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.

I was a GP receptionist for 6 years and I was one of the nice ones. I used to cringe when I heard some of the others talking to patients the way they did. They were abrupt and rude and really didn't seem to care. I only treat people the way I would want to be treated. A telephone call or visit to the doctors can be quite stressful for people and I understood that. It got to the point where people would ask to speak to me because I would go out of my way to help them which was my undoing really because one of the senior receptionists actually told me off for being too nice!! It was not long after that I handed in my notice.

RoseWhiteTips what do you class as normal? Would you like to be threatened and verbally abused only by the not normal people because that makes it all right.

Mumthedogs Oh no! :(

@fluffyyears I'm glad you complained it sounds a very odd and dangerous thing for her to do. I'm incredibly surprised any receptionist would ever think to do that

Ours are wonderful - I really couldn't ask for better gatekeepers to the GP and nurses at our practice. Kind, patient, helpful, resourceful and competent.

However the ones at my mother's GP practice make rage before I even deal with them. They are obstructive, rude and unhelpful. My mother is disabled and unable to use the automated check in screens (they are helpfully placed above wheelchair height), not once have they correctly checked her in when she's asked since installation meaning the GP thinks she's a no show and moves onto the next patient.

That's the best example of their behaviour. The way they speak to vulnerable and ill patients is disgusting and I've had to liaise for my mother on more than one occasion because dealing with them triggers all sorts of problems for her.

Sadly as a village practice they have a monopoly so don't care if you rate them or not because it's the only choice you have for several miles.

NellyandKelly - would your query be more appropriate for the team who carried out the surgery last week? Just a thought.

A couple of PPs expressing surprise GPs didn't do emergency visits. It's not an emergency service as such. That's for 999. Also PP asking how her son was supposed to attend the surgery. Family, friends, taxi. You don't call for a home visit because there is no bus. Obviously in general terms, varies.

Dd was in Sixth form and wanted to know if her prescription was ready to collect. Dh said he’d call and ask as she was in lessons all day and was concerned she wouldn’t get through at lunch. I told them both it was unlikely he’d be told anything due to her age and data protection.

The receptionist told him it was ready and that it was a prescription for the pill. No issues with us knowing that but I called and spoke to the practice manager and explained the risk of telling dh that dd was picking up a pill prescription. Had we been abusive parents or a controlling boyfriend dd could have been at risk.

Mostly nice. Except one who refused to refill my water bottle when I was heavily pregnant on a hot summers day (I don’t drive and the GP surgery is at the top of a large steep hill). She told me to use the taps in the toilets. I explained that the water in the toilets isn’t safe for drinking. She didn’t believe me but went to check. 2 minutes later her colleague came and took my bottle and refilled it from the sink in the staff area

YANBU. They're a very mixed bag, most I've dealt with are nice, but a few have been complete Rottweilers. There are some situations when you feel vulnerable going into your problems with a receptionist, and unfortunately some of them have no sensitivity to that and just brusquely intrude and talk down to people. I'm guessing this might have been that kind of scenario?

My mum used to do that job. It's very hard work and like any job there are a variety of people doing it some of whom care more than others. I remember she was far more frustrated with the practice manager than any patients! It's had because they are dealing with you when you are ill/vulnerable and at your most sensitive as well.

Hi Op. I used to be a GP receptionist. I started off the way I usually am, happy, helpful. After a year of being sworn at, screamed at, threatened, and generally dreading going to work because of the amount of abuse I received. The women who stayed had been there for years and were hardened to it all. I left when I realised I started to not care anymore and I would start to be a bit more blunt on the phone etc. It was a horrible, horrible job. I do understand why they are like it but at the same time I do think that some of them are absolutely fucking awful and rude.

It's obviously not the same everywhere and I'm sorry for your awful experience.

I used to do the job and I was once of the nice ones. Sometimes the way my colleagues spoke to patients was appalling! And yes it's a hard job, but so is retail (done that too) and yet a certain level of customer service is expected there.

