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?

Well my GP practice is a family affair so there is husband wife and son all with the same surname obviously. We distinguish between them as Dr C (mother) Mr C (father) Dr Christian name. Nobody gets mixed up, everybody knows who they are asking for,so pretty sure it would be easy enough to distinguish between you and your colleague.

I'm quite concerned that your immediate response to this is to go to issuing orders rather than having a sensible discussion about possible ways round the problem. You're dealing with another adult who hasn't done anything wrong, after all.

Clearly a bloody nightmare if she does it. I agree with saying you’d be concerned if you had v similar names due to patient confusion/admin hassles and ask what she proposes. I’d be concerned a GP hadn’t identified this already.

As per usual posters have leapt on with bitchy comments but I don't think you're being unreasonable at all OP, nor are you coming across as horrible!

I can totally see how it would be a very confusing situation for patients and staff. The only solution other than her retaining her maiden name would be for her to double barrel her name for work purposes, so she becomes for example Lucy Watson-Townshend.

I think it is reasonable to suggest but not tell her. You could suggest that given the name confusion thing she should consider practicing under her maiden name or double barrelled maiden - married name.

If she kept her name I'm sure it would be slightly annoying but work ok in the end. The receptionist would just have to get good at describing you and reminding patients that there are two doctors with nearly the same name!

Professionalminefield

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

You have a really high opinion of yourself, If you carry on like this you are walking towards a tribunal when she leaves and claims that she was forced out due to the attitude of the senior partner.

Seriously. You cant tell someone to not change their name in this situation. Yabvvvvu and abit mad and hoping youve made this up as abit worried if you a real gp if you think you can control a member of staff this way. I can see your colleage possibly saying sexual discrimination.

It's beyond inconvenience as they both share a first name - it's a very particular set of circumstances.

Administratively and for patients - absolute nightmare.

She should keep her first name or just for the sake of this role double barrel or offer other solutions.

No YANBU! Many doctors, teachers (women obviously ) keep their maiden name professionally out of choice. This situation would cause no end of confusion, not just with the patients but also consultant, specialist & hospital referrals.
She needs to be told that while you appreciate it’s her choice, professionally it’s yours!
Do it nicely but put your foot down!

And huge employment issues. Your colleague could get you in serious trouble here op.

Yanbu. It would be really complicated for the surgery if you have such similar names.

You are two intelligent people, I'm sure that you can come up with some suitable 'nicknames'. At DS's School we had two teachers called Smith. If there was likely to be any confusion, they were referred to as Mr History Smith or Mr Headmaster Smith.
I worked in an office with someone with the same initials. In minutes of meetings I was called AZ and she was called AMZ.
It's not difficult, if the will is there.

There's absolutely a business case for not having two drs with identical names.

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

Um... I think you’ll find you’re wrong there!

YABU

I agree it's going to be an issue op, and I think the onus is on her to come up with a sensible solution, as she's the one making the change.

I think she could be Dr Lucy. We had a teacher at school called Mr Julian as there was already a Mr Bailey and they thought it would be too confusing for us kids.

The issue here is the way you've come across as 'demanding' she does what you say.

What you are thinking, is entirely right. It would be a ridiculous situation, however, you need to approach the whole thing with a ifferent attitude.
"Now, if you were to use your new name here at the practice, that's just going to be too confusing for everyone. How can we resolve this?" would have got you a whole host of different responses.
Obviously it isn't going to work with 2 GPs in one practice sharing one name. However, she needs to realise that, and work out a solution. Whether that is her being known as her maiden name just at the surgery, whether that is her being known as '"Dr Lucy" (Presuming you are "Dr Townsend") or whether she comes up with another solution, is up to her, but it is an issue she needs to be given a choice about what the solution is.

GMC's list of practitioners has loads of doctors by the same / similar name - including some in the same practice but I can see how it can cause confusion.

Can you have a chat with your CCG / Health Board about how you can move forward without acrimony?

You may find the Receptionist get fed up and make the decision for you both.....

In my surgery there are two male doctors whose surnames are spelt differently but said the same phonetically, so think Dr David Jin and Dr Steve Gin. Dr Gin is new and Dr Jin has been there years. A Receptionist told me last week they call the new one Dr Steve as it's easier, this was after I said "can I have an appt with Dr Jin please, but not the new one, the old one please"

There is also a Dr whose last name looks something like Kthgfvbgrybhh and none of the Receptionists can say it, so they call him "Dr K"

Another thought. Equity will not allow people to register if their name is already being used by someone else for exactly the same reasons!

I think it will be a problem. I'd be confused as a patient.
Discuss it with her - don't tell her. You can't prevent her from taking her partner's name.

As a GP myself YABU. I’m glad I don’t work in your practice.

And if you have intentionally revealed your real name then more fool you.

Why can't you just change and start using your married name at the practice?

I thought you had to practise under the name you qualified with?

No, as long as you change your name with the GMC as well you can practise under your married name.

Do you have room numbers?

There's 2 doctors with similar names at my GPs surgery, so now most people will say "I want to see Dr Davis room 2" or "doctor Davison room 5" could something like that work?