To be livid at the reception lady at my GPs

[Fishwife1949]

Right firstly i am a foster carer and the expectation is that any foster child will get a same day appointment (no questions asked)

My Gps have this very muddled way of giving appointments i was told you had to ring at 8;30 to get same day appointments when i rung was then told i could have a appointment next week (confused)

i informed the lady at reception the appointment was for foster child not for me or my child she refused to give me a slot, i then asked for her name

because when i am asked by sw why said foster child had not seen doctor i was able to give the name of lady at reception any why she begrudgingly gave me a slot then

saw GP WHO THEN asked me why i was rude the to lady at the front desk

i explained to the doctor that i was a foster carer and that he and i have a statutory duty to the child informed him that fc were entitled to same day appointment

and that i am constantly having issues registering the foster children and getting appointments, also its very frustrating them wanting to know what wrong with the child as they are not medical staff they are not is a position to judge weather a doctor needs to be seen or not

also explained to the doctor that i am not even allowed to give calpol with out it being prescribed

because the child is not my own i have to be very careful and be safe than sorry turns out baby had a infection after all but if i didn't take her and insist baby was seen i would have heel to pay from baby's social workers

the Gp was actually very good about my situation said he would get the ladies on the front desk to understand that i do not have PR AND CANNOT MAKE EXCUTIVE DESISTIONS ABOUT A CHILD and that i have to answer to parents, social workers and ultimately the courts

sorry its so long but i sick of people thinking i just do a bit of light baby sitting and that she TOLD ON ME

[SkippyYourFriendEverTrue]

Didn't even need to read your post, the answer to the question is always YANBU

Awful people

[Fishwife1949]

My tone might of been a little off but i am just getting tired of having to repeat my self every time i need to see a doctor .


Even having issues when registering the children when they first come i had to get the sw to come down the Gps in the end for that she was not happy


Any way thnks ladies just needed to get if off my chest

Baby is crying now because poorly but i am sure will be on the mend soon

[SkippyYourFriendEverTrue]

"we have been told not give details out just to ask to see the GP "

This is quite right, GP receptionists are normally super nosy, I am sure they are not supposed to be, it's just something they like doing.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

It's her professional responsibility to be aware, IMO.

If someone is telling her something and she thinks 'hmm, I don't know of any rules about foster children', that should ring alarm bells and she should get off the phone and check, not decide she will make it up as she goes along.

[Fishwife1949]

Yes gps are fab

[HandHolding]

Well actually I don't think YABU.

It is common practice for the receptionist to ask why you want an appointment on the day (even though I am not actually sure why it is OK for her to do so and to take a decision as to whether my illness requires immediate action or not). So she was following the 'common procedure' that is working for everyone.
However, it is not OK for her not to know the procedure regarding foster children. The fact she then complained to the GP (and the GP followed on with you) just shows that neither the receptionist nor the GP actually know the procedure.

This is not an issue to do with the GP but with the practice manager. I would contact him/her and ask for the procedure to be known by all member of staff, ie receptionists, people on the phone, nurses and GPs so that no more misunderstandings are still left. After all, if you can't see the GP on the day, it could be an issue for the child and for yourself (eg the temperature is going up during the night and you can't give calpol).

[MrsTwinks]

YANBU,

in my experience some receptionists try to be over-efficent and miss the point. I've been refused me an appointment or over-the-phone triage with the doctor when I'd been advised by NHS direct to be seen that day (it turned out to be appendicitis) and been booked in for a blood test in the only avaliable slot - 3 hours AFTER the blood has left for the lab so they cant take it. In that case it turned out no morning appointments for another 10 days due to holiday, so obviously a way of not saying no. In both instances Gp's/Nurses at the surgery were shocked at the receptionist. I think they are so used to people saying X Y and Z as lies to queue jump that they forget some times its the truth.

[secondseverncrossing]

What were her words re: the light babysitting? You maybe should complain to the practice manager about that, though it's not clear what the conversation was that took place, so I don't know.

[PurplePidjin]

LA policies on safe-guarding should be a standard part of the training for any professional in contact with Looked After Children. In this case, the receptionist should have been told that foster children require same day appointments with no questions asked.

It's not the OP's job to explain that to someone who should have it covered as part of their ongoing professional training, surely?

OP, if you're having regular issues then maybe a polite note to the practice manager would be in order? You seem to have identified a gap in their training policy :)

[Fishwife1949]

Many people just dont understand the foster carer role and think its akin to being childminder (nothing worng with childminders btw) just a totally diffrent role


Many people also dont understand that despite needing to traet the children t he same there are many things in which you cant i am expected to report all injurys even minor bumps or scraches and i cant give calpol with out it being percsribed i am also expected to make sure the child gets the care they need from the team around the child ect

[PunkInDublic]

"Absolutely nothing wrong with a receptionist asking what the appointment is for. They do it in order to make sure the patient is seeing the right person in the surgery, to establish need, to prioritise effectively etc. That bit yabu about."

