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 don't mean in your name lady of the manor but when people use it when directing at you

What do you mean lady because they have to be nice to you etc its OK to be rude? I really hope that's not what you mean.

I mean I hope that's not what you mean.

It is what she means

Vintage-Neither did MNHQ by the looks of it....their posts got deleted.

Xstitch, I don't consider it being rude to refuse to divulge in medical information to a receptionist-who, as we've established, is "qualified" to warrant appointments without the said information.

If you go into A & E, a triage nurse assesses you to see how serious it is/how long you should wait.

It is not a triage receptionist who does it. If it were, everybody would complain.

Point made

Personally I would consider mentioning being 'fobbed off with a bloody nurse' rather rude and I am not even a nurse. I fear it may come over in your tone of voice.

actually many a&e receptionists have to do a quick visual triage otherwise very sick people may be waiting while the 'triage ' nurse is sifting through 10 paients who have pitched up with colds coughs conjuctivitis and of course flu....

xstitch is talking a lot of sense here and clearly has a lot more understanding of the system than some of the arrogant twaddle I've heard.

GPs work within the NHS but are often self-employed so surgery staff ARE employed by them and work under their guidance and to their protocols. It is common practice at many surgeries to ask what the problem is to ensure the patient sees the right practitioner and the practitioner is "forewarned" (it might surprise people to know that GPs are not always walking encyclopaedias and may sometimes appreciate the chance to quickly check on something in advance, particularly if relatively newly qualified.

I work in the NHS and see some truly appalling behaviour from patients who believe they are entitled to whatever they want regardless of their lack of awareness or understanding.

Lady It is important that people (even those who claim to pay vast amounts of tax) realise that the NHS is not a bottomless pit. Demanding to see a doctor every time is certainly not cost-effective for the NHS and there are some occasions when I would far sooner see a nurse e.g. they are far more experienced with taking bloods.
Incidentally earlier posters are right "Dr" is a courtesy title with a medical degree, medical doctors have a bachelors degree not a PhD.

and receptionists at a&E have to take imformation on the patients problem even though they are not medically trained or would you prefer nurses doing all admin aswell?

i am shocked too at the 'Arrogant twaddle' too maye vintage teacups and lady should go to bupa?

oh they cant because bupa do not have eemergency services hence why the nhs A&e departments see countless patients after variious treatments in private hospitals go wrong or need dressing out of hours. we all take so much for granted and should be thankfiul instead of so demanding

Excuse me, I use Bupa-every operation I've had has been done there. There isn't an emergency department, or a GP department, and as I pay tax I am damned well entitled to ring my surgery and see a doctor.

GP trainee/registrar - may be as little as 2 years out of medical school.
Nurse Practitioner - may have up to 20 years experience including a degree and a post graduate qualification.
When I worked in the NHS many of the nurses I worked with had far more experience and knowledge than the junior Dr's. They often advised the Dr's what treatment a patient should receive as they had been in that situatition dozens of times and knew what treatment was most effective.

Please don't group me into the arrogant twaddle group.

I can't afford to go to Bupa.

Thing is Ivor, you say that the NHS isn't a bottomless pit and that not everyone should have access to a GP appointment.....imagine if my DH said "oh, I can't be arsed to go Afghanistan today. Why should I be shot at?"

Oh no - that's right - he can't say that. The armed forces aren't allowed to strike and certainly don't get to triage their day!

Surely it all comes down to management of the budget and we all know how the govt. waste oodles of it in all departments. Perhaps putting more money into salaried GPs and less on new designer hospitals that have miles of wasted corridor space and look pretty might solve a few problems.

Nobody is suggesting that GPs and their staff strike. People don't have an automatic right to a GP appointment and a GP isn't obliged to see them just because. what they are legally and ethically obliged to do is ensure that people get the most appropriate treatment in the most appropriate time frame. Some times a GP appointment wouldn't be the most appropriate thing for a particular problem there are actually lots of options.

Also as I have already mentioned if you call about getting a fasting blood sugar appointment it would need to be first thing in the morning. A smear test needs a double appointment slot waste of everyone's time of a single appointment is given.

The receptionist can to an extent direct people to the appropriate person eg if someone called up saying they thought they had broken their arm (yes I have know this to happen) then I would expect the person to be directed to A&E as that is the most appropriate place for that person at that time. TO give them GP appointment would be failing to treat them appropriately and would un-necessarily delay proper treatment and be potentially dangerous.

As I have also said before some posters are crediting all patients with too much intelligence and knowledge, just because you know doesn't mean that many don't.

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

Ha. GPs receive £65-100 per patient per year. The average patient visits a GP or practice nurse 5 times per year. So that's £20 per visit gross at absolute best. From that £20 come all the practice expenses, from running the building to paying the staff plus all the admin costs of patient care including the repeat prescription service, dealing with letters (40-50 per day per GP), dealing with test results etc etc. Compare this to £80 for a single A&E visit or £150-200 for going to outpatients, even if you're seen by a junior doctor there.

