Receptionists at the Doctor's surgery

[CallingFromLondon]

AIBU to be fed up of all these jokes and complaints about them? "They don't have a medical degree, they just think they do". Or "Why do they ask all those questions?"

They ask so they can redirect you to the right place or person. If you ring up and want to see a GP about a rash, you're not going to want to see a GP specialising in mental health, are you?!

Sorry, rant over. I know I'm not being unreasonable.

YANBU! I saw the title and bounced onto the thread ready to defend them, and was v pleased to see you had already done so!

I get what you are saying op, but for most people a “general practitioner” covers most things. There’s stuff I don’t want to discuss with receptionists when I’m making my appointments and being forced to say out loud “my depression is back” can actually make things worse!

I have mixed views on this one. At my own GP you make appointments online and choose who you are going to see on the odd occasion I have rang for an apppointment they have merely ask is their a specific doctor you need to see?
However at my old GPs the receptionists almost wanted every detail of what was wrong before booking you an appoinment and I think they must have hated me ringing as I refused to give them details as it was none of their business. Also the GP (old one) was in the village where I teach and the receptionist was a parent who I def didnt want to discuss my health details with

All the questions you make OP i dont recognise, Ive never heard anyone complain of those questions from the receptionist. However I would ask "whats with the attitude"....from a lot of them.

I totally disagree. Receptionists should not be deciding what merits an emergency appointment as so often happens these days. My seriously ill neighbour was robbed off this way.

They are snippy as hell too.

The receptionists are told to ask.I was one for many years and hated asking as it felt nosey but we had to or else would get a bollocking

It's difficult because I have no problem saying "I have a rash" or "I have a cough" but I do really struggle with "its my vagina" or "It's my anxiety" but I understand why receptionists have to ask, to direct to the right place I.e a doctor or a nurse. I think if you say it's personal they should just take that as mental health or intimate or try and put you with a same sex GP but then that is made even more difficult by people who seem to have issue with telling a receptionist they have an ear infection. I don't think it's as black and white as you make out.

I’ve never encountered the types of receptionists that MN hates the ones at my GP are lovely

People forget that if receptionists are asking these questions it’s because the practice manager has told them to. They’re not being nosy, they don’t care about your piles, they’re bound by strict confidentiality rules.

I’m sure there are individuals who are horrible and bad at their job, as there are in every single profession. However I’m equally sure that they deal with plenty of arsey patients wanting the moon on a stick and the vast majority do so politely and professionally

I know a GP receptionist, and she tells me some of the calls they get - people will phone up demanding an emergency appointment for the most ridiculous things. Stuff like nappy rash, didn't sleep last night (when there's nothing else wrong with them), and the classic "I've had a sore foot for a few weeks, but I'm going on holiday tomorrow so I need to see the doctor TODAY".

In general she hates having to ask questions, but there are so many time wasters that the place would be full 24/7 if they had to accommodate them all. They are well trained to know when to escalate inquiries and when it can wait.

YANBU

You can refuse to give your details, but I am glad they help keep free spaces for emergencies.

Until someone has a magic plan to employ a fully trained triage nurse to answer the phone in surgeries instead of doing something else, the receptionists have to try to their best.

After hearing someone in A&E explaining that they had a blocked nose and a bit of a headache but didn't have time to see a GP that week, so were there in A&E instead... I am glad SOMEONE tries to filter the time wasters.

In an ideal world, we would surgeries built and doctors employed along the built of each new development, and we wouldn't have to wait 3 weeks for a standard appointment. I wouldn't blame the receptionists because we are not in an ideal world.

Yanbu. They have to ask. Frankly I can't see how else to resolve the issue? No-one is a mind reader.

Our receptionists say "is it something that the practice nurse can help with?" Seems like a good compromise to me.

There’s stuff I don’t want to discuss with receptionists when I’m making my appointments and being forced to say out loud “my depression is back” can actually make things worse!

Strangely, when my OH said that to the receptionist, she asked the GP who had seen him throughout his previous episode if she could add him on to his part time/post retirement schedule and got him seen the same day.

If he hadn't said it, the next routine appointment was three weeks later with a GP who was of the 'pull yourself together, Man' school of medicine and had previously told the OH to not be so bloody stupid and wasting NHS resources when he'd been self harming out of severe depression and self hatred.

I've also found that saying 'I've found a lump' got me seen pretty much immediately with a GP who had experience working in Oncology as a trainee.

I too came here ready to defend them!
I can do without the ‘lion at the gate’ types. But mostly, they’re incredibly helpful. It’s not a fun job. DH is a GP and his receptionists do so much! He’d be sunk without them and his gratitude towards them is infinite.

The receptionists at my surgery are the nicest people. Fortunately they seem well respected too, I've never heard anything negative said about them.

Yes they ask why you're booking, but in doing so, it means they can book you with a suitable person. So the things that don't need a nurse are seen by HCA/phlebotomists and things that don't need a GP are seen by a nurse/paramedic. This creates best use of everyone's time and frees up GP appointments. As such, when I went in at 11 this morning to book an appointment, I was offered a same day appointment with a GP for a non urgent problem.

There’s stuff I don’t want to discuss with receptionists when I’m making my appointments and being forced to say out loud “my depression is back” can actually make things worse!

I had to do this when I was a student. It was over time between Christmas and New year so a very busy time, bank holidays etc. I was asked if it was urgent and admitted that yes, I thought it was. The receptionist fortunately read between the very few lines, got me to go straight in, sat me in an office, made me a cup of tea and sat with me until a GP was free to see me. That started my road to recovery and I honestly believe that I owe my life to the receptionist and GP that looked after me that day.

In the main, people know and understand that some receptionists are told to ask the questions they do.

What people OBJECT to is the way some of them respond in a very supercilious and rude manner.

My GP surgery is amazing, receptionists are lovely.

When you ring you are greeted by a recording of the lead practice doctor who tells you that you will be asked about why you have called so that they can best direct you whether that is to a GP or a nurse.

I rang up and got a smear test appointment within 4 days. GP appointments are usually that day too. Our surgery opens at 7am for calls.

I have no problem at all saying what is the matter with me if it is for an emergency appointment. I do worry sometimes though that they do not have the training to judge genuine emergencies from patients who are not assertive. I know my gran was fobbed off and given an appointment a week away. I went round to see her the same day and was shocked at how ill she was. I called an ambulance and she was in hospital for a few weeks.
Not everyone is the type to say they need an urgent appointment for something minor. Some people are the exact opposite, and if they ring for an urgent appointment, it means they are at deaths door.

I am assertive but when I rang about a chest infection for a relative who has lung damage I was given an appointment three days later. When I said he needed to be seen today, I was