Do GP's receptionists have ti be so bastard rude?

[OHforDUCKScake]

Ive just had some blood results for my 22 month old that was like a punch in the fucking stomach so I may well be projecting my rage on the bitch that called me.

So, she calls, is this Ducks Mum?

Yes.

We have his blood results can you pick them up?

I say yes but I have a broken so I wont be able to for a few days, can she just give me the numbers now. (Im poised with a pen)

She literally sighs a big sigh, tuts. She fucking TUTS at me, says in a huffy teenage voice "we're really busy."

I say no problem and hang up.

I call their sister surgery and ask the receptionist there if she has time to read some blood results for my son, she does it takes 20-30 seconds.

Then mrsh Huffy Puffy calls me back again, she said I didnt let her finish. i said no, she made herself quite clear and I got the results from the other surgery so its no problem now. She starts tutting and huffing and puffing again, "oh well then, ."

I told her that she was incredibly rude on the phone and hung up.

Dont they fucking know some of these results are the difference between life and death? I quality of life?

Fcking bitch.

[MrsTrentReznor]

I'm allergic to a particular antihistamine, I didn't need any for years so forgot the (long and complicated) name of the one I couldn't take.
The receptionist took it upon herself to pretend to look it up on my notes, I took the wrong one based on her advice and spent the next few days in pain due to the reaction I had.
The practice manager was absolutely furious.
The same woman was very mean to my DP when I got him an appointment for a painful condition. He didn't know the area, but knew where my doctor was, I managed to get him an appointment as a guest of mine, (with a fight) but when he turned up there she spoke to him like dirt. She's a total bitch and I'm so glad I moved.
My new practice has lovely staff. I was surprised to be honest.

[HamishBamish]

Most of the ones at our surgery are generally ok, but I had one tell me to 'get a grip' when I started crying as I was having a miscarriage. I didn't complain at the time, but I wish I had.

[OnlyLovers]

My current ones are very nice but the previous lot were awful. Professionally curt, dismissive and rude.

I wrote to the practice manager about their behaviour once (two of them ignored me and had a personal conversation instead) and got a reply that clearly showed that they had flat-out lied to him when he asked them about it.

I left the surgery over it, but I should have left years ago.

[BathshebaDarkstone]

Also some of them seem to have less medical knowledge than me! I had to get really angry once (20 years ago, that's how much it pissed me off! ), the receptionist tried to argue with me that DS1 shouldn't have a repeat prescription for antibiotics. He's got cystic fibrosis. Not having antibiotics could kill him.

[Idontseeanydragons]

I know, zombie thread and all that....

John, I've been a GP receptionist, I have no doubt some are awful - I worked with one who was an absolute cow! But verbally abusing staff because you feel it gets better and quicker results is actually more likely to just get you struck off the practice books. Most have zero tolerance policies.
I was verbally abused, followed home and threatened by certain patients at the practice, not for being obstructive or rude (despite huge provocation at times), but purely for following practice rules set down by the management. That's where most problems lie, not with the public facing staff but with the senior partners and managers.
An example:
A patient calls for test results at 9.30am. Practice rules state that results are not given until after 11 am due to morning surgeries - results need checking by a doctor first and put onto the system, a patient may need to discuss the results and the doctors are all fully booked up until 11 every day. Patient refuses to believe this and gets verbally abusive (as you were in your case). Can you actually condone calling someone a "stupid fucking bitch" and being told "I know where you fucking live"?
That ^ happened to me. It's why I would rather pulls own eyeballs out than work in a surgery again.
You condone this?

[kali110]

Judging by your latest message i can see why they sent you that letter, and no it doesn't come across as though they are saying their receptionist is 'whiter than white'.
Surgeries, hospitals etc won't accept abuse to their staff and so they shouldn't.
I'v only encountered one sour receptionist. All the ones at my surgery are wonderful. Go out of their way.

[Reginafalangie]

Out of the four at my surgery two are lovely the other two are nasty and rude.
What is surprising is that I deal with this surgery in a professional capacity as well as being a patient and they deal with me differently. As a patient they are nosey, rude and dismissive however if I contact them in a professional capacity they couldn't be more helpful or polite.

[CainInThePunting]

Wreckomend

There is no amount of provocation that justifies swearing at the staff.
That kind of behaviour is unacceptable and the letter you received is justified.
Having read this thread in its entirety I would say that you are the kind of patient that breeds this contempt for patients that a lot of Doctor's receptionists have.
Thanks for making everyone else's lives a little bit more difficult.

[SewingAndCakes]

No, it's not ok to be spoken to in a derogatory or condescending way, but there are better ways of dealing with that without descending into verbal abuse. Perhaps you need to work on being assertive rather than aggressive.

[Sparklingbrook]

Why bump a 2 year old thread.

[GingerLDN]

It's not a job I'd like and don't imagine it to be an easy one. However, if you can't put a face on and be polite and professional, you probably aren't best suited to a customer-facing role. My current surgery has lovely receptionists, my last few - not so much!

[Volenflo]

You sound like a nightmare.

[Wreckomend]

Primarywannabe - JohnRicades here.

If you read my thread you would see I was posting my experience on the issue of rude GP receptionists and I was being truthful; so I won’t accept your criticism of being selfish without a thought for others feelings.

You seem just as degrading as the receptionist, so don’t try to hint at exercising authority over me or dictating what I should do. If I was treated with respect and dignity I wouldn’t be so verbally abusive.

Why should I respect others when I get spoken down to like dirt?

My foul language may be inappropriate, but then the way I was treated which provoked me was also inappropriate and equally as offensive. So, why is it okay to treat me inappropriately, but not for me to retaliate inappropriately? Because society is controlled by shit which always rises to the top.

