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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Or is the receptionist?

45 replies

curiousgeorgie · 04/12/2014 10:51

I have a bad cold, I sound awful (over the phone) but it is just a cold and obviously not serious..

My DD has woken up today with a really swollen eye and seems really unwell. I called the doctors and asked for an appointment for her and the receptionist said that if I was ill but didn't need an appointment for myself then I shouldn't come into the surgery where people can be immuno suppressed...

Now, I would never get a doctors appointment for what is just a cold, but my DD really does need to go and there is no one else available to take her as DH, friends and family are all at work!

I had a bit of an argument with her and she said I could have a phone consultation about my DD... But because I can't really just describe what's wrong with her I'm annoyed and I don't think that's the best care. Her eye is so swollen, she looks awful.

She deserves an appointment, AIBU?

OP posts:

StillSquirrelling · 04/12/2014 11:55

Sounds ridiculous to me! What would have happened if you'd made an appointment for in a day or two, whilst being perfectly well, and then come down with a cold in between booking the appt and actually going to it?

Do the receptionists stand there in the surgery doorway, with wooden staffs - Gandalf style - bellowing, "you shall not pass!"

I'm on immunosuppressants (but weirdly never catch anything from anyone) and it's never occurred to me to be scared about going to the doctors with the kids because of maybe catching something.

Original poster

curiousgeorgie · 04/12/2014 12:12

RiverTam - DH can't take her because she wasn't ill until this morning and by the time we got up he was already at work three trains away

If she was ill last night though I wouldn't have asked him to go in late though because I wouldn't have thought a cold would stop me from taking her to be honest.

OP posts:

solidussnake · 04/12/2014 12:34

of course your DD must be seen! just take her down! don't go to A&E though.
with receptionist, I'm one. we're just doing our jobs and doing what we've been told. it's not our fault, it's the bosses.
We don't want people to get angry. Our bosses just don't realise. I don't work in a doctors office but for another service.
We're just switchboards and appointment makers. ring 111?

financialwizard · 04/12/2014 12:52

Don't get angry?

There are GP receptionists and GP receptionists. Is it really necessary to stop a parent with a sick child bringing her to the surgery because they have a cold?

Many a time I have had to fight to get an emergency appointment ffs and even then I have had to give far more detail to reception than I wanted. Since when were they qualified to determine whether you need treating or not.

iseenodust · 04/12/2014 12:59

The receptionist is in the wrong. For goodness sake all the doctors don't go off for a cold! A decent doctor is not going to do a phone consultation for a child's eye unless you have seen your DD with conjunctivitis & recognise it as being the same again.

Mmolly2013 · 04/12/2014 13:10

Over here in northern ireland ypu ring the doctors for an appointment give your name and thats it. Its not routine for receptionists to ask what its for as its not relevant to them. A doctor should be able to treat everything so therefore the receptionists do not need to know what the appointments are for i really dont understand England and why they do that.

I also had chickenpox before my doctors is absolutly spotless but i went in got diagnosed and when home again with some cream. I thinl being put into a seperate is a bit far fetched and dramatic really

TheRealAmandaClarke · 04/12/2014 13:12

Just take her. Yanbu.
Its just a cold. Hope everyone is better soon

Littlegreyauditor · 04/12/2014 13:58

Why would you bring her to a pharmacist? It's an eye problem, bring her to an Optometrist, who has the equipment to look at it and will be able to refer her appropriately if necessary.

A pharmacist can do nothing other than advise you to take her elsewhere, and no sensible one would advise drops for an under 16 who has not been properly checked.

If she has severe swelling and is unwell then she needs to be seen soon, for no other reason than to rule out cellulitis. Take her to someone who knows about eyes, please.

whitesandstorm · 04/12/2014 14:15

What strange logic the receptionist has. The surgery might have people who are immuno suppressed, therefore poorly people shouldn't come in? Surely she should rather tell the immuno supressed ones to stay away because the waiting room could be awash with germs. Surely the people who might be immuno suppressed would not take the risk of going anywhere near a doctors waiting room if they thought it was so dangerous.
You just can't win can you, they won't send the doctor out and always tell you to come into the surgery...now you get told to stay away in case you pass on your germs. The worlds gone mad.

Hatespiders · 04/12/2014 14:16

Our doctors' surgery have a little 'isolation room' where you wait if it looks as if you're infectious. I sat in there once with my poor dh who'd got what turned out to be adult chickenpox.
Hope your little girl has been seen and treated, Eye problems are nasty for a child to have to put up with.

