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.

[JohnRicades]

I have recently been spoken down to by a cocky GP receptionist and unfortunately got so worked up I used abusive language. I have had a letter treating me as in the wrong without any consideration of the manner of the receptionist and I have replied telling them why.

I have decided to Google this issue and was surprised as to how widespread the problem is with some receptionists thinking they are so important and can be intrusive regarding medical issues they have no idea of and aren't qualified to make any judgements along the lines they do.

I have decided to post my experience on here even though I am a childless male, but I believe there should be more compassion and respect for patients by receptionists, not cockiness and being spoken down to as if we are subordinates of the receptionist.

Here is a clip of the letter I got regarding what I said.

You can see how the surgery sees their colleague as pure as white and haven't considered the way I was spoken to. They might realise how serious it was when they get my letter as it was down to a mistake and ignorance on the surgery's side. I was completely within order to request the repeat prescription I requested without being treated like a child.

[cashewnutty]

Zombie thread

[windchime]

My dentist's receptionist is just as rude and cold. I rang yesterday to change my appointment because I realised I have an exam the same day. She made it quite clear she couldn't give a shit about the reason. I am positive that she wouldn't pee on me if I was on fire. I think they must breed these women in a lab for the job.

[chickenfuckingpox]

i had one who refused to give me my daughters blood test results because she was 13 i did say 13 not eighteen THIRTEEN well can't you bring her to the phone? no she is at school still? YES SHE IS FUCKING 13!! (didnt say fucking obv) well im not sure if i can do that..... can you at least tell me if the doctor wants to see her so i can make an appointment? ummm not sure



i walked down there they are lovely in person

[hobnobsaremyfavourite]

Why would someone dig up a two year old thread like this

[Therein2tics]

Haven't read whole of this resurrected thread but have spent 1 day with a GP receptionist, believe me it's tough.

They are constantly juggling things, speaking to elderly lady who was recently bereaved, seconds later being hassled for a prescription by someone who was aggressive, seconds later an appointment - trying to fit someone in but bound by what the GP allows, then speaking on phone to someone on phone in tears.

Before this I thought they were grumpy/nosey women who applied for the job. I also thought they were too involved in medical information.

All of them were very caring and just trying their best to adjust to completely different emotional people/situations, spending quite a lot of the day hassled. They have to appear authoritative at times as people can be so aggressive and rude to them. They also do get pressure not to disturb GP. They took all the complaints about people waiting to be seen, sympathized with people unwell and just in 1 day did several things over and above to try and help people.

JohnRicades I think you have to have a word with yourself if you are trying to justify using abusive language to a receptionist.

[primarywannabe]

Johnricades, did you read the part where the OP said the results were a matter of life or death for her 22 month old? 2 years ago?

Did you research to check out how that panned out for her and her child, or did you just dredge up someone's painful experience for your own agenda without a single thought for her feelings?

[MegMurry]

The receptionists at or GP's all seem very pleasant.

The 2 practice nurses, however, seem genuinely to hate their jobs.

[brickinit]

Which Charm School do Doctor's Receptionists come from? Anybody know?
I have met ONE nice one during my lifetime and the rest have been real beaches I'm sorry to say. It makes me wonder how they get the job in the first place.

The current one does a 'talk to the hand' motion every time you try to say something. How fucking rude is that?
A pleasant ''I will be with you in a moment'' would be more customer friendly.

How do some of these women get through the interview process? Beats me
I know that's harsh and there are probably some nice ones around, but they must be hiding.

[brickinit]

People asking ''why resurrect a zombie thread''.

Well why not? Maybe they had a bad experience with a GP's receptionist and didn't want to start a new thread.

[Therein2tics]

It's absolutely nothing like working with customers! I worked in a shop and waitressing and no-one (even the total amount compressed) was even remotely as rude/emotional to me in those years as what I saw in that 1 day.

[Musicaltheatremum]

My receptionists are great. I listen to them on the phone and think they are too kind. My partner at work (GP) phoned up his GP surgery and was visibly shocked by the treatment he received from his receptionists. They were really rude. My own GP surgery are ok. They look at me suspiciously as if to say " I know you're a GP so I had better be nice"
There area minoriy of patients who are rude and unrealistic. There are those that are rude but they are worried and there are the other 90% who are great.
I saw a chap tonight at 6pm who phoned for an urgent appointment. My colleague triages him to come in and I saw him to help her. As he left he said "sorry for troubling you and thank you for all your help" he was no trouble, his appointment was appropriate and I hope I helped him.

[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.

[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.

[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!'

[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...)

[littlejohnnydory]

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

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.