Would like to respectfully disagree with that. You've described the role of a triage nurse. I expect to ask receptionist for an appointment and state whether it is an emergency or not. If I were to book an app as an emergency and it wasn't an emergency I'd expect a suitable bollocking from my GP, better this than turning away what a non medical professional may not think is an emergency.

[redexpat]

Write to the practice manager. Call to follow up.

Light babysitting? Seriously?! I'm not surprised you're still shouting!

[Sirzy]

Punk - not every practise has a triage nurse. If they dont then the most effective way to use drs time is to try to ensure appointments are with the gp who specialises in an area as much as possible.

[Fishwife1949]

PunkInDublic but they are not medical staff and in my GPs there is a lot of slots for friends of brothers wifes going on if you know what i mean there is no rhyme or reason to they way they do the appiontments


First i was told to ring in and get a slot in advance then i was told that it was not possible and i would have to ring at 8:30 for a same day you ring and ring then they say oh its after 9 sorry ring back tomrrow so i went down there at 8:30 to day and then she was trying to fobb me off with a slot next week

Meanwhile i would have the sw on my back about why i havent taken the child to the doctors yet(confused)

[OhSoSimple]

Sirzy I totally disagree it is not up to receptionists to decide who sees which GP based on a symptomatic description. They are not medical professions. Indeed a receptionist doing just this meant a baby was not seen at our surgery and sadly passed.

[toomuchmonthatendofthemoney]

You need to write to the practice manager to explain the situation regarding foster children in your LA and ask for all staff to be briefed on this to avoid future problems. Yanbu to be annoyed but yabu if you don't take sensible steps to help improve the situation for all concerned.

[Sirzy]

So if someone wants an appointment for a child it's not best to give them an appoinment with someone who specialises in peads? It someone has an orthopeadic issue they shouldn't be sent to the gp who specialises in that?

I'm not saying they should decide if you get an appointment or not simply match to the doctor who is most likely to be able to help.

[HandHolding]

Fishwife1949 write to the practice manager. Seriously, do it. The receptionist and the GP should have known about the procedure wo you having to explain it all again.

BTW, if the GP felt it was OK to tell you the receptionist thought you were rude. If his first reaction wasn't to tell the receptionist she was wrong and had actually acted unprofessionally, then he he doesn't know the procedure either and needs to be retrained on that subject too.

[Fishwife1949]

OhSoSimple agreed when my friend told the front desk she had a rash they made her appiontemnt for two weeks away turned out she had cancerous moles growing and not a rash at all


Giving people advice over the phone dosent work at the best of time look at nhs direct let alone with untrained front desk staff

[Fishwife1949]

Sirzy i live in london you see who you see the best you cant get is female or male doctor their is no ped doctor

[HandHolding]

Sirzy at my surgery, you just take whatever GP is available, just being happy that you can actually see somebody.
Seeing someone who is 'specialized' on such or such area is great when you have time, in which case, you usually don't ask for the nearest appointment but for an appointment with so and so. Very different scenario and one that usually doesn't create any problem as long as you are happy to wait 2 weeks + to see somebody in particular

[Sirzy]

All GPs I have ever encountered have some sort of specialism/area of expertise.

[InfinityWelcomesCarefulDrivers]

" i actually dread phoning now the GPs is supposed to be part of the team around the child i feel alone baby is poorly screaming for hours and all i get is abuse from the lady on the phone desk and touted on to the GP (but he was very understanding)

AND WHEN SHE SAID I WAS JUST DOING A BIT OF LIGHT BABYSITING i was just [shocked]"

Feed this back, to the practice but also the la. As you say they are meant to be part of the tac. There must be an independent reviewing officer on board - would this be part of their remit?

[OhSoSimple]

I always choose not to have the GP that specialises in Peads. sirzy as he used to continually tell me I was over protective of Dd and there was nothing wrong with her. I used to take her to out of hours GP where every time they confirmed tonsillitis. He also refused to refer her to a specialist, I went privately and then the Doctors referred me to NHS who removed tonsils. She has seen the GP once since them who told me her tonsils were clear - I couldn't even be arsed to point out she didn't have any sodding tonsils!!!

So after that rant, no it is best to see whoever is available when you need to see a doctor and not for the receptionists to make any attempt to match you up.

[Sirzy]

But handholding - all those GPs will have some on the day appointments which is why they TRY (not guarantee) to match that up as much as possible. Hence them asking.