I agree with you op! They (mostly) act like they know more medically than the gp, and have no empathy.

YANBU. They’re definitely up there with my least favourite people

@crunchymum OP - you turned up without an appointment and are pissed off you couldn't be seen? That is how it reads to me?

No, I went there to book an appointment with the nurse as you have more chance of some luck if you go in rather than phone.

I didn't expect to be seen today.

The old receptionists at our surgery were fab and very helpful. They retired
The replacements were not as good. I begged to see a doctor as my mental health with PND dwindled a few years ago and I was stood at a bridge contemplating jumping. I came to my senses, broke down and rang the surgery explaining (through hysterical crying) that I was in a very bad place. I was told there was no room and that if it was that bad I should see a private GP in the meantime. Not nice.

Oh, and we were asked to ask what the problem was. It's not because we were interested and to be honest whatever you said would just go in a note to give the GP an idea of the appointment and we would forget about it. If we didn't put this we would be in trouble with the GP.

I would also turn up to work some days, and there would be 5, yes 5, appointments for the day. We didn't allocate these, the GPs did. They also then would put people in those slots before the day that we were allowed to book them. So there would be none left. So by the time it was 8:05 I would be wishing I was anywhere else because there was nothing left, and nothing I could do about it. it just meant an entire day of abuse. People wouldn't even say hello on the phone sometimes, the first word would be a swear word and I would cringe picking up the phone.

I've done 3 years as a receptionist. There are some days I dread going due to lack of appointments.

I get fed up with being treating everything like it's my fault. No appts, prescription not completed, results not come in, letters not ready, late for appt, gp running late.

All things I've zero control over but I still get blamed.

I will help people as best as I can. I'm not made of stone, I can sense how people feel. What I dont need is abuse for something that isnt my fault.

I dont go to work to be called a useless cunt.

I've just been left with crisis level blood pressure and a refusal to deal with a two week old baby because I moved house five days before I gave birth, informed the surgery and pleaded for a month's grace before changing GP practice. All agreed verbally until I needed them, then refused an appointment. Health visitor managed to get a repeat prescription which was wrong when I arrived to collect it and then given another one for a massive dose of medication with no medical consultation whatsoever. Mostly because a receptionist wouldn't exercise discretion over seeing a patient. Downright irresponsible and dangerous on the part of the GP too. I'd like to name the surgery, but they're now threatening legal action for defamation on the electronic notice boards in the waiting room for people who dare to complain on social media.

All designed to make it as difficult as possible to be a patient there and the receptionists primary function appears to be to protect the doctors from the general public at all costs.

Went to register at the new surgery yesterday and the receptionist could not have been more helpful or sympathetic. I was really impressed.

By the way, I'm never nasty or rude either and it's a bit of a shame everyone seems to be tarred with the same brush on both sides.

Fair do's OP.

Ours are lovely and the practice likes us to see our own GPs for continuous care so they never ask what it's for

Ours run around with bluetooth headsets so they can look so busy. Asking all sorts on the phone whilst watering the plants.

They're alright but very stereotypical middle aged nosy ladies.

One of the worrying things about the NHS is how standards can be so variable. My current GP’s receptionists are kind helpful and responsive. The last bunch should not have had jobs IMHO. Here’s just one (and it’s by no means the worst) of examples of very poor service:-

The surgery phone kept ringing engaged but the callback facility on my phone didn’t seem to work. Eventually it dawned on me they’d simply left the phone off the hook. Drove down to the surgery, walked in and guess what? The phone had been left off the hook (had been for a minimum of 30 minutes). I took a photo, and complained. The practice manager assured me this could never have happened. I showed her the photo. She shut up.

What i’d like to see is consistency of great treatment across the board. Treatment of the nature my current surgery offers. How can we achieve that?

Some people are just dreadful receptionists and can't deal with phone calls.
Most of the receptionists at our GP surgery are nice. A couple aren't suited to customer service at all.