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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think I should not have to tell the dr's receptionist what's wrong.

51 replies

Mittensonkittens · 16/10/2013 16:18

So I rang for an emergency appointment yesterday as suspected ovarian cyst had ruptured. Most appointments are now emergency ones, you have to wait at least two weeks for scheduled ones, often three weeks.

I rang yesterday morning:

Me: can I book at appointment today please?
Receptionist: is it an emergency?
Me: well Id like to be seen in the next couple of days.
Her: but is it an emergency?
Me: well if I say no when can I actually get in with a dr?
Her: 1st November
Me: I'd like to be seen before then please.
Her (snootily); ok well what's the problem?
Me: I have a large ovarian cyst which is now causing a lot of pain.
Her: so how much pain would you say you're in?
Me: not as much as in the night but it still hurts enough that I'm taking painkiller every few hours.
Her: so it's getting better? So is it really an emergency?
Me: I don't know! Ideally id like to be seen in the next couple of days. I'm worried about it and I don't know if it can cause further problems.
Her: nor me, I don't know anything about ovarian cysts.

Argh! So why am I having this conversation then? It annoys me that I have to discuss this sort of thing with the receptionist, I suppose they are told to ask by the dr but seriously it annoys me. One of the receptionists is a parent at ds's school. I know she can access my information anyway but I just don't want to be having these sorts of conversations.

Aibu?!

OP posts:
badbelinda · 16/10/2013 20:58

If someone is asking for an emergency/urgent appointment it's good practice for the receptionist to check the nature of the problem - we've had cases of patients asking for an appointment and not thinking to mention that they were having crushing central chest pain. However a brief question should clarify this and certain key phrases (chest pain, breathlessness, loss of consciousness) prompt the receptionist to pass it immediately to a GP. The extensive questioning OP had is intrusive and inappropriate and I think the practice management would want to know about it.

FortyDoorsToNowhere · 16/10/2013 21:02

I don't like it, There are many things that a person may only want to discuss with the Doctor.

Depression, MAP, bowel/bladder problems, erectile problem, and many more.

SuburbanRhonda · 16/10/2013 21:45

DieDeutschLehrerin, shouldn't your NN have an "e" in "Deutsche"?

Just asking because I'm learning GermanHalloween Smile

giraffesCantGoGuising · 16/10/2013 21:51

That conversation in OP seems excessive.

Mine always ask but the tend to know my voice now and if I am wheezing/breathless they just ask me to confirm my name (for confidentiality reasons) and just say to come down

midlandslurker · 16/10/2013 21:52

I'm A Hospital Receptionist an although I can fully appreciate the frustrations that Patients face and would dearly love to be able to meet every patients expectations and needs its simply not possible.

I only have so many appointment slots (as a GP does) and they need to be allocated on clinical need. If anyone can come up with a way to achieve this without questioning patients I'd love to know.

Imagine having 20 appointment slots,knowing that by lunch time you'll have at least 3 times that many people all wanting those slots,all feeling that their need is greater than everyone else ?

When you're worried,ill or in pain,of course you feel its an emergency,but then again so will the other 59 people all vying for the same slots.

How would the system work if patients weren't questioned or refused to say what the problem was ?

Imagine that you are in a lot of pain,feel dreadful,you haven't slept all night and the caller who took the last appointment was there because his big toe "was a little bit sore".

Unfortunately (as far as the NHS is concerned)demand will always outweigh availability and the receptionist is simply doing her/his best to with the resources available .

MidniteScribbler · 16/10/2013 21:56

It doesn't really bother me. Our GP's receptionist is great. Appointments are pretty tight, but if you ring up and tell her that you just have the flu and need some antibiotics or if you've got a sick child, she always manages to find a spot for you. Probably because we're a fairly small clinic and she knows that when I say I only need a few minutes, that's all I will take. I actually feel sorry for most GP's receptionists, they really can't win. If they don't ask and give someone the next available appointment in two weeks they get in trouble, and if they do ask and then fit you in, they get in trouble for being nosy.

likelytoasksillyquestions · 16/10/2013 22:08

I refuse to answer, mainly because the receptionists at my GP's are so rude and antagonistic. I just make a slightly shocked face/voice and say "it's personal".

