medic. Come in at 1.50".

I have no idea why she felt the need to get involved but I am not legally obliged to divulge anything to her, and I make sure I never do. I also refuse point blank to see a bloody nurse when I specifically want to see a doctor. There is a difference between the two. One has a phd in medicine for a start.

I've read and re-read the OP but I can't for the life of me see what there was to complain about there.

Lady of trhe manor - lol at "No, I'm not a qualified medic. Come in at 1.50".

I kid you not. These people exist.

I would point out that their receptionists, regardless to working in a surgery or working in a hotel. But I think they'd moan about it. Someone, some where has told them that working in a GP surgery, some how makes them far more important than the average receptionist.

Actually in this country lady in this country they have a masters of surgery and bachelor of medicine if we are going to be pedantic. in the modern system Doctor is a curtesy title hence the running joke fro PhD holders that they are real Drs. Oh and calling them 'bloody nurses' is offensive.

vintage I too agree that you are making the mistake of assuming everyone is reasonable and inform because ime they are not. Even people who you would otherwise consider inteligent. Here are some examples that I have witnessed myself

1. Insisting on an urgent GP appointment because they had sneezed 3 times (no underlying health issues)
2. Insisting on an urgent GP appointment because the antibiotics hadn't started to work yet. They had taken the first dose 2 hours earlier and were not worse, just no better.
3. Insisting on an urgent GP appointment because they needed a dressing changed (yes I do think that would be better done by the practice nurse)
4. Insisting on an urgent appointment with the GP because they were confused that they felt better from their cold a day earlier than they had expected.

These are just a few examples but happen every day. Consider that multiplied across every surgery in the country. Then consider how you would feel if you had a pyrexial, vomitting 4 week old and their were no appointments left because of the people above.

Smileandwave The nurse will not have been "given permission" to prescribe certain drugs! S/he will be a qualified nurse prescriber/nurse practitioner.

Lady - Firstly, I sincerely doubt you were "perfectly polite". Secondly, did she say "I am a qualified medic, I demand that you tell me the symptoms as you are legally obliged to do so"? Or did she simply try to ascertain how she and the practice could provide you and the other patients with the best service possible service?

Patricia no, me either!

Call them what you will. A nurse isn't a doctor, as a nurse doesn't have a phd in medicine.

'I don't see a problem with the receptionist doing a basic triage'

i do!! With no medical training, you've got to be joking.
A 'sore' finger may be dislocated and more serious than a baby with a temperature,

She did in fact ask for information that she didn't need to know, and therefore I didn't tell her.

She is a receptionist. Her duties, I imagine, and correct me if I'm wrong, entail answering the phone, writing in an appointment book/typing into a computer and filing information. Not doling out free medical advice to someone ringing up to get an appointment.

xstitch LOL @ "confused that they felt better from their cold a day earlier than they had expected."
And you forgot to mention all the people who feel they have some kind of divine right to see a GP despite it quite possibly not being appropriate.

When I ring for a GP's appointment for me DP or the kids (not often TBF) I always give them an outline of the reason for the appointment. If it's non-urgent (eg contraceptive advice) I ask to see the Dr at the womens clinic. When it's been urgent (eg DS1 having asthma related issues as a result of flu) I've been given an appointment within half an hour.

There has only been one time when I've had a 'snotty' receptionist. A few years ago DP had a spontaneous pneumothorax and had spent a week in hospital, on suction, with a chest drain that had become infected. He was discharged on a thursday. By the saturday morning his anti-biotics had run out and he had pus running from the wound in his chest. I rang the GP's saturday morning 'emergency' clinic and explained that DP had an infected wound and the receptionist said, very abruptly, 'Dr doesn't do dressings'... when I informed her that DP had pus running out of his wound and no anti-biotic cover she reluctantly said 'Oh I suppose he'd better come in then..' I'm guessing that she was having a bad morning. BTW, seeing the GP that day was the right thing to do. He blanched when he saw DP's infection!!!

After that experience if I feel that an urgent appointment is needed I try and communicate the facts to the receptionist. IME anything 'serious' eg infections, breathing problems gets sorted right away. If everyone just said 'I need an appointment' then more serious issues might have to wait longer than necessary. Generally I find that if you are worried about serious issue you don't care who you explain the facts to!

Neither does a GP and doesn't mean a nurse isn't good at her job and certainly doesn't give people the right to refer to them as 'bloody nurses'.

Actually AFAIK part of a receptionists job is to allocate appointments efficiently. For a start I'm sure someone wouldn't be too chuffed at having a fasting blood glucose appointment at 5pm.

Is it not a right as a citizen of Britain, to see a GP-whose salary we pay? I'm pretty sure it is indeed a right to see a GP when we feel poorly; and I for one am damned grateful I'm taxed so much in order to do so.

I know when I or my kids need to see the doctor. And when they need to see the nurse. I use both.

Last winter, I got into a big argument with the receptionist on the phone, insisting DS saw a GP and not the nurse as his virus was not an average, run of the mill illness. The GP did eventually see him (after 2 phone calls from me) and he was referred as an emergency to the local paediatric A and E with suspected meningitis.

I've heard receptionists in our surgery repeating symptoms over the phone; there's only one that I trust and she's amazing. Really helpful, understanding and knowledgeable.

I'd be genuinely interested to know what sort of confidentiality GP receptionists have to abide by. Do they have to sign something before they begin? Or is the contract just a normal admin one.

Xstitch, are you now arguing that a doctor (a GP) or even a consultant, doesn't have a phd?