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?

If she was already married before she came to the practice would you have demanded she changed it?

Surely she changes her name with the GMC which is nothing to do with you, so while you might be able to dictate what the receptionists refer to her as for administrative reasons, you can't actually stop her changing it professionally. I've worked with plenty of doctors with the same name and while it can cause confusion there are normally sensible ways round it. Besides, surely like most GP practices most patients are just trying to get an appt with a GP and not with a specific GP

I think you can ask, raise your concerns and ask her to help with a solution but that may be one of the other suggestions pp have given.

Anyway, I was struck by this in OP:

Many patients, especially those who don't come that regularly, struggle to remember who their GP is, or which GP they want to see.

What's this fanciful idea of "their" GP? Even if I knew who "my" GP is, if I phone up for an appointment, I'm very unlikely to get the GP of my choice, unless I'm prepared to wait a few weeks. They are in a consortium, so I can't even always get an appointment at "my" surgery, even though it's across the road - we have to drive to another rural surgery!

Dad, many surgeries allocate a GP especially for the elderly, helps continuity of care.

YABU, you can't stop her having her married name just because it is similar to yours!! The patients can and will get used to it

I think you should ask your practice manager to have the conversation with her first. It's going to be too confrontational from you. The practice manager could ask her with the angle of patient safety and how she thinks it can be resolved. She may well have a sensible answer that won't cause problems...

There are two doctors in my practice with the same surname with one letter of difference. Thankfully one is male and the other female so the recptionists always specify which one by using their first name.

In your case, it’s a bloody minefield.

Surely if she’s a Gp she has some common sense and intelligence and will see that this won’t work

God what a nightmare situation. Personally I can't understand why any woman ever changes her name anyway, but in this case it's downright stupid if she does.
Somewhat shocked by a few posters saying that they'd find it rude if their GP called them by their first name instead of Mrs Whatever. Seriously? My GP calls me 'Hilda' and I call him by his first name too.

Theyll distinguish you by referring to you as the older dr townshend. Thats what ive seen happen in gp land

Maybe patients can ask for old Lucy or young Lucy? Problem solved.

@Dad At the practice we go to each person has a named "lead"GP - can book into see someone else but they attempt continuity of care for everyone. It's a brilliant surgery.

It's totally impractical to have 2 drs with indistinguishable names -every conversation will have to be clarified all the time. Admin wise , it's also obviously going to be a nightmare. Yet's idea is good - get the practice manager to discuss it from the perspective of patient's needs. Let them work it out.

I think many people here are viewing this as if it was an office or something.

Of course the woman is being ridiculous, and it isn’t in the interests of the practice or the patients to set up this level of confusion. It could, as Pp points out, actually be dangerous.

If you are senior in the practice point all this out and tell her no.

“Dr Townshead Senior”, you’ll be

I completely agree with Scrubs - YANBU Op. Tell her she can't use the name professionally.

The patients will work it out. They'll say "Young Dr Townsend or Older Dr Townsend?" or "Blonde Dr Townsend or the other one?"

You’re being ludicrous. Get a grip and stop being so self important.

It’s not bloody dangerous. They have different but similar names. Most patients don’t give a stuff which doctor they see.

Firstly, OP clearly hasn't leaked her name. Not a single Lucy Townsend on the GMC register. Use your heads.

Secondly OP - discuss it with her, but you can't make her do a thing.

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

Well, so what's the problem then? Ask her not to change it, explaining why, and then if she still wants to, tell her she can't. My personal view is that your reasoning is sound, but if she disagrees and thinks YABU then you're just going to have to live with that - and you sound like you're willing to. I'm not sure what we can add to your thought process.

I think you should bring it up with the partners who should point out to the other doctor the complexity of the situation.
As you are senior, she will have to make a choice, but the names being so closed is not going to work.
One would think that common sense would make it clear to her, but these days common sense is not common anymore.
Also, with the tone you are taking, I don't think it should be you as you are only going to make the situation worse.

*If I tell her she can't, she can't
*
Surely this has to be a reverse?

If she has any sense she will be happy not to use her name professionally as better to establish herself clearly and separately and avoid the confusion.

And your rather peremptory and dismissive tone is certainly reminiscent of many GPS I’ve met over the years so you clearly have all the attributes of the senior partner.

We have our ‘own’ gp - and he is a family gp. We can request to see a different gp if we want, or if we want to be seen sooner. Very early can’t get an appt in 48hrs though. And we’re Home Counties (and on the tube).

But back to OP, I’m not sure you can tell her anything but I certainly think you can call her in for a meeting to hear her proposals for mitigating the likely ensuing confusion....

My parents are both Gps and practice under the same surname so are both Dr B. (they married before qualifying which is why my Mum has never been Dr Maiden Name) They didn't work together for most of their careers but now my mum is semi retired and does lots of extra sessions at my Dad's small practice. My Mum is referred to as Dr First Name to differentiate between them. I can see why It could be confusing and I think you ANBU to discus options with it but ABU to demand she changes it!

Op YANBU to see the difficulties this would cause and raise it with your colleague. YWBVVU to approach the conversation the way you've approached people posting here. You sound pretty unpleasant tbh.

She's an idiot if she can't see the stupidity in this.