To tell colleague she can't change her name?

[Professionalminefield]

To summarise:

I am a GP partner, and have been at the practice I work at for over 20 years. I changed my name when I got married, but continued to practise under my maiden name, as that's what my patients know me by.

We have a relatively new partner in the practice, who has the same first name as me. (Let's say it's Lucy). She is getting married in the summer, and is planning on changing her name both personally and professionally.

The issue is that, as I found out today, her fiancé's surname is almost identical to my professional name. My surname is Townsend, her married name is Townshend.

So our practice will have a Dr Lucy Townsend and a Dr Lucy Townshend.

This is absolutely not going to work for multiple reasons:
- Many patients, especially those who don't come that regularly, struggle to remember who their GP is, or which GP they want to see. They're not going to be able to distinguish between Dr Townsend and Dr Townshend if prompted on the phone.
- We are in an ethnically diverse area with high levels of immigration. As a result, many of our receptionists (who give out some appointments) and our patients are not native English speakers and will struggle to hear the very slight difference between the names.

WIBU to tell my colleague that she can't change her name?

At my local surgery we have a Dr Green and a Dr Greene (both men) and we all manage just fine. If any clarification is needed then it's Dr Bill [not his name but you see what I mean] Greene or Dr Bob [ditto] Greene.

Just consider this: would you refuse to employ a new GP just because they had the same name as another employee? Thought not: massively unreasonable and quite possibly liable to an expensive and embarrassing visit to the employment tribunal. How different therefore is this situation to the one you've described? Or is it because it's YOUR name and in your mind you're therefore the only one entitled to use it?

We have a married couple at my gps surgery, so they are asked for using their Christian and surnames.
Does New GP have a middle name she could use?

If I tell her she can't, then she can't

I don't think you know how life works.

Oh yes OP, you can't tell her either, as someone mentioned, that could get messy.

Just wondering if this is a reverse, as the OP has not been back

If you have the authority to tell her she can't, then why post on here (other than to get in the Daily Mail) as there is no dilemma?

It's not unheard of for there to be two GPs with exactly the same surname in one practice. In my experience, the receptionists refer to them as Dr Their First Name.

*Not true in any legal sense.

Maybe not legally, but in terms of the dynamics of our practice, completely true.*. Not good. Hopefully if you do make senior partner, rather than her by mistake you will change this.

at this thread - it's like one of those MN v real life threads

MN - it's so dreadfully important that the delicate balance of the doctor-patient relationship, nurtured over years, is preserved

RL - no GP appointments for 12 weeks. Your head has fallen off and you have terminal cancer? We can offer you a phone consultation with a nurse practitioner?

Also double at the importance of writing to a patient's own GP. My local hospital insists on addressing correspondence to a dr who retired from the practice 7 years ago and who I'm fairly sure is now dead. Happy days.

This whole thread has been worth it for the above comment 😀😀😀

Your concerns are very valid. She doesn't sound very switched on for a doctor if she can't foresee the problem in having the same name.

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff
Absolutely brilliant

I see your dilemma albeit I think you're being a bit unreasonable, I think she should have spotted the ridiculousness of it before now and taken the sensible approach and just kept her maiden name for work

I'd have a bit of a conversation I think and tell her perhaps to either keep her maiden name or hyphenate for work purposes so as not to cause chaos, because it will ! Plus you're always going to be known as Dr T with the blonde hair/one leg add whatever distinguishing feature you both have here .... which isn't ideal or particularly professional, plus of course you'll get complaints

I’m a doctor. I changed my name on marriage because I wanted to.

You actually can’t tell her not to change her name. You can ask her, you can discuss the issue as partners / colleagues, you can explain your concerns to her. But you can’t lay down the law as you seem to think, Senior partner or not.

There is a shortage of GPs in the UK, there are places in many areas which have been unfilled for months, it’s not an attractive speciality. Do you really want to risk her going somewhere else and leaving you with a succession of locums (if you can get them)? Aside from the expense, no continuity of care there. The other partners won’t love you for the additional costs either.

You’re looking at this with very short term eyes - look at the long game. You’ve been there 20 years, your patients who see you regularly will be on the system as being yours. I’d credit your receptionists with a little more intelligence. Old Dr T, new Dr T, the Dr T I saw before - lots of ways of differentiating between the two of you. It’s worth riding this out and working a way through it to keep a good colleague.

I work in a surgery on reception I do think it would be confusing at first but where I work lots of patients forget who they want to see so we have to look in record to see who they last had a appointment with. Could you speak with her and see what she suggests as I don't think you can just demand she can't change her name but maybe she has thought about it and has a solution.

Get your receptionists to say your full names rather than just Dr +surname.
Most people, regardless of age or nationality, are not that thick you know.
I pity the new doctor. I would hate to work with you.

I don't think you are being remote unreasonable with regard to the name. I think you have rattled a few cages on here by the tone of your OP.

Whilst it 100% makes sense, and is in the interest of patients, staff, and yourselves that you have different surnames, it's not great to pull rank and demand she doesn't change her name once married.

Surely she must realise that this will cause issues?

I will be senior partner from next year after the only GP who has been here longer than me retires

If you are soon to be the senior partner then you would do well to read around the nature of partnerships. She is not your employee - she is your business partner.

You probably couldn't stop an employee from practicing under a married name, either. It is likely to be indirect sex discrimination if nothing else.

Morning op I can understand why you’ve disappeared from this thread but if you’re still reading could she perhaps double barrel her name Lucy Brooke’s-Townsende?

Approach it in a low key, light manner initially - mention the similarity of names, but not that you expect her to not use her married name. Gauge her reaction - she might realise and suggest a solution herself.. But you absolutely cannot tell her she cannot use her married name. You will be open to a claim under employment law. Even if you ask her to consider an alternative solution, be prepared for her to be upset, resentful, and possibly look for a job elsewhere (she may still claim constructive dismissal).
You need to be a bit more collaborative, OP, if you want to maintain good working relationship (and avoid a legal claim). This may involve compromise on your part as well as hers.

Also I am not getting how much of a big deal it is in terms of continuity of care. If they’re desperate to see one particular doctor they won’t book the wrong one twice. At my surgery you get who you’re given or you risk waiting weeks to see someone else.

But doctors have to practise under their qualifying name.
No they don’t.

This is surely either a reverse or a thread for the daily mail.

On the small chance this is real, YANBU to have concerns about patients being confused about who they want to book appointments with etc. BUT YABVVVU to tell her she can’t change her name. If she wants to change her name professionally despite the difficulties it will cause at work she is entirely free to do so.

If I tell her she can't, then she can't. That’s not how it works I’m afraid and this comment makes you sound like a bully (and a troll as I find it hard to believe a GP partner would be stupid enough to think this).

Johnny...perfect. In my area you cant get to see a gp ever no matter how ill you are. I fail to understand the system as does everyone else as everyone goes to a&e. My mil managed to get someone to see my dd once as id failed for weeks but turning up and refusing to leave until someone saw her. She was there was for day but dd finally got the medicine she needed. Ive been lucky with dd that thats the only time i needed a gp but in my area the mums have given up on gps and go straight to a&e.

I'd have a chat to her and point out the issues that your patients may face. Perhaps you can then both come up with some sort of compromise? Talking to her is clearly the easiest way.

Not so much about the patient booking the appointment. I would worry with regard to external communications. Letters from secondary care, results, invites to external meetings etc.
I am a very junior female joe bloggs, and yet still recieve incorrect cliniacal information meant for my very senior consultant malr joe bloggs.
I understand pp concerns.
But agree practice manager probably in best position to discuss with her.