Diagnosed by a Receptionist?

[Hummingbird46]

I have read a few of the comments regarding this issue of having to speak to the Doctor's receptionists about my systems in order to have an appointment. I feel very offended about this action especially as I am not one for seeing a doctor at the worst of times. And my last experienced I told the receptionist that I'd come out in a load of what looks like boils over most parts of my body and that I thought I might have measles I was told it was probably a allergy to something I'd eaten and I could attend a walk in clinic about 3 miles away. Hence I covered myself in calamine lotion and vaseline and stayed in only to find out that i had passed on Chicken pox to my grandchild. And now I have a more serious problem that I've been plagued with for years that ceased a year ago. and as come back which I needed to get a referral to see the specialist again. But I do not want to make that phone call that will lead me to either get rude or offended.

Yes it does actually

How can it if you have to discus ps (even briefly) your private issue in the waiting room.

I can choose which dr I see and I can refuse to discuss my personal problem with a receptionist.

Thry should have a private area for asking. But if its their policy to triage you shouldnt be allowed to jump the queue by refusing IMO.

We don't have that issue in jersey. Because we pay to see the gp our conversation goes like this

Me: good morning could I make an appointment to see the doctor

Then: of course. Which doctor

Me: I don't mind, any

Them: there is an appointment in half an hour with doctor xx

So although we pay if we need to see the doctor we see them that day.

You don't have to tell us anything. But we can direct you to those who perform certain clinical duties that aren't doctors and that way you might be seen sooner. If you require a double appointment we might suggest another day rather than a same day appointment so it can be discussed in more detail. But at the end of the day, it's up to you. We can't suggest anything without any information and therefore we are unable to help.

It's obviously a nationwide diktat from on high that receptionists have to
ask the patients questions about their ailments.
Another recent one at my surgery is that only one ailment is allowed
per appointment. When I last went to my GP it was for multiple
joint pain - bit of background: 2 years ago a consultant suspected I have early symptoms of rhuematoid arthritis because of pain in couple of joints. - The GP said, 'ok, which one do you want me to deal with'?

Information Governance is not an ethical code of conduct, which makes it sound optional and based on high morals. It's a really strict set of rules around the handling of patient data. Anyone who comes into contact with patient data will have done IG training and they are not able to share it with anyone else, apart from in strict line with their role.

If they do, they will be fired, the practice will receive a huge fine and it will generally be disasterous all round.

Receptionists shouldn't diagnose, but if the GP has asked them to get more information in order to get the patient on the right list then that information will remain held confidentially in the practice.

And it has nothing to do with looking down on the receptionist.

Look, can't you see that for many people actually seeing the dr about a certain condition has taken great strength and courage. Asking them to speak to the receptionist first could mean that they don't go.

Another point (very relevant for me) is that the drs tend to live out of area - I would never bump into them if not at the surgery. The receptionists are all local. Seeing them often is the norm (shops/ out and about etc.)

Even if they said nothing (and I've been around long enough to know that people don't keep schtum - even if no name is attached, it's still gossip about me). Discussing me for professional reasons is toyally different.

Who said anything about jumping the queue? It's about getting an appointment full stop.

If its something they are very shy about fair enough. But not just because you don't agree with the policy.

Applepizza, i think you make some very fair, relevant points. I absolutely hate going to the doctors myself. On another note if you suspect anyone is gossiping about you report it to practice manager. That's outrageous.

I have people be really rude when i ask them to fill out medical history forms..which we are required to by law. They imply i am nosey..but my boss wants the form. He wont see them if they refuse though.

I was once told by a receptionist when I phoned for blood test results that " there's nothing wrong with you ". I took that at face value, although surprised, and my condition deteriorated to the point where I needed treatment airside at an airport abroad as I became too ill to board the plane. What she should have said was that that particular blood test was normal - an entirely different matter.

I was a medical receptionist for 2 years. When I started I was warm and kind.

Towards the end I was fantasising about punching people in the face.

They are fucked no matter they do.