If someone was to attack me physically, I would use physical force to defend myself, so when it comes to verbal degrading by the shit at the top, I use verbal defence and find foul language delivers the quickest punch with the biggest impact and upsets them the most.

It is the only way these degrading sods listen, so that’s what I will do. It seems okay to use foul language to express ones feelings as there are many comments on this with foul language.

[CainInThePunting]

I find this too, there is one in particular who thinks she is Lady Muck.
Over the years I have come to the conclusion that because they tend to be dealing with ill, vulnerable, weak patients the inner bully comes out in them unchecked.

At my surgery the receptionists started to ask what your symptoms are, I told them the first time and the receptionist decided to diagnose all by herself! I was gobsmacked.
The next time, I really didn't want to dicuss my symptoms with a receptionist so just said "I'd rather discuss them with a Doctor" and really that was it for me.
I get the feeling that there is probably a mark they have put on my notes which flags me up as a 'difficult bitch' and I am treated accordingly every time.
I nearly changed Surgery at one point but figured I'd only have to go through it all again whereas now, at least I know where I stand with them.

It's being stored up though and the next time they make me wait 40 minutes unnecessarily I will make a complaint.

[movelikeboov]

Threads like this drive me mad.

Where I work the team of receptionists are lovely and bend over backwards to help every patient no matter how demanding they are being.

I've never encountered an unhelpful one anywhere, but even so I'd put it down to the individual or the one practice, not make a blazing generalisation that they are ALL bad.

The worst is saying they are blocking appointments, or that it's their fault that they are none. Can't pull then out of their arses. They can only work with what they've been given.

[Flutterby24]

A few years ago my then dp (now dh) was ill. We lived together but he wasn't registered locally yet so I called one or the local gp surgeries with a very good reputation. Unfortunately I came across a gatekeeper receptionist who then quizzed me on my own details ("where are you registered? He'll have to go there") even though we were not married. It was such a bizarre rule to me that I complained to the PM but they, although apologetic, backed up the rule. I didn't initially call my surgery as they had a bad reputation and I was planning to change myself. However when I called them on behalf of my husband they didn't ask one thing of me and booked him in without question. I never changed surgeries in the end until we moved out of area. It is so frustrating to have conflict when as pp have said people contact the surgery when they are ill or need help.

[whitecandles]

I moved borough in London a few yeara ago and registered with my GP. When I went for my first appointment, they told me I needed some bit of paperwork that I didn't have in order to register. I explained that when I called to register, no one had told me I needed this paperwork.

'You will have been told,' the woman said.

'Er, well, I wasn't,' I replied.

'You will have been told,' she said again. It was like she was scolding a naughty child.

Considering I had anxiety at the time, and had to work up to every social interaction for several days, this was so hard. I couldn't go to my appointment, had to go home, get the paperwork, psych myself up again...it really annoyed me. They are working with ill people, would it really be too hard to be a bit kind and understanding? Even if I HAD forgotten thenpaperwork, would it have killed her to say 'oh I'm sorry no-one told you'? Too busy covering her arse and passing her mistake onto me. I complained to the practice manager, but didn't get much of a response.

[Iliveinalighthousewith2friendl]

Well you speak as you find, don't you. The ones at my Doctors surgery are lovely. I can't fault them.
So ynbu, to be angry with this particular one. I would consider laying a compliant as she clearly needs training.
However yabvu to say all GP receptionists are bsf

[shadowfax07]

All bar one of my GPs receptionists are really lovely, and have bent over backwards to help me. The one who isn't, is a complete and utter jobsworth bitch from hell, and I've seen her be incredibly rude and unhelpful to another patient in the waiting room, breaching all sorts of patient confidentiality along the way.

[littlejohnnydory]

YANBU. They're so far up their own arses that they're inside out.

[OrangeVase]

Never had a rude one in many years. Sorry that you had a bad day OP but that is a huge overreaction to a sigh. (And yes, she was rude, of course she was, but from that to rage and to ALL people in that job being rude is ridiculous)

I have met rude doctors, nurses, teachers, shop assistants, flight attendants etc etc - I have also seen rude patients shouting and behaving badly --(are ALL patients rude??).

Hope that you and your son are ok - but don't take it out on a probably very young person doing a job, (ok not well - but nonetheless...)

[Fluffyears]

I found a breast lump so called for an emergency appointment and got told very huffily 'we are very busy you know!' Yes I know but you know what I am also very busy at my work but I do my priority tasks. She put me through to the nurse who immediately booked me in to check it out, was all ok thankfully. DP went to surgery to pick up his repeat prescription the receptionist huffed and said 'it won't be in it takes 48 hours' he explained he put request in a week ago, so sighing she grabbed the box of prescriptions 'if they are not in order...they are all mixed up it'll take too long to look!' He told her he needed his medication and she shouted 'BUT THEY AREN'T IN ORDER!' He just raised an eyebrow and said 'not my circus not my monkeys, dunno what to tell you love as obviously this is your screw up please give me my prescription!' She then chucked box at him saying 'humph you find it then!'

[Silverdaisy]

The zombie thread thing confuses me. Someone will post about an issue that has been done before. They get comments ofs not this subject again, there are other post about this subject. But equally it causes irritation when people find an old thread, read it - and then comment.

Plus the zombie thread alert can only be from 3 months before. Hardly a really out of date thread.

[Topseyt]

It seems to be a points scoring game to just shout "zombie thread" every time one is resurrected? Why?

Sometimes people have done Google searches relating to their problems. Perhaps it brings up an old thread, so they post on it and then get the rather rude response of people just screeching " zombie thread"

It comes across as very rude.