To think of all places the docs surgery should understand the infectious nature of Chick Pox?

[ThePrinceofCambridge]

Told by doc to bring baby in yesterday, as I was booking appt with receptionist, I said - she probably does have chicken pox soo....

" Yes, so" she said very slowly, " and"

" Well she probably has chicken pox?"

" Yes and the doctor wants to see her I cant see the problem here, I am booking you an appointment"

" Sorry, yes of course, I am not making myself clear, what I mean is - where do I go, when I come in because she will be infectious"

" Oh I dont think there will be a problem, just come to reception"

" Ok, but perhaps ask one of your colleagues, and if there is a procedure to follow let me know, like waiting in my car or something".

Go into docs, reception FULL, hot and stuffy, baby in a pram, the elderly, I stand in the door way trying to get one of the ladies attention to let them know I am there. They think I am being pushy and do not want to wait my turn in the queue.

I approach one of them and say, " hello, this is the possible poxy child where do we go"

Again I was told very very curtly several times I would have to check in, I still had to check in.

Then, finally another lady said she would check me in, ( all this time I am mixing with these members of the public) and they put me in a different small waiting area where blood is taken. After 6 mins the doc calls me in.

Am I mad, isnt this basic stuff here?

There is a back door there I could have easily come to the back to let them know I was there and waited outside by the back -and unused by the public back door!

OP I believe you can complain to PALS the phone number should be on the NHS choices website as well as other useful info.

My dr did a similar thing when my DD had CP. She had complications and we ended up in A&E for treatment. But when I got to the dr, there was nowhere seperate to sit, and we had a lady with a 3 week old baby sat near us. I kept taking DD to the bathroom so we were separated!

OP thank god for parents like you, informed and considerate to others. Unfortunately as Mooycow demonstrates, there are one hell of a lot of ignorant people about who continue to pedal outdated and completely inaccurate information.

Please complain, the only way the receptionist will learn is from being educated and updated.

My DS has an acquired brain injury and ended up in intensive care due to CP complications so this is why I feel strongly about this.

Slightly different but with DS the receptionist I had when DS wouldn't wake put me on a routine call back, meaning anything upto a day before a call back. It just shows some receptionist have huge gaps in their knowledge that can only be addressed when highlighted. They have to know so much and some things get forgotten until they are updated.

Cravery - I know they are, that is what I said.

I have suffered two losses of immediate family members with no warning
( not from CP.)

I am very aware of how fragile life is, and I also feel v strongly about it.

I would be devastated to go to docs for something minor or baby's jabs and come out with bloody CP.

BTW My DD has caught it via it being air borne over past three weeks she has not come into contact with children except her sister, no child has touched or - or played in a mat together or touched same toys.

She has got it the air borne way!

Sirzy I do apologise I didn't mean you I meant the person you quoted. So so sorry. Blame the heat for making my poor brain addled.

I think MN should help to raise awareness about the problems that can come from it. Loads of people on here have problems with being exposed to it!

YANBU. When DS needed to go in to see the GP (asthma related appointment) DD had chicken pox, so we alerted the surgery that DS had been in very close contact to CP and probably was about to start with it.
The staff were great, they said to stay in the car until the appointment time, and the appointment was the first of the afternoon surgery, so there was the fewest numbers of people in. DS went straight in to see the GP - no waiting around and no contact with anyone else (the waiting room is separate from reception by a set of double doors).
He was treated as though infectious, and that is the way it should be.

Dont you think its strange that this isnt the blanket procedure in all docs?

CP is so common, how hard is it to train staff in it - or things like measles?

I have not got round to raising it today, I have a feeling some one who may have been practise manager was there today ignoring me when I was trying to keep away from people.

They already hate me at the surgery!

write a letter to the practice manager. I work in a surgery and we would always put anyone with suspected cp in a separate room or outside if no room available and just call them in when its their turn

Ibelive

may I ask who would tell you to do that, where would that instruction come from?

what should i say in the letter?

Bubonic plague is easier to cure Mooycow.

Ok my understanding was that it is airborne before the spots come out. After that they are contagious through contact with the fluid but no longer by air. I have no idea if that is considered correct at the moment but it is certainly the last thing I was taught. Since then I haven't seen or been told anything to the contrary. I think it is pretty out of order to accuse someone of peddling outdated information in such an accusatory manner. Clearly the change of information is not getting through and that is in no way the previous posters fault.

I don't think anyone is accusing me of peddling outdated info!

People with CP are contagious and shouldn't be in public!

I had to take my DS to the doctor's surgery and also the out of hours doctors (he was ill with associated problems). In both cases I was taken to a surgery that was not being used to wait to be seen. Also the receptionists knew this needed to happen as soon as I said he had CP. I think you are right to complain.

NHS site says infectious until crusted over

YANBU. When I took DS to the doctors with suspected chicken pox they gave us an empty office to wait in because of the risk.

Mooycow, I get so cross with people like you. You are so wrong about this. Chicken pox made my children really poorly, why would i want to expose another child and make them ill. yes, they will catch it one day, but it shouldnt be forced upon them. especially in the doctors surgery. you have no idea who is in there and how serious their condition is. I hope no one in your family ever has such a serious illness that a dose of chicken pox could be life threatening. Mooycow YABU.
Op, YANBU, what a rubbish receptionist. Complain, so they learn from their mistake. (Ie, the correct way to deal with an infectious person).

No op a pp addressed moo directly and spoke to her with disgust and disrespect. I see someone else has done the same thing. Odd as it may be people tend to respond better to calm education rather than leaping down their throats with such venom. As I pointed out the information may be outdated but if it is what you have been given by a hcp then it is reasonable to assume it is correct unless educated otherwise.

I think moo that you have been given bad advice. Honestly if I caught cp the likelihood would be a long painful stay in hospital. With no visitors I would have to be isolated to prevent any further infection. That is of course if my system didn't go nt overload and crash. It really is bad. I love parents like the op who actually give a toss.

Surely it's a GP surgery, which means if they separated everyone who potentially had an infectious illness, then the waiting room next door would have nearly all the people in the original waiting room anyway? Most of them will have come with something infectious?

Yes but porridge how many times do you go in with something infectious? I wouldn't have bothered and the doc wouldn't have called me in, had it not been for her chest issues as well. I said to the receptionist I am happy to wait in the car and come in by the back door but they were obsessed with me checking in...as though I were somehow escaping this part of the process!

No porridge the point is the doctors surgery would likely have people with suppressed immune systems such as cancer patients - to which CP is extremely dangerous (not to mention pregnant ladies). This is not the same as being exposed to colds etc. Also its not children in particular that needs worrying about because they will automatically be exposed to it anyway - its frail people, and the very young.

Baby is not well, has temp of 39.2 and a secondary infection.

My other DD was covered in spots and had no issues with it.

But my baby is really suffering.

she has just perked up a tiny bit, on verge of A&E though.