But the doctors pay the salary, so you do what they demand no matter how much it pisses off the patients.

Many gp receptionists look to be in an unenviable position, expected to ask for personal information and in some cases prioritise without being qualified as a clinician. Glad you got your referral sorted op.

I don't normally tell receptionists (in my surgery I'm sure they're not nurses as well as receptionists too!) but sometimes they ask for eg if I want antibiotics if it's urgent and say it's throat infection, I don't mind telling them that. I also don't care re my thyroid and blood tests etc

Anything more personal I just say I'm worried it's something more serious and don't tell them but they don't usually ask or probe.

Having said that a few years ago an ex DP of mine had thrush but had been told to get it out, told it was chlamyldia, told it was urgent etc. He had rung me at work, freaked me out (I'd had chlamydia which was diagnosed later as GP didn't believe me at first (she apologised) and I was in a real panic with receptionists etc as I'd gone to a walk in GUM clinic who couldn't see me etc and were quite unhelpful etc... Luckily they went over and above for me, arranged for me to come last appointment (maybe even tagged one on specially for me) as they could hear I was upset, I got a swab done and chlamydia test done (it turned out to be negative and was thrush after all) I had had to tell and ask receptionists then but they were very nice and understanding and didn't say anything when I got there.

To anyone who says receptionists gossip or make snide comments about your condition in front of waiting room I'd complain, that is not on.

I'm very jumpy about discussing anything with receptionists since I heard them gossiping in front of the waiting room about a colleague. I actually knew about the issue as he worked directly for me so I had been authorising keeping him on full pay. But they basically talked about him by name and with full chatter about his issue in front of 15 strangers. I was appalled and, since then, have been very circumspect about telling them anything. I'd rather be referred to as the snooty cow than have my medical history broadcast.

I will add my experience of a GP surgery receptionist. When I was 19 or so I temped in the summer for about 3 months at a very busy doctors surgery as a receptionist in a team. It was so long ago I don't recall much apart from paper forms and giving out free condoms and formula milk and answering a very very busy phone and the place being packed with patients.

It was on a tired and slightly rough council estate in a fairly rough part of London (I knew the area though) and it was early summer so I was always fairly hot. As I was attractive some of the male patients took pleasure when I blushed at first in handing out the condoms but after a day or so I was fine and doled them out like sweets!

Tomorrow I need to ring because I think my ears need syringing (failed hearing test at Specsavers yesterday). I'll phone up and say hello Mrs x here, failed hearing test on Saturday, can I just have an apt with the nurse to have them syringed. Why would I waste an apt. With the Dr for that? Will lt you know how I get on.

