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AIBU?

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Original poster

Just back from doctor's and am fuming and livid

340 replies

deckofcards · 30/12/2013 11:41

Before I write a formal letter of complaint, am I being unreasonable?

Went to doctors' before Christmas for a routine appointment and repeat prescription. Needed a blood test and to have ears syringed (have been going deaf). Dr gave me print out and told me to make an appointment with the nurse. Went to reception and asked for an appointment with the nurse which is what I thought I had been given.

Arrived this morning, having fasted. Called in by a sweet enough girl although she wasn't wearing uniform and didn't properly introduce herself as a nurse or anything else. She took my arm and sweetly put it on a pillow, told me I had very deep veins (which I know but it isn't usually a problem but sometimes a doctor has been called), tried the other arm using elasticated cuffs that were clearly broken because they kept popping open and she later said they were no good. She gave me a glass of water to hydrate me better for the veins (which I would have thought would take more than a mintue to work). Still no joy so she went to get a colleague to help her.

The colleague was the receptionist who leaned over me reeking of tobacco and tried to find a vein. I questioned this and was told she was also a trained phlebotomist. The original one then said they would have to give up as the vein wasn't pronounced enough but she would start on my ears. I asked if she was a qualified nurse and she said, no a health care worker.

I declined her offer to deal with my ears and said that I would prefer an appointment with a fully trained practice nurse.

I went out to make another appointment and have been offered one for today with the proper nurse for my ears and have another on Thursday morning for blood tests. I am extremely grumpy that my time has been wasted.

Am I wrong in thinking that if I am told to make an appointment with the nurse and ask for an appointment with the nurse I should be given an appointment with the nurse or advised either when making the appointment that it is not with a nurse. I certainly should not embark on treatment without being appraised of the full facts.

It was clear that the person I saw this morning was not capable or experienced, it did nothing to inspire confidence that she got the girl off the reception desk to help her (and who reeked of tobacco) and I left feeling cross, upset, disrespected and messed about. I would have thought as a minimum of a health care assistant is expected to take blood or syringe ears (and I think the latter is more of an issue actually) then there should be a fully qualified nurse on the premises to supervise, not the stinky girl from reception.

Is this really what healthcare has come to and surely I'm not being unreasonable to expect the tin to contain what it says on the label.

I am minded to make a formal complain to the surgery but needed to get that off my chest first and to take some feedback - hopefully from those who work in surgeries. Oh, and the receptionist/phlebotomist told me it wasn't just my time that was wasted from their side the healthcare assistant now had 30 minutes with no patient because she wasn't doing my ears. My response to that was that had I been told my appointment wasn't being made with the practice nurse in the first place that wouldn't be the case because I wouldn't have made the appointment.

Sorry - very long but I feel better for a rant - and even more that the entire episode was totally out of order. But am I being Unreasonable to think that.

OP posts:
HotDogHotDogHotDiggityDog · 30/12/2013 14:43

kilmuir what a load of offensive crap your post is.

Not all HCA's want to be qualified nurses. In fact, I know many qualified nurses considering becoming HCA's because they have more patient contact and not endless paperwork.

Does it occur to you that most HCA's actually enjoy what they do?

grumpyoldbat · 30/12/2013 14:45

Lots of us happen to think that being seen by a HCA isn't substandard care.

DoYouLikeMyBaubles · 30/12/2013 14:47

HCA's may not be bright enough to go and complete a nursing degree, but capable of practical procedures if taught properly

What? I can assure you that the HCA's who work with me are extremely bright. Many do go on to being nurse. Those that don't are because of a variety of reasons like enjoying their job, not wanting to get stuck under the paperwork side like nurses do, not being able to fund or get childcare for uni...

I absolutely hate it when people belittle HCAs. The NHS would fall apart without them and they get paid a pittance.

ChristmasDayIsAGoodDay · 30/12/2013 14:47

Well, if I was so jolly well wrong, it strikes me as rather odd that they were extremely willing to make alternative appointments for me with the practice nurse. Interesting that the practice didn't tell me I was being unreasonable this morning.

That's because they have to be polite to you, no matter how rude you may have been to them. That is the 'joy' of working in the service industry - being belittled and spoken to like you are nothing. Don't for one minute think that, just because they didn't argue back, it means you were right!

kali110 · 30/12/2013 14:47

Think private care is def way to go for you.

kali110 · 30/12/2013 14:48

They are hardly going to tell you how unreasonable you are to your face!

StayAwayFromDeliriumDive · 30/12/2013 14:54

But you will not be a popular patient!

Seriously, you have wasted a huge amount of time and will no be taking a nurse away from jobs where her skills could be better used.

Fingers crossed the nurse has syringed ears recently or you may really have someone practicing on you. You need to remember that the more qualified does not mean more experienced in a specific task.

I remember a GP saying to me once that if he needed surgery, he would prefer a registrar to do it, as they are more likely to have carried out the procedure recently.

grumpyoldbat · 30/12/2013 15:00

All of the HCA I know are intelligent, and bloody good at their jobs. It's offensive, snobbish crap to say they're not bright.

HCP aren't allowed to tell people they're being unreasonable. We have to accept any and all abuse and accommodate best as possible what they want. If we can't answer back when someone chucks a used bed pan at us then there's no way we'd answer back when someone takes a strop a la OP.

DoYouLikeMyBaubles · 30/12/2013 15:06

Why

DoYouLikeMyBaubles · 30/12/2013 15:07

Fucks sake.

