To really despise Drs receptionists asking why I want an appointment?

[ShapelyBingoWing]

I've been trying to get an appointment at my surgery all week. If I'd booked in on Monday, I'd have been waiting until a week on Friday to be seen, so the receptionist that day said to call at 8 in the morning for an appointment that gets released on the day.

By the time I've gotten through every single day, all the appointments have been gone. But after telling me that, I've been asked each day what I need the appointment for as though an appointment can be found if they deem my issue serious enough. And every day they've tutted at me down the phone when I've explained I'd rather not say.

I've finally got an appointment with my practice nurse today after she triaged me and agreed I needed seeing.

I get that receptionists need to prioritise, I really do, but I feel very strongly that they're not trained to prioritise based on very little medical information. And tutting down the phone is a fairly reasonable marker that they're not particularly good at the job they are trained to do. AIBU? Or just a grumpy sod?

I think I just wanted a moan.

[caffeinestream]

Threads like this make me immensely grateful for my wonderful GP surgery.

I never registered until a couple of months ago - I moved into the area last year and I guess I just never needed to see a doctor so it just slipped my mind. When I needed an emergency appointment, I rang up and explained the situation and got a same-day appointment with a nurse.

I got seen, booked in for blood tests the following week and signed up for the online booking service in the same week. I was in/out in half an hour, and now I can book everything online. If I need an emergency appointment, I just need to ring up and I can get seen the same day, even if it's just a nurse's appointment which will lead me to a GP referral if needed.

I renew my prescriptions online, can book smears, routine tests and get all my test results without having to ring anyone. It's great. When I have had to speak to the receptionists, they've been nothing but polite, friendly and helpful.

[grannytomine]

The trouble is they can go power mad. My husband needed to see GP as his diabetes med needed to be reviewed. The receptionist was adamant he wasn't due to be seen for 12 months. As I said earlier he did see the Dr, Dr agreed it was ridiculous for a receptionist with no medical training to be telling someone with problems controlling their blood sugar that they couldn't see a Dr for 12 months. It wasn't her place, it wasn't reasonable, it was dangerous.

[Aurao]

They have to ask, if they book a GP appointment when it's not needed they get a rollicking

No they don't. Ours are trained not to ask as they are not medically qualified. For same day appointments we fill out the form and the on call GP triages us to pharmacist, nurse, same-day appointment or immediate appointment with the most urgent being seen first

[ShapelyBingoWing]

To be honest if I was a busy receptionist and someone was wasting my time by calling and then refusing to say what the problem is so I can't actually do my job, I would probably sigh/tut too.

I'm not wasting their time by not discussing my medical issues though. A receptionist is perfectly able to take on face value that I need to see a doctor or nurse in the next few days without tutting because I won't get into the issue with them.

Maybe they are rude because they have arseholes who treat them like dirt and constantly question their job and authority?

How is not discussing my medical issues with a receptionist really questioning their authority?

[ElizabethShaw]

You don't known that the receptionist is able to make that decision themselves - if they've been told to get that information and will be bollocked for not doing their job if they don't, then you are wasting their time.

[tomatotornado]

I don't understand why they don't realize it's awkward to speak up about your bleeding puss oozing tits at the desk with the whole waiting room listening. Or any medical issue for that matter.

'Speak up there love!! What did you say? Your what? Well what colour is the puss? Can you shut your baby up or speak louder we can't help you otherwise! Look love if you don't speak up in not going to get you seen, and you are keeping all these people behind you waiting.'

Later on, doctors from that surgery then attend a course on PND. They come away satisfied it must be a hormonal imbalance, fixed with medicine, afterall what else could it possibly be?

Surely with all the great brains in there they could rig up some sort of system where they could ask in a confidential manner? Just a thought.

[ShapelyBingoWing]

I think you're missing the point a bit Elizabeth. If it's their job to ask, then fine, they've asked. But it doesn't waste any time to explain you'd rather keep it private and nor is it deserving of tutting down the phone to people who will likely need to use the service again in the future and will have a lesser opinion of it due to her rudeness.

[Ollivander84]

Our receptionists can be dragons occasionally but when I turned up unannounced and stood silently crying at reception, they got me in with a GP in 10 minutes and found me somewhere quiet to sit. I don't mind saying what it is as long as I can see the best person. I often take telephone appointments because I need antibiotics and it's easier/quicker than going in

[TroysMammy]

If a patient wants a telephone consultation and won't give details and say "it's personal" or "I'd rather speak to the Doctor about that" it's fine, but what patients don't know when the GP has that type of message they may not be pleased about it because they want something to go on before they ring you back.

[iseenodust]

^^To be honest if I was a busy receptionist and someone was wasting my time by calling and then refusing to say what the problem is so I can't actually do my job, I would probably sigh/tut too.

The patient does not have to disclose anything to the receptionist. There may be a protocol/triage flow chart but receptionists are not medical staff and you do not have to tell them. This is not wasting time !

At our surgery when you phone you first encounter an automated message which says dial 1 for diabetes/asthma/heart clinic etc, dial 2 for child/holiday vaccs etc. If you do call and say I need a GP appointment today/two weeks there are no intrusive questions. If I choose to volunteer information in the hope of being seen quicker that is entirely up to me.

[PonyPals]

Wow. Here in OZ the receptionists never ask for privacy reasons and just boob appointments. I can get appointments on the same day that are bulk billed too (free).
Didn't realise what the process was in UK.

[PonyPals]

Not boob! Book 🤔

[BitOfANameChange]

There are several strands to this issue here.

Firstly while most receptionists are fine there are many who aren't.

Second, receptionist training doesn't seem to be the same across the board, leading to pockets of good practice, and bad.

The training should cover knowing that complex cases can't be dealt with in a simple way.

