Fucking GP receptionists

[Eliza9917]

Aibu to think they must train them to be as rude, unhelpful and patronising as possible???

Just left the GP's and I feel like caving the fucking receptionists smug cunting face in.

Yes that's probably an overreaction but they fucking wind me up on a par with dealing with the fucking council.

peoplearemean Tue 17-Jul-18 22:02:05
If could get through on phone lines to unpleasant receptionist that would be a bonus! Thankfully my surgery has got an online system too though it's v temperamental at times and not much use if you need to actually speak to someone.

Just tried to set that up. Of course I need a letter from the surgery . Called them to ask for one - and they are shut

blobatina Tue 17-Jul-18 22:15:44
If the hospital doctor wanted a test done they should have arranged it themselves. Nothing to do with the GP practice.

I need several tests and scans on specific times in my cycle so the Dr can't arrange it. As and when something happens I need to call the GP to get booked in for the right time.

The Dr has given me provera now so I should have some idea of when I can have stuff done but if the GP surgery aren't co-operative then I'm fucked until next time which could be god knows when and we're on a deadline for all these tests.

Eliza you usually have to go in and sort it out at the desk. You do in my surgery anyway and I keep forgetting to do it!

@PasstheStarmix Thanks I'll ask for one next week. I've been booked in for a nurse to take bloods but they can't do the swabs for some reason, and now I've googled provera, I reckon they'll say the only time they can do the swabs is when AF hits

That is shit management
If they don’t know what’s going on and chaotic it usually is a much bigger problem than just 2 crap receptionists

TBH, the nice one still manages to be nice through the chaos (and a real star!). The other is not nice, and probably would be a bit less not nice if the surgery got their act together. I see them as canaries in a coal mine.

Most people need support in their jobs and it would indicate a lack of it behind the scenes.

I've had to have a series of tests that needed doing on exact days of my cycle, too Eliza9917. I, too, was ordered them by a hospital, but told to have them done at my GP's. It's really a stupid system for them to do it this way. GP's aren't open seven days of the week, usually. My surgery really tried to be helpful, but obviously couldn't open for a Sunday just for me to have a test there! The nurse called the hospital, and I think it was eventually agreed I could have it first thing Monday morning. But really stupid of the hospital not to just have the tests done there. I hope yours get sorted.

The worst receptionist I've ever known was on in the local hospital.

My mum got admitted to A&E after a heart attack. Me & my sister were with her as it happened while we were in the car going somewhere. Next thing we know, my uncle walks in - the secretary was going out with him and recognised my mums name so rang him to tell him she was in there.

I wanted to report her to every body going but we had so much going on I just let it go in the end.

No bother, good luck Eliza, hope you get sorted out.

Thank you @ZispinAndMushroomTea

I completely agree with the jist of your feeling,( maybe wouldn't use that terminology but yeah totally agree) my dealings with them has made you blood boil.
Through not letting me finish a full sentence without trying to finish it for me , and finish it INCORRECTLY on 3 consecutive occasion , they made 2 appointments for me that were a complete waste of time.
After me advising them of the error for the first appointment she still proceeded to not do what was necessary, thus having a wasted 2nd appointment.
They just don't listen and are very bad mannered, if I messed up or was as rude as they are in my role, I would be sacked. It's as if they get to behave outside normal behaviour and are not held to task over it.

Total jobsworth at our GP surgery, at the end of the day if they got their job right, I might even put up with the superiority attitude without moaning but they can't even Get it right !!! Grrrrrr

Mine are awful. I had one scream and shout so badly at me (over a misunderstanding. I let a lady go in front of me, her problem was more complex than she thought and was going to take a while - I was just checking in- so she said oh no you go. He then accused me of queue jumping and tried to throw me out the surgery!) that several people in the queue got involved and he just walked into the back room and refused to come back out.

One woman who obviously forgot that glass wasn’t sound proof and began calling the previous patient a “right little cunt” where my 3 year old was. When I said excuse me she just pulled the blind down (again not sound proof) and started laughing “can’t believe she fucking heard that”.

Not to mention the fact that I can’t get a smear test as the nurse is on maternity leave, none of the family planning clinics do them anymore and the receptionist won’t book me in with a GP as “it’s a nurse issue” - but they have no nurse! Aargh!

DaisysStew Wed 18-Jul-18 16:37:02
Not to mention the fact that I can’t get a smear test as the nurse is on maternity leave, none of the family planning clinics do them anymore and the receptionist won’t book me in with a GP as “it’s a nurse issue” - but they have no nurse! Aargh!

That's seriously disgraceful.

DaisysStew I would complain to the practice manager as that’s terrible.

As someone who is a receptionist at a GP surgery I find this quite disheartening.