ADishBestEatenCold · 16/10/2013 22:09

I was reading through this thread and had just reached some useful information from a poster who is a Gp, when my eye glanced down and I saw the next poster's nickname is spottymoo. (So sorry spottymoo for what I'm about to say).
Then it hit me. We should all agree, a pact, that when asked by medical receptionists about our illness, that we'll all say (in an upset gruff muffled voice) "I think I've got a spottymoo"!

Okay, this maybe looses something in the telling, but I have been rolling about the floor here, visualising thousands of doctors surgery staff frantically googling spottymoo! Grin

timidviper · 16/10/2013 22:15

The question is asked, in theory, to allow the doctor to be prepared for you and to ensure you see the correct person but you always have the right to refuse

The questioning you had does sound OTT though

brettgirl2 · 16/10/2013 22:21

Yanbu. That said, I am Hmm about the erectile disfunction point, in what way would that be an emergency?

Personally the gp triage works for me, and its handy if you don't actually need to see a doctor.

Of course forget the cold and flu brigade gp time is mainly wasted signing sicknotes, making referrals that patients could have done themselves and pointless 6 monthly medication reviews on adults who can surely decide whether they need to see a doctor......

lougle · 16/10/2013 22:33

Well, to be fair, you were asked 'is it an emergency?' If a routine appointment isn't going to be for several days and you need to be sooner, then it is an emergency for that purpose. It isn't a life-or-death emergency, but if it was, you'd be going to A&E anyway.

If I need a same day appointment I say 'I'd like to be seen today, please.' When they say 'is it an emergency?' I say 'yes.' That's it.

Once you say it's an emergency they really should take that on trust.

ArgyMargy · 16/10/2013 22:41

Similar to Lougle. If she says "is it an emergency?" I would say "No, if it was I would have called an ambulance. However, it is urgent and I would like the next available appointment". I can't believe receptionists do this - it reminds me of the 70's.

Smugsmuggler · 16/10/2013 22:43

YANBU. My surgery does this and I usually tell them its my fanny. Its been very noisy and squelchy and I've got a bubbly discharge which smells revolting, kind of like rotting eggs. Would they like any more information? Wink

pigsDOfly · 16/10/2013 23:18

I think the problem is not so much that a lot of people don't like answering questions it's just that you're discussing your, very often intimate problems with an unqualified person who often seems to be over stepping their position.

Some time ago I had to ring for an appointment soon after I'd registered with a new doctor and wasn't sure who they would prefer me to see, so gave the receptionist a few salient details and asked if I should see the nurse or doctor (I wasn't asking for an emergency appointment). She told me that I should try using Canesten cream and if it didn't get better to call back and she'd give me an appointment.

I was pretty hmmm at this, but she sounded so unwilling to be argued with that I just accepted it (in my defense, I wasn't feeling well and didn't have a lot of fight in me).

Once I'd thought about it, I did phone back and spoke to a different receptionist and got an appointment within a few days.

I always bear that in mind now when I book an appointment and tbh nothing like that has ever happened again, but I do wish I had complained at the time.

propertyNIGHTmareBEFOREXMAS · 16/10/2013 23:25

Perhaps just outright lie. Name some made up complaint then later tell the dr you did not feel comfortable discussing your medical issues with an unqualified person and are angry that you were put in a position where lying was the least uncomfortable route to get an appointment.

FortyDoorsToNowhere · 16/10/2013 23:30

Brettygirl have you ever heard of priapism, it does need urgent medical help and an erectile problem.