Chocolatefudgebrownieicecream · 04/12/2014 14:23

Have you been seen? An unwell child with a swollen eye needs to see a doctor. It is most probably fine, but you need to exclude orbital cellulitis, so she needs to be seen, a phone consultation will not do (IMO). Receptionist is dangerous, she needs retraining in the fact that she is not trained. Again, she is most probably fine. But do get her seen.

Stoneysilence · 04/12/2014 14:55

Do doctor's receptionists go on a special course that teaches them to be as withering and scornful as it's possible for a human being to be? There are many occasions when I have been reduced to (ill and probably totally U) floods of tears. I have changed surgeries a few times in the last few years owing to house moves, etc so I know it's a widespread thing.

In all seriousness is anyone here a doc's receptionist and if so can you please let on why you can be such a mean bunch? Do you have particularly difficult jobs? I really want to know.

Stoneysilence · 04/12/2014 14:56

Plus they always ask what's wrong and I'm like, I don't want to tell you, are you medically qualified? No. That's why I want an appointment with a DOCTOR.

(I don't actually say that to them obv, just to myself while silently seething)

whitesandstorm · 04/12/2014 15:39

I think it's all down to that little bit of power. You get it in all walks of life. Doctors receptionists should go on a course and learn some very basic facts.
You are not a doctor
Treat poorly and distressed people with a bit of compassion.
Try not to talk in such a condescending and confrontational manner.
Stop asking people what is wrong with them (that is confidential between patient and doctor)
Stop trying to prevent patients from seeing the doctor at all costs.
You have no medical training, stop attempting to diagnose patients.

WowserBowser · 04/12/2014 16:03

I applied to be one. I didn't get the role am too friendly

But the woman did say they get loads of shit. She said it would be a completely different job to the one i was doing in a private clinic.

WowserBowser · 04/12/2014 16:05

white - do you actually think receptionists have made up the rules? They ask what is wrong because they are told too. It's because Doctors are so busy nowadays and want to cut down on patient numbers.

It really isn't their fault - they probably hate the stupid rules as they get people moaning at them all the time.

That being said - they should use more common sense in cases like the ops.

WD41 · 04/12/2014 16:08

Bloody GP receptionists.

Yanbu. I'd call back and make the appt, sod what they say, they can't withhold treatment from your DD

Musicaltheatremum · 04/12/2014 16:58

My receptionists where I work are lovely. I'm a GP and I hear them on the phone. "I'll just get the doctor to phone you back and he/she will fit you in if needed" reception don't give out emergency appointments as they aren't able to judge what is and isn't. GPs make that decision. I do like to know roughly what is wrong though. The reason they ask is not to be nosey but to enable the GP to time manage. Some phonecalls are not as important as others and I usually read the messages and ring the ones I think will need seen first and then go on to the other queries. Sometimes I can direct a receptionist to phone back an answer to their query. If I don't know what it's about then I can't prioritise and some one who is sicker than another may have to wait.
I often deal with UTIs on the phone and in fact if patients tell the reception what is wrong our receptionists ask us to bring a urine sample down, get it tested and then we will phone the patient back and give them antibiotics if needed so please when the reception asks what is wrong tell them. Believe me with several hundred phonecalls a day coming in they won't remember. They are part of a team and it is the only way to make it work effectively.

I do agree that some receptionists are awful I've heard them speaking to people and not giving a patient any alternative but a no.

Some patients are just totally unreasonable though. We have a few, not many but you know there will be problems when they phone in.

Original poster

curiousgeorgie · 04/12/2014 17:35

I had a phone consultation and explained the situation and the GP agreed she needed to see her.

I went in (cold and all) and my DD probably has an allergy, I have to keep an eye on it and use some cream, if it gets worse tonight (like in the photo of first thing this morning) take her to A&E.

No idea what the allergy could be. All washing powder etc the same, all food the same as usual. I'm baffled...

OP posts:

Hatespiders · 04/12/2014 17:42

Our previous surgery (which we left in disgust to become patients at our present one) had the most horrible, pugnacious receptionist you could ever imagine. The whole village called her The Rottweiler. They had so many complaints, she eventually disappeared. We all hoped someone had done her in, but no, she'd 'retired'. Hmmm...

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