to think that doctor's receptionists should have a little bit of empathy?

[oldmcdonalds]

Yes I can appreciate they get a hard time from some members of the public, and I know its a generalisation, but usually if you are in a doctor's surgery you are likely to be ill, worried, stressed, nervous or all of the above!
It would be nice if they could appreciate that.

I had to leave this morning because she made me cry, over something that was easily fixable.
I'm now so worked up and just want to cry.

Chocs not chicks lol

I did not give them live animals

Kayano's chicks.

I am a Dr's Receptionist. A nice one. I hope. I never shout or snap at people anyway .

I do something similar to a doctor's receptionist. I have been called a 'phone monkey,' shouted at for arranging a doctor's visit ( while I was working on New Years Eve. Happy New Year to you too Shouted at because other patients are triaged ahead. I too have to ask/answer 100 questions, I know it's frustrating but there's not much I can do about that.

You may be concerned about your chest infection and upset at having to wait, but I have just spoken to someone whose child was going blue, struggling to breathe and they come first.

I always feel I'm living in a parallel universe on these type of threads, I have rarely had an issue with the receptionists at the several surgeries I have been registed with over the years.

Yes and I would say 99per cent of patients are great. It's just the rude ones that stick with me.

Basic triage may be required of receptionists, but who allowed that requirement? is it legal?

The GP's require it. Only for patients requiring an emergency appointment or to speak to a Dr - it enables the Dr to work out who to ring back/see first. We are a large practice and, at any one time, a GP will have several patients to phone or to see as extras to their booked surgery. It's really just to look out for "warning" symptoms - chest pain etc.

And as I have said on previous similar threads, if your Dr's Receptionist is asking you why you want a routine/non-emergency appointment then complain to your Practice Manager. There is no need. Ever.

triage?

Can someone without medical training do triage?

Is that legal?

What if someone trained in being a receptionist does this 'triage' and makes a mistake because they aren't a trained medical professional? Who's accountable?

Or are doctor's receptionists medically trained? - genuine question. Maybe basic medical training is a requirement of the job? That'd be a good thing, actually.

Surely to triage they are just following a flow chart asking the required questions?

I think 'triage' is basically ruling out immediately life threatening conditions: chest pain, struggling to breath, rash and temp etc I'm not a receptionist but I should imagine they take note if symptoms and the GP triages - not the receptionist.

I've no idea about the legality to be fair. It really isn't triage in the same way as an A&E Dept might triage though (which would be some sort of assessment by a trained nurse). I can only speak for our practice but all we do is literally ask symptoms (ONLY for emergency appointment or phone call requests), which are then typed onto a computer screen which is then looked at by the GP when he or she is deciding which patient to call in/phone next. We have a list of "warning" symptoms which, if given, we would phone through to a Dr about immediately - "Mrs X is at the front desk, she has chest pain" etc. It really shouldn't be a case of Receptionists making medical decisions - if anyone feels that is happening at their surgery then the Practice Manager should be informed.

And, no, we are trained but not medically trained.

Our receptionists are lovely, However the old surgery I used to use were horrendous.

I don't think being rude to perfectly nice patients is acceptable just because others have been rude. If people are polite to you then you should be with them, not take out your pent up aggression on someone who is too nice to fight back. I hate being asked why we need to see the doctor, and I ahve also experienced the old nail filing til we're ready to acknowledge you standing there routine. They are usually nice though.

I applaud the efforts of the lady and her 3 year old. That woman warranted a "cow bag"!

x-post with Norman. Exactly .

FanjoForTheMammaries
I appreciate what you?re saying that if they have been asked to do basic triage, they are jsut doing thier job, but they should explain why they are asking the questions, and accept if a patient is not happy to discuss their personal details with a non-medically trained person.

However when either of us call for an appointment and get any of the other receptionists you are asked (a) is this an emergency or routine appointment (b) if routine you are asked if you have a preference about what doctor you see. You are also asked if there are no appointments free when you want them if you feel that the Practice Nurse can help.