Why don't your write to the Daily Mail OP I'm sure they'll be interested in helping you give them a bashing. With it being the NHS and all.

sashh · 30/12/2013 15:10

In our practice we have doctors, nurses and HCWs. We do tend to group the nurses

Maybe we should go back to calling them auxiliary nurses and not allow them any training? The OP would probably have been happy with that.

MrsDeVere · 30/12/2013 15:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

dontcallmemam · 30/12/2013 15:22

You do realise that the PNs & HCAs will know what a nightmare you are now?
Take a big book with you to your next appointment.
inside information

InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream · 30/12/2013 15:22

I think most of us advising you to go private did so ' tongue in cheek'. But you are actually refusing to believe you were being unreasonable and are going private!! Shock

lilyaldrin · 30/12/2013 15:27

I have difficult veins and a needle phobia - often when midwives (fully qualified!) have failed to get blood I have had to make an appointment with the HCA who has always managed. My midwife is quite honest that the HCA takes more blood than her and is better at it.

meddie · 30/12/2013 15:32

I,m an ICU nurse. I would much rather a HCA took my blood if thats their role, because they have probably done it more times in a week than I have in a year.
As for the ear syringing we were not actually taught that procedure as part of our training and its usually taught post qualification if you will specifically be doing that role. as if you dont angle the syringe right you can damage ear drums. So the HCA would probably again be the person most qualified for that procedure.
your attitude has a whiff of snobbery about it OP. You would much rather have the 'real qualified nurse' than an untrained HCA? Yet the HCA will probably be the most trained in the whole practise.

timidviper · 30/12/2013 15:37

At our practice the HCAs are included in the nursing team. Practice nurses do not take bloods or do ear syringing so, if you were to ask for a nurse appointment for either of those things you would be booked in with a HCA. (Incidentally some of us had to be tested for measles immunity recently, it is hard to find my veins and it was the HCA who managed, after 2 nurses, a GP and a registrar all failed!)

I suspect you will find some of the "nurses" at your private practice will also be HCAs, they just have a better uniform

Writerwannabe83 · 30/12/2013 15:43

You are being very precious. HCA's are trained to do lots of procedures. I am a qualified nurse (have been for 8 years) and one of my best friends is a HCA and she is allowed to do things to patients that I can't.

giraffesCantSledge · 30/12/2013 15:43

Am more annoyed at my Drs (new and crap) receptionist who decided that not being able to breathe means you can wait until tomorrow to see a Dr! I did explain I was a brittle asthmatic and my previous hosp admission was via resus but no I could still wait until tomorrow.

I suggested she ask a Dr...she decided not to do that but gave me an appointment for 5 hours later.

I turned up 2 hours early and told the nice receptionist that I was happy to wait for 2hours but will sit here until then...after 5 minutes of me wheezing and coughing I got seen - funny that! Nebs and steroids and a&e if it doesn't settle.

Bestnottoask · 30/12/2013 15:57

IMO, the op has not been worded well and sounds grumpy and judgemental because the poster makes a generalisation about hcp in general. I imagine that a trained, experienced and confident hcp would have been able to carry out the medical tasks beautifully.

However, if the members of staff who dealt with op was insecure or inexperienced and not sure of what she was doing I can understand why she would not want that person to inject her with a needle or do her ears. Some people may call this 'precious', I call it 'taking responsibility for your health', or 'listening to your gut feeling'. Patients (NHS or private) should not be made to feel powerless objects that 'things' are done to'.

As for the receptionist, it's not nice to smell of smoke when you deal with sick people. It's just not necessary or pleasant. I know many smokers who do not reek of smoke. If you work at a surgery I would have thought its common curtsy not to smell offensive.

Also in terms of communication and transparency, imo, the patient should have the right to know who is treating her (nurse, hca, Gp, whatever). I would say that's important so that the patient feels informed and has some control over what's happening.

Op, I hope you feel that in general your condition is take well care off.

Perhaps lay off the complaint letter but do trust your instinct if you feel something isn't right. No patient should have to feel helpless or forced to go through with something that feels disconcerting as it did in your case.

Mrsmorton · 30/12/2013 16:01

Dint forget the fact that children were carrying out these procedures! One was sweet and one was stinky.

As an aside, should health care workers have to treat people who are stinky. I love it when people have a fag just before a dental appointment, smell of burnt fat or have breath that makes me retch (very difficult to control, usually noticed by my nurse who takes over conversation while I compose myself)? Just wondering what OP thinks of stinky patients.

PennySillin · 30/12/2013 16:06

HCA's doing ear irrigation (syringing no longer carried out) is common practice in lots of GP practices.

Receptionists doubling up as phlebs is also fairly common (although that doesn't excuse the cigarette smoke - ewww). I don't think you'll get very far with a letter of complaint.

KateSpade · 30/12/2013 16:11

I stayed calm whilst a health care assistant tried to take blood from my arm 5 times! Yes 5. Upon attempt of the sixth go I calmly said not a chance! I understand your frustration!

I also had a request that I review my epilepsy with a health care assistant at my health centre, now like you and other people have said, no I didn't go as it would have been a huge waste of time, I wanted a my GP!

I understand your annoyed but slightly OTT to complain I think.

CPtart · 30/12/2013 16:18

I'm a practice nurse. Receptionists take blood at our surgery and HCA's syringe ears (after appropriate training).
I have been a qualified nurse for over 20 years and when I can't get someone's blood I ask the receptionist to do it for me!!
If everyone started demanding qualified nurses to do such tasks, you would wait a lot longer for appointments for everything.

PennySillin · 30/12/2013 16:19

Hmm 5 times is unacceptable, ouch poor you! How ever I would much prefer a HCA taking my blood than a GP or a PN. I rarely take blood now, they are so much more experienced than me.