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.

Am perfectly chilled out and aware they are not attacking me, thanks, except hexagonalqueen, who was.

I am allowed an opinion, thanks.

How did I attack you, Fanjo? Was it in the same way that you attacked me when you called me childish? And you still haven't answered my question as to which comment I made that you deemed childish.

Yes you are allowed an opinion, but you have been very defensive and obtuse, and have totally missed the point of this thread, making it about you and taking it personally.

Hexagonalqueen, whatever, go.and have a cup of tea

Fanjo, I think it is you that is acting in a childish manner, throwing your toys out of your pram and refusing to answer my questions.

Fanjo TBH what's coming across from you is more than just having an opinion.

Well, do you know what..I don't actually care :)

You do know that you are doing nothing for the cause of receptionists dont you?

Have made.my points, misinterpret them if you will. Have a nice day

Nice teeth

Ooh dear, this kicked off a bit!
I did say I appreciated that they get a hard time from the public, and that its a bit of a generalisation( so obviously not all receptionists)

I just think it should be a very specialised role as 90% of clients will be ill, nervous,scared worried etc, and sometimes life threatening or life changing situations

except for a & e docs I'm not sure what other profession that could be said for.

I have never, ever seen a GP receptionist being subjected to even slightly rude behaviour. No-one would dare.

Unless you spend all day, every day, lurking in your GP's surgery you wouldn't know really would you? It happens at least once a shift, and I am not exaggerating in the slightest.

I'd pretty much given up posting on this thread because whilst I know that I, personally, am not rude/nasty/jobsworth with patients and I genuinely do always do my best to help people some Receptionists do not. Some are bad, just like some shop staff are rude, some electricians/plumbers/nurses/teachers are rude/plain horrible. To suggest, however, that the nastiness is all one-way is ludicrous.

I'm not saying, by the way, that receiving abuse makes it acceptable to give the same back. Not at all. And like pregnantpause says, no matter how many rude, obnoxious people you have dealt with today you have to speak to each new patient afresh - it's not their fault that the person you spoke to previously was horrible.

You should do the job for a week - you start the day polite but by 11am any goodwill is gone.....and moaning at them its like moaning at the call centre staff for a crap mobile bill or something.

"You should do the job for a week - you start the day polite but by 11am any goodwill is gone.....and moaning at them its like moaning at the call centre staff for a crap mobile bill or something."

So after 11am it's ok for rudeness then is it? I daresay there are lots of other professions where there is contact with rude customers or people yet somehow people in these fields seem to be able to battle through and remain polite. Someone on here has already mentioned call centre staff having to deal with abuse but remain polite. Police officers no doubt encounter a lot of rudeness but I've never come across a rude police officer. Shop assistants. Anyone dealing with the public really.

I think the crux of the issue here, as mentioned before on here, is that doctors receptionists know that you have no choice but to go to that surgery, they don't need "customer service skills" so just rule the roost and do/say what they please.

So after 11am it's ok for rudeness then is it?

Yes. I meant that at exactly 11.00.01 its ok be rude.

RTFP

It seems to me that at some practices there is a culture of not particularly caring about patients. I think like any organisation, individual practices must develop corporate attitudes, as it were.

My current practice is ace - you can tell the receptionists are busy because sometimes they will pick up the phone and say, 'Hello can you just hold?' I like that because it means they are not ignoring the phone but I know they also have someone at the desk or a dr to talk to. Which is fine. And when they do get to me, they are always polite and helpful, even if a bit brisk (fair enough).

Equally, I am polite back and don't particularly mind saying that I need to see Dr X because she has seen me before about my nasty clotting issues symptoms

However, my last practice, the GPs were brusque and indifferent and the reception staff the same. They would not stop making appts for me to have smear tests (they did it on some automatic system and texted you the date they had set up for you ) despite my saying repeatedly I wanted to opt out of that. And then they'd ring me all cross if I didn't turn up for an appt I hadn't made.

I work in a highly pressured job where people shout at me, call me names, act like I'm stupid and are generally rude (teacher). If I can manage to maintain a professional demeanour, why can't those receptionists who are rude?

I was delighted to find that my new surgery has lovely receptionists but have experienced some really bad attitudes in the past. I've also been left waiting for ages whilst receptionists ignore me, even to the point where I feared I'd miss my appointment, they took so long!

Hopefully nice receptionists are in the ascendant...

YANBU I phoned my doctors to cancel a midwife appointment because I had miscarried and the horrible receptionist asked if I would like to re-book

and why why why do you phone for blood test and test results and have to speak to the receptionist..

careergirl - because that's who answers the phone? The Drs & Nurses are busy seeing patients? I'm not having a go but who would you like to speak to?

hoops - that's awful if you actually told her that you'd had a mc. Both stupid & insensitive at the same time .

Although the receptionists at my doc's practice were a bit moody faced I didn't really have a problem with them. Three out of the four doctors at the practice, however, I do have problems with. I used to try to get my appointments with the fourth doctor and did most of the time.

The first doctor is the worst. When I was 16 he refused to give me the pill as I was a smoker. He told me to 'go out to the pub with your mates' when I went to him about my depression, which made me burst into tears because he wasn't taking me seriously, so he showed me the door. When I had an ear infection he refused to prescribe anything for me because I admitted that I was a smoker and so it got worse until my ear drum burst and another doctor had to give me some antibacterial ear drops, which cleared the problem in a matter of days.

Knobber.

I would prefer to discuss test results with someone with a little bit of medical training HCA perhaps rather than the dragon on the desk!

I know what careergirl means. I had to call for blood test results at my previous surgery, that were very specific and a small deviation from my previous results (while still considered "normal") would be important. The receptionist put me on hold, to speak to the doctor as I thought, then came back and said that they were "normal". I said I knew they would be, but the numbers were important so could I please speak to the doctor. After several minutes of her refusing to listen, interrupting, calling me a liar "I dont believe for one minute that the doctor told you that you needed to speak to him" etc and flatly refusing to give me the numbers as i "wouldnt understand them" (like she did! patronising bitch!) I said "Fine, can I book an appointment please". So I booked my appointment for the next day and had to go and see the doctor for the results. He was not at all happy (although tried to hide it) at how I had been messed about.

Thankfully the results were ok, but Imade a complaint about her because she took it on herself that she knew more than I did. Receptionist are not trained to interpret all test results, and shouldnt assume that they can.

There was an old dragon at my old surgery. She was so rude to me I told her she was the rudest person I had ever met. There was lots of gasps from the people behind!