So it is not normal practice at our GPsfor her to ask ?why do you need to see a doctor??
?Why is it an emergency? Well I need to judge if it is an emergency?
Why can?t you see the Nurse well if you tell me what is wrong I can tell you what Nurse can deal with
(Have no issue with seeing the Practice Nurse and have done regularly in the past)

This person is just a nasty piece of work who I have always been polite and professional to, even when she called me a liar when I had seen the doctor and she (the doc) had asked me to make a repeat appointment for 3 days? time and then 3 days again after that. I had a very nasty infection and she wanted to keep an eye on me.
Apparently I was wrong and the doctor would not have wanted that, and when I said I was sure but was happy if she wanted to double check I would wait.
She then proceeded to call me a liar and attention seeker. I just turned to her very red faced colleague and asked her to fetch the practice manager.

She is still there and shoots me evils every time she sees me.

We refuse to leave the practice as all of the other staff are lovely helpful and just nice people.

My receptionists are fine with me, lovely.
After four years ago when I lost my daughter at 22 weeks and they tried putting me in for my postnatal check in an antenatal clinic.

My GP at the time (now retired) went postal at them. I don't get a murmur of dissent nowadays.

Yup, at my GPs the receptionists ask you why you need the appointment.
I usually say- 'it's not urgent- the GP can call me when convienent' (if it's not in fact, urgent) and leave it at that.
I am tempted to say 'I've ripped my arsehole' or 'I think too much bum sex has left me with a kidney infection', just to hear their response...

Well, at our surgery we do ask for symptoms if someone is requesting an emergency appt - but that is for the reasons above, for the Drs information, not for ours. To be asked why you can't see a nurse when you have requested a routine appointment is not reasonable though. If you don't want to see a nurse then you don't want to see a nurse. Fair enough.

Went to an emergency dental clinic recently. Mouth so sore I couldn't speak. Receptionist: Can you open your mouth?
YR: Not really.
Receptionist: Huff. Well, I SUPPOSE the dentist will see you, but I doubt they'll do anything.

It was like she was doing me a favour by letting me see the dentist (who gave me a root canal, so it was hardly like there was nothing wrong)

I like the receptionist at our surgery but thats because she is as badly behaved as me! At the weekend before I went for my health check to join the surgery I was in the pub and got totally plastered with a sort-of friend. We got on well when we saw each other at the pub but hadnt got to the exchanging numbers and keeping in touch bit. This particular night we had a riot and behaved really quite badly, but in a good way :o

I turn up for my health check and who should be on reception but my new friend, still looking a bit green around the gills. She admitted she was still feeling rough after the weekend and had only started her new job the day before and had had a hangover for almost all of it :o

Most GP surgeries are operating under massive pressure. EVERYBODY wants an appointment at their convenience. EVERBODY wants the phone answered when they ring. EVERYBODY wants to be checked in promptly. The doctors like to be able to fit their scheduled appointments in to their working day and have appropriate breaks etc. There is already tension between those two things and then you add in the unpredictable - the woman who takes 30 minutes because her marriage has broken up and yes she has a recurrent yeast infection but that's not the only thing. The young bloke who is horribly depressed. The grieving and lonely older person. The person who comes in feeling a bit off and has red flags for cancer written through them like a stick of rock. Receptionists are on the front line of all this. They have to follow the rules and procedures they're given. If you all just said why you wanted an appointment instead of flapping about 'is it legal for them ask' (yes it is) then the phone conversation would go quicker wouldn't it? That would reduce everybody's stress levels.

OK it's the daily Fail but actually this is a pretty good article.

If they empathised with everyone they'd burn out, and fast. THey are doing one hell of a job, you see a teeny part of it.

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2081457/There-good-reason-GP-receptionists-grumpy.html

I don't think it's 'at your convenience' to ask for any appointment other than the antenatal clinic.

It's the only time I've EVER specified, usually if I'm ill I'll take what they've got.

I tore the dentist's receptionist to shreds recently for being rude and obstructive. I'm getting even older and grumpier than they are these days