The training should cover confidentiality and how to help patients maintain their privacy. Most training probably does cover this, so what needs assessing is how effective the training is when we have examples of poor practice on this thread.

I'm not knocking receptionists, I'm happy to give them some indication when booking an appointment, but we do need to acknowledge that there are some bad receptionists and/or poor quality training causing issues in places.

My own surgery has issues but generally the layout reduces others hearing your conversation with the receptionist and phone calls are taken behind a glass door into the next room, so further reducing anyone overhearing private info.

[TeamCersei]

I don't understand why they don't realize it's awkward to speak up about your bleeding puss oozing tits at the desk with the whole waiting room listening. Or any medical issue for that matter.

You've got it in one.
The same applies to when they phone you at home and there are other people around.
There's a complete lack of privacy.

That's what was great about the old better system.

You made you appointment. You went to the Doctors and any problem you had was between you, the doc and the 4 walls.

This new system is, no doubt, more efficient at weeding out wasters, but patients are losing out on 'privacy' and 'confidentiality' and 'respect'.
and it's causing huge stress and upset.
Which isn't good for your health.

[TheCraicDealer]

I don't mind giving details if it means I can see a nurse or get a telephone appointment, leaving a doctor's slot free for someone that needs it. Receptionists at ours have a twitter of wit and I (touch wood) have never been sent to the nurse when a doctor would've been more appropriate or had to argue to get to see the doctor. And they have had to refer me to A&E when my mother trotted me down with an very fucking obviously broken arm. They're pretty decent and the practice manager does his time on the phones too, so he knows what it's like for his staff fending phonecalls.

I think a lot of people (not anyone on this thread, just generally!) still don't get that nurses can carry out a lot of procedures and that no-one's trying to "fob you off" by suggesting that you perhaps could see a nurse instead.

[TeamCersei]

Surely with all the great brains in there they could rig up some sort of system where they could ask in a confidential manner? Just a thought.

Some Receptionists have no common sense.
I remember writing down the name of a repeat prescription med (X) that I'd run out of. It was to save me the embarassment of saying it out loud.
I got to the front of the queue and said to the Receptionist,
''Is there any chance I could get X a bit earlier, because we are going on holiday.
(X was something I was embarrassed about taking at the time and there was at least one person in the queue I knew)

She glanced at the piece of paper and said in a loud voice

Oh you want a repeat prescription for X*?

I felt like saying, "Get a fucking Loud Hailer why dontya"

[TeamCersei]

Obviously I didn't say X. I pushed the piece of paper towards her so she could read it.

[melj1213]

I've been asked each day what I need the appointment for as though an appointment can be found if they deem my issue serious enough. And every day they've tutted at me down the phone when I've explained I'd rather not say.

In this scenario YABU - they have same day appointments ... once all these are allocated, the only appointments available are emergency appointments, reserved for things that need to be seen ASAP and therefore the receptionist needs to know if it is an urgent thing that can't wait based on whether your issue "qualifies" (based on a system the GP has set up to decide how to allocate those appointments).

If you won't tell the receptionist even a general summary of the issue then it is usually something can wait. It's one thing to give them a general idea and then decline to give them any specifics, but to refuse to tell them whether it's a medication issue, a pain issue, a chronic issue, an intimate health issue, a minor injury or whatever means they can't make the decision as to whether you qualify for the doctor's definition of "emergency" or who best to allocate you to.

My GP has the same system - very limited 'book ahead' appointments or call at 8 for same day appointments. The receptionists at my surgery will also ask if it is urgent if there are no same day appointments but they do have emergency appointments available. They don't ever ask for specifics, but they do need a general idea of why you feel you need an emergency appointment so they can prioritise those in genuine need "Patient with asthma having wheezing issues" over those who just don't want to wait "had a cough for a couple of weeks but not in acute pain or intensity of symptoms".

[EscapingAdultLife]

I often get asked by the receptionist if it's an emergency.... seriously, if I had an emergency I would be phoning 999 or taking myself to A & E. We ate unable to book appointments in advance now at my gp... they've changed the rules!

I phoned the gp for a prescription just over a year ago as I was going abroad... i was told 2 week wait, the receptionist missed half of my prescription orser and i was told by her to buy meds over the counter whilst abroad... I wouldn't mind but I was going to Ghana and required epilepsy medication! That receptionist was reported for her unprofessional conduct!

I really dislike gp' s receptionists!

[specialsubject]

Receptionists vary although ours are great.

But it all boils down to 70 million people in a country set up and funded for 50 million. As the extra people aren't going anywhere, and things have been squeezed until the pips squeak, we need to pay more taxes and consider paying per use.

Good luck to anyone trying to get that voted in....

[Danceswithwarthogs]

I am a vet (so slightly different) but knowing ahead of the appointment why a patient is coming in can help us massively (whether it's making an extra long appointment for a dressing change or getting equipment ready or chasing lab results prior to the appointment). However there are some clients who would rather not explain the problem in reception (and that's for their pets!?). Our receptionists will always manage to squeeze people in if they sound worried enough/the client believes it can't wait (usually our lunch break)... but on the flip side they take a lot of attitude and moaning from dismissive and unreasonable people who then come through to the vet all sweetness and light... sometimes you can just catch them on a bad day... Generally our doctors' receptionists are lovely, but there is one quite scary and jobsworth one.

[ThePurpleOneWithTheNut]

Going online is not the answer for everyone either. Many elderly people are not happy or able to do this at all.

[ShapelyBingoWing]

I don't think online should be made the only option at all. But certainly at my surgery, everything going through the receptionists just isn't working.

[HashiAsLarry]

In defence of the online system, the only time my drs have actually got any clue why I'm there is when I've put a reason in on the online system. That never filters through from reception.

[HashiAsLarry]

Though, I don't think it should be the only option of course!