Please be aware that 9/10 times the GPs are the ones who make the rules. When to book appts, to ask what the problem is etc. These aren't just the receptionists being arseholes.

On the other hand if they're rude in the way then conduct themselves then by all means make a formal complaint to the practice manager or through NHS choices (they are more noticeable of complaints made through this as it's public)

But please please please do not tar us all with the same brush just through your experience of 1 receptionist/GP surgery. I take pride in my work and how I handle situations and have a very good rapport with patients.

As a GP receptionist who gave birth 3 days ago... I shouldn't have read this thread

For example I can totally see DaisysStew situation happening at my practice. The GP would simply refuse to do a smear and I'd get a bollocking if I booked an appointment for one and just get told to phone the patient back and cancel it or if the appointment went ahead we'd all have some kind of meeting and told not to do such a thing! You can't win, I try so hard to help people. Don't think I have it in me to return after maternity.

All the doctors receptionist I've had personal interactions with have been great. I've moved a lot so have met loads. All have been friendly and professional.

My own sister is a GP receptionist and is one of those horrible ones people are posting about. I've alsways looked up to her until the day she was crying with laughter telling us (rest of family) about a patient that came in with his wife and he had a toileting accident while waiting.

Her telling of the story at all is dispicable but her actions on the day (her and another receptionist humiliated the man) made me see her in a whole new way and I've never felt the same about her since.

So there are some pretty awful ones out there unfortunately. And when your ill and vulnerable is the worst time to have to deal with that sort of person.

I do still think 90% are good people so try not to let the bad ones cloud my opinion.

don’t not go back
Partly I see what I do (I manage staff who work on reception) as using it as an opportunity to be bloody amazing and change perceptions. Even if I am having a bad day or have to give info someone doesn’t like I always try to do it kindly and I tell my staff to try to do this too. Delivering what someone won’t want to hear for most people is not an enjoyable task.

But please please please do not tar us all with the same brush just through your experience of 1 receptionist/GP surgery

See I absolutely agree with that. But it’s fairly disheartening when you’ve had bad experiences with receptionists at different surgeries.

My first bad experience was when I was 18. And the receptionist who was friends with my grandma not only told her I was in the surgery but did a whole “and of course I can’t tell you why she was there but she saw Dr X and you know HER specialism”.

The receptionists at my surgery are all absolutely fantastic! They’re lovely and so helpful. I don’t think I’ve ever been asked what’s wrong, in fact I tell THEM so that they can prioritise/advise me.
They know my voice on the phone and I’ve never had anything less than amazing service from them all.
I take in mince pies etc at Christmas and usually have a friendly chat if it’s not busy when I go in.
#teamreceptionists

a patient having her dosage lowered by the receptionist ... would be medical malpractice if it was a doctor

Good luck with getting anything done about that, even if it was the doctor. My son's blind in one eye and needs several eye drops to preserve the sight in the other, so it didn't help when the GP wrote up a script for the wrong ones. I tried to query this, but with frightening arrogance he told me this was the drug's "new name" and that I couldn't possibly understand ... except that he was utterly wrong

As with the PP where the phone was left off the hook, on taking this further I was assured it "couldn't have happened". Always remember - when things go wrong they'll close ranks so fast your head will spin

I haven’t read the whole thread but why don’t people understand the receptionists are told to ask what the appointment is needed for? It’s not asked because they can’t wait to discuss Mrs.Browns fungal infection over their lunch. It’s not that interesting.

If the hospital tell you to get tests or a prescription from your gp and you’ll get it within 24hrs, it’s a lie. Just because the hospital dr has said it doesn’t mean it trumps the surgery’s protocol. The reason they do this is to save money, they want the surgery to pay for it and save their own budget. It’s wrong but it’s not the receptionists fault.

If the GP is running late it’s because they’ve have over run a 10min slot with a patient that needed a bit longer and you will receive the same care if it’s needed. It’s not because they are discussing Mrs.Browns fungal infection with the receptionist.

I’m not a Dr’s receptionist, I work in a surgery in another role but will sometimes cover the lunch hour if we are short staffed. The majority of the girls are lovely as are the patients but you get the odd one or two who are grumpy twunts as you do with the patients. It’s funny how everyone remembers the miserable ones, we just love to complain.

Ronny you might want to read the thread

And tbf a doctor should trump a receptionist why else do they go to medical school?

I said trump the surgery’s protocol, which the receptionist will be following, usually set by the partners (GP’s).

I read to page 8 before I wrote my response. I’ve read the full thread now and my response stands.

I don’t doubt that people have had bad experiences with receptionists. I’ve had bad experiences with vets but it doesn’t mean all vets are the same.