Laurel1979 · 17/10/2013 02:49

As a GP in my opinion it's reasonable for them to ask for a brief summary of what's wrong. This allows us to triage which calls are most urgent, for example a wheezy child would be more urgent than a middle aged man with a sore thumb if you see what I mean. You'd be amazed how many people ring up asking for an appointment and then it transpires that they are actually having a stroke/crushing chest pain etc! It's wrong however for reception to give advice and the conversation you reported was far too intrusive. However, a ruptured ovarian cyst is an emergency, and its unlikely your GP can sort it out in the surgery, so in this case hospital would be more appropriate.

plentyofsoap · 17/10/2013 04:07

The one at mine tells me everything about her life when I am waiting to see the doc. I never ask her anything either. I know this is not relevant.

loveolives · 17/10/2013 09:05

They don't ask to be dicks, they ask to appropriately triage people. However you are perfectly within your right to not say anything at all!

FruitSaladIsNotPudding · 17/10/2013 09:43

I just don't see how they can appropriately triage people. They are not medically qualified in any way. Sure, it might be obvious in some cases, but not all.

I had a receptionist once questioning me about mastitis. I told her I needed antibiotics urgently (I did) and she said she'd never heard of mastitis. Well, no, I wouldn't expect you to have, you're a receptionist.

Since then I always refuse to discuss it. They simply aren't qualified to diagnose or triage anyone. It's immensely dodgy that some practices encourage this. Imagine if a receptionist decided someone didn't need seeing when they were seriously ill - wouldn't they be in a bad position legally? It's not fair on them or the patients.

stowsettler · 17/10/2013 09:50

Fine for her to ask what the problem is to allocate appointment accordingly
NOT fine to ask about your pain levels and comment on whether its getting better or not. I would advise what the problem is but I would not discuss severity or otherwise with a receptionist.

Enlightenedowl is quite right.
I'm a practice manager and IME it's entirely appropriate - and necessary - for receptionists to ask about general symptoms but NOT ok to take it any further. As far as we're concerned, a patient in pain is an emergency, and therefore entitled to an appointment.

When I ring my own doctors and get the stupid 'is it an emergency' question I always reply, "Well I'm not going to die but I do need medication / pain relief / GP advice (delete as appropriate). We never ask that question because IMO a patient can't decide if it's an emergency. If it really is life or death they should be ringing 999.

callow · 17/10/2013 10:01

I think that receptionist should not go beyond taking details.

In this [[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2463334/Boy-died-meningitis-999-operator-lost-parents-desperate-leading-delay-sending-ambulance.html story]] at the end of the article the receptionist gives the relative medical advice.

This really was beyond her remit. The article seems to blame the 999 operator but if it had been handled correctly when the family first phoned the GP the little boy may not have died.

vladthedisorganised · 17/10/2013 10:42

Wasn't there a proposal a while ago that NHS Direct should provide initial triage? I could see how that might have worked - it puts a lot of pressure on the receptionist to make a decision that they're not trained to make IMO.

I had a surreal conversation at my last surgery:
"I was prescribed eyedrops for conjunctivitis, I used them this morning. My eyes are burning and and I have not been able to see anything at all for the last four hours. Can I make an appointment to see the doctor, please?"
"Is it really urgent?"
"I'd like to see someone today."
"But you already saw the doctor about the conjunctivitis?"
"Er... yes, but that was before the blindness. It's not blurred vision, everything has gone dark and I'm in a lot of pain."
"Can it not wait a few days?"
"Er...?"

I don't mind answering questions most of the time but depression was another matter; it took all my courage to pick up the phone and I couldn't face saying "I'm feeling very depressed" as it seemed so minor.

DieDeutschLehrerin · 17/10/2013 12:09

Suburban - not in this case as I am not German but I am a German teacher. However, there is an error, as it shouldn't have the second capital letter. My brain wasn't switched on when I did it and I've never got round to correcting it. Good luck, with your learning.

SuburbanRhonda · 17/10/2013 20:02

Thank you, die. I'll need the good luck, as it took me a while to understand your first sentence Halloween Confused.