I've been a doctors receptionist for 10 years, I would absolutely love to have all the people complaining about doctors receptionist to come & do my job for a week. See if you last a day without being rude to a patient!
At our practice, if you phone wanting a routine appt then all fine & dandy. No one will ask you what your issue is, you can have the next appt - a 4 week wait.
Oh but hang on... that's my fault as the receptionist for not having an appt sooner - the amount of abuse we get daily for the length of time before routine appts is frankly disgusting, and I'm not even on to urgent appointments yet!
So, if you call in on the day for an emergency appointment.
My screen will show I have approx 30 appointments with the nurse practitioner - who is able to see most minor urgent problems (UTIs/ Chest infections/ rashes etc) she is able to prescribe but oh don't forget that one of the nurses isn't able to see under 12 year olds and one isn't able to see under 5 year olds.
Then the GPS have one urgent appointment at the end of their routine surgery and after that it's just keep adding on if it's urgent.
The doctors can't just have an endless stream of never ending appointments.
Hence why they ask us to ask the patient calling in what the problem is so we can either put them with the nurse practitioner/ get them seen by GP on the day/ tell them they'll have to wait till next available appt if it's not a medical emergency. We're told we HAVE to ask.
If you say 'personal' or won't disclose then you'll only be offered the next routine appt - as we've been told to by the doctors.
We recently did a phone audit at our practice and the results show we get between 50-100 calls per day for emergency appointments. It's just not plausible to book everyone in when we have no one to book them with!
The NHS as a whole is stretched to breaking point. We can't recruit new GPs.
People complaining about confidentiality - I couldn't care less about what your problem is - it's just to put you to the best person to help you - we never tell people what their symptoms could be because we're not medically trained & we're very aware of that! We just have been told to signpost to the best person and get on with answering the phone to the next rude person who takes it out on you.
Also - confidentiality - who do you think inputs all of your medical letters / prescriptions / data into your records! Certainly not the GPs!
On a day to day basis the abuse we receive is astounding, I've been personally attacked, called pathetic, had people tell me that it'll be personally my fault if they drop dead. Sometimes I wonder why I still stay at this job, I try & try to help people - only Friday did I have a lady who I called back when I got a cancellation so that I could get her in sooner.
We do care about the patients.. it's just bloody hard.
The type of things we get as requests for urgent appointments on the day - ran out of repeat medication, I've had a sore throat for 2 days, I think I've fractured my foot!.. all things that would waste an appointment if we just added them on to the end of surgery. It's also shocking how many patients come in 2-3-4 times a week to see their doctor, just to chat, it's sad but takes up valuable appointment time.
No appointments, and patient demand so high it's not a good mix and we get all the flack for it.
Between our two practices we usually have around 400 did not attend appointments per month. That's crazy.. so wasted.
Personally I think that we should charge for appointments.. even just £5 or something, people wouldn't be so quick to waste an appointment then.
Sorry for the rant but it really upsets me when people rant on here about doctors receptionists being rude or nosey or questioning our education when I get it everyday in person and all we want to do is help.

I don't know how it works in general practice but in MH we had "warning" signs to look out for on the phone.

Over the years I've worked in admin, reception, support and care. I've always signed a confidentially statement.

Dimples, that is hilarious!

Way to go.

Different practices do have different cultures though. Have been registered at a gp surgery where the reception staff were unhelpful and very rude. So we changed.

Sometimes staff do seem to go out of their way to be unhelpful. At that practice a conversation could go:

Me: Please can I have the first available appointment after 5.30pm, I work locally

Rec: I've got 11am tomorrow

Me: No, I asked for the first apt after 5.30 please.

Rec: You can have 10.30 on Thursay

Me: No, I have asked for the first available appointment after 5.30 please, it isn't urgent

Rec: Well you've refused two, I've offered you two so you can't need to see a Dr

Me: Can I speak to the practice manager please

Rec: She's at lunch

Me: Can she ring me back

Rec: No we ask for patients to make the calls she'll be back after 2pm

Me to PM: I didn't have a very helpful conversation this morning.

PM They're only following instructions.

Ask if I can have first available apt after 5.30 because I work full time.

PM can you get here for 3.30

No, that means leaving work at 2.45 and it isn't urgent.

Oh, well I can't give you an apt for three weeks.

Me, yes that's absolutely fine, just what I wanted.

Now when some practices talk about overwork and lack of resources how does that sort of carry on help? Genuine question. It wastes my time, practice time and does nothing to build trusting relationships.

I went btw because I wasn't coping with the menopause. Dr was lovely.

Ontheroses that sounds like miscommunication. If you say, I'd like a routine appointment and i don't care how long i wait then you'd probably had your answer. 99% of callers are not prepared to wait that long. I very often ask "does this require prompt attention' because patients often say oh i can wait a few days which makes my job 12 million times easier. But then sometimes they see that as harassing them for personal information (which i can see anyway!) or that I'm not prepared to helo. Which just isnt true.

What's different about saying what you said and saying what I said. What could someone possibly not understand about "the first available appointment after 5.30pm". And if the had misunderstood why get arsy and refuse another apt.

I've no idea ontheroses, i didn't take the call. I'm just guessing maybe that's what happened? You got an appointment didn't you? Even the practice manager wasn't sure what you meant from the little script you provided. As i said, most people wouldn't have found a three week wait acceptable.