Forget what you read in the Daily Mail, core general practice runs at a loss. The only reason GPs make any profit now is by doing additional work such as minor surgery. General practice is on a knife edge; it is predicted that 5-10% of practices will go bankrupt in the next 5 years.

OP I had similar happen to me and I actually moved from my NHS Healthcare clinic because the receptionist hung up on me after refusing to let me have a doctors appointment! I'm pg and the MW had told me to go to the docs and get a prescription for iron tabs (gave me all of the paperwork from my bloods etc to show them) but the grouchbag at the docs point blank refused to let me see my doc or even drop of the paperwork until I had gone back to my MW and made them call up or send a fax. They share the same system so it's more than possible for them to look at the latest test results from the hospital and midwives here are massively over stretched so I really can't see why she was so rude.

I went and got spatone from Boots in the end and dealt with it myself! Not really what NHS is for, or my "free" prescriptions card, but what can you do?

You haven't answered my question Lady. If you and I both rang for appointments and my sore finger got prioritised over your acute health need 'cos the receptionist didn't take into account circumstances would you be happy? Methinks not.

Vintage I agree with you that budget management is an issue, and God knows I can moan about that till the cows come home, but it can be aggravated by patient behaviour.

Just as an example, GPs get a bill whenever their patients go to out-of-hours GP service, A&E, etc. I have seen a recent charge for a patient who went to A&E with an "itching sensation inside the ear since yesterday". Understandably they could not do anything to resolve this for him but the bill for this stupidity (and believe me it was a big bill and this is not an isolated incident!) reduces the amount the GP has left in the budget for other patients.

I'm not saying that patients are not entitled to see a GP, just that there are often other options which are clinically, equally good and, in terms of cost, better. The patient is not always the best person to make that decision just as, in your DHs line of work, the public are not necessarily the best people to make decisions on how our military should function.

I have never been asked by the receptionists what is wrong. I would however say if it involved the DC, as they will squeeze me in as an emergency then (if I need it of course).

I will ask them though if - for example - I really need to see the GP for a smear test etc.

Ivor I'm glad to hear they get the bill - I had to go up to the hospital this morning (alone :( )as the receptionist at my docs said they were fully booked, despite me explaining i'm pg, have varicose veins and today found I can't actually stand on it and a large red painful lump had formed behind my knee. She seemed totally unconcerned (my mum had DVT so I was petrified) and it was me who ended up saying "er well, I definitely need to see someone, so should I go to the hospital?" and she said "yeah, that's probably the best option".
Got there, had 3 DVT signs, rushed into ultrasound and thankfully no DVT. However I have an infection in a varicose vein which could have in turn led to DVT and am now on antibiotics and hirudoid cream. I'm that if mum hadn't had a DVT I may not have known how serious my symptoms were, and the receptionist certainly wasn't about to inform me!
And yes, this is the NEW surgery I changed to just weeks ago! They may play R4 in the waiting room, but the same receptionists rule the roost.

If that was how she worded it "What seems to be the problem?" then YANBU.

She could say "Is it anything a nurse could help you with?" without asking for your symptoms.

I don't believe for an instant that she was qualified to triage you based on a brief chat on the phone.

ginmakesitallok who do you think types your notes the GP while I'm sitting there. And of course the OP has a right to see a GP (assuming she hasn't previously assaulted them or something).

I don't have time to read 8 pages of posts so apologies if it's been answered but perhaps she was just checking if it was something the nurse could deal with.

I am never asked about symptoms when I book a routine appt for a couple of weeks away. But TBH I think it's fair enough for the receptionist to ask if an appointment is being made for the same day. THey could hand out a same day appt for a child with a verucca and then have to turn away an acutely sick child as there are no same day appts left.

When I need an emergency appt I don't wait to be asked, I volunteer my symptoms so they know they how bad it is. Last time I had a bad kidney infection I was peeing cloudy blood, had a temperature and couldn't stand up straight. As soon as I said that I had an appointment made for an hour away. If it helps to get an appt, why not volunteer it.

I have absolutely no problem in telling a doctors receptionist what my symptoms are/what I'm booking an appointment for. I trust them, I trust their knowledge of the nurses/doctors in their surgery.

For instance last summer I was very depressed. I was ordered by my boss to go for antidepressants. I rung the GPs and asked for an urgent appointment - the receptionist when I said what was wrong got me an emergency one with the GP specialising in mental health which meant I instantly felt more relaxed.

When I booked an appointment with the Nurse they asked what for - I told them to get a coil fitted. Turns out I had to have a GP there to fit it (Mirena) so if I hadnt told the receptionist I would have had a useless appointment.

I work on the reception for health visitors/midwife clinics. I ask for symptoms/problems simply so I can direct calls in the best way - if a pregnant mum hasnt felt a baby move for instance, they dont want an appointment for the next day, they want the contact number for the labour ward so they are seen urgently. If they dont explain that, we cant help properly.

No receptionist should divulge anything you say. They should definately not gossip or mention it to anyone else. We all sign confidentiality agreements and are professionals