To want to see the doctor without being patronised on the phone?

[astreetcarnamedknackered]

I called the doctors surgery this morning. At 9am.

I politely asked if I could make an appointment to see the doctor.

Cue: huffs and puffs from the lady on the phone and a 'we take bookings at 8am and all appointment go within 15 minutes. You should he phoned at 8'.

My reply: well I wasn't aware I needed to see the doctor until two minutes ago.

AIBU to think that the surgery should not be so instantly dismissive? Perhaps an initial question about the nature of the problem?

Apologies if this has been done to death.

An apologies for the typos. Smartphone.

Problem is though they probably get inundated with people who need to 'urgently' see a dr after the appointments have all gone. That said they obviously shouldn't be rude to you.

Do you not have a walk in centre you can go to instead?

They can't give you an appointment if they haven't got one.

I prefer them not to ask about the nature of the problem, it's none of their business! I don't mind being asked if its a problem that the nurse could deal with though, as they tend to have more nurse appointments.

Surgery Receptionists are generally hard work in my experience, but I think they probably get so many idiots that they have to deal with that they just become hardened to everyone.

Manners cost nothing.

Customer service in any other industry wouldn't accept this for good reason as you have a choice to go elsewhere.

Be rude to a patient and you risk frightening them off trying to make an appointment when they do have a very real medical need as going to the GP is the only choice for many.

Ultimately, a receptionist doing this, could be contribute to damaging a patient's health.

Not acceptable under any circumstances.

Firstly I am not expecting an appointment if they haven't got one. Sadly there is no walk in centre.

I just feel that a person who is phoning a surgery audibly upset and is unable to continue her sentence without said huffs and puffs and admonitions should not be patronised.

It is computer says no territory.

Thank you hmm.

At our doctors you have to call by 830 to get a nurse to phone you back who decides if you deserve to see the doctor fucking ridiculous!

I may seem bitter but having queued last week at 810 to be told this new proceedure me and the other 30 ppl were pissed off.

Symptom of too many ppl and not enough doctors

Our surgery opens the appointments line at 8.30, and of course it's always engaged.

One day I sat on the phone for 20 minutes: redial-engaged-redial-engaged-redial... you get the picture.

When I finally got through, there were no app'ts left with my own doctor, which can't be helped - but the bloody receptionist said the same thing to me, "Oh the appointments go very quickly, you should have phoned earlier"!

Did you get any sort of appointment in the end?

Buggy I think that type of system is actually much better. Means if you simply need a prescrption or something it can be arranged without using an appointment.

I have heard the they HAVE to give you an appointment if you request one.

Don't know how true it is but in the past I have just repeated 'no, I need to see a doctor today' and have been given an appointment.

I was given Monday morning, so basically I need to swear it out over the weekend.

I appreciate the receptionists probably loathe the system as much as we do but I felt really upset at the way I was spoken to. I fear that all the advice under the sun about 'go to the dr if x y z' is likely to be undermined if you call dr and are made to feel like a worthless liberty taking piece of shit.

Sweat not swear

Is there not an out of hours GP service? I have never managed to get an appointment with my own GP but have always been offered an appointment on the same day with the out of hours GP. Usually during surgery time which surprised me what with the 'out of hours' in the title

I'm sure receptionists aren't all the same but it appears that many of them are rude. Certainly many I've had to speak to. It's all the audible sighing and the sheer inconvenience of ringing the surgery. Alongside the intrusive "Why do you need to see the doctor?" Ummm, I'd rather discuss it with them than you tbh. "Yes, but we need some idea" No, you don't, just book me IN already!! No wonder stress levels are at an all time high.

To be fair I don't blame receptionist for sometimes being a bit rude some of the crap they put up with I doubt anyone would manage to stay happy.

I overheard a conversation yesterday when someone was getting upset she couldn't see the GP that day as she was going on holiday tomorrow and had an issue with sweating to much and wanted something to help. She was so rude to the receptionist it was daft.

Now of course receptionist shouldnt let it effect them but it's not hard to see why it does.

(I am not for a second suggesting the op was rude)

Does you surgery have an online booking facility ? I needed one the other day and found one online for the same afternoon. I think people cancel them online and if you hit it right you can grab it before the receptionists realise its available

I alright with Monday, it is not going away!

One of the problems is of course not being allowed to phone and book for, say, two days time. I would have been happy to ask for Monday or Tuesday as it happens but no, you have to phone at 8am on the day blah blah.

I should say that I feel for people in 'customer facing' roles sometimes. But there is no excuse for rudeness-if someone is rude they should have protocol to deal with it. Not take it out on anyone who dares ring the surgery.

FWIW I take the view that if you are polite you will generally create better feeling in your customer so you should encounter less rudeness IYKWIM.

YANBU, the receptionist shouldn't be rude about it.

It's perfectly possible to politely say sorry, no appointments left for today, you can try calling up at 8am tomorrow because we'll release a few slots for tomorrow then, or alternatively make an appointment for a few days time.

That's what the receptionists at my surgery say anyhow. And yes, they do have to deal with some rude patients, but that's no excuse for taking it out on the next patient who phones.

Also, I prefer not to go into my private medical history with receptionists if I can avoid it. If I feel it really can't wait I will tell them why- receptionists usually can get GPs to call you back or arrange emergency appointments if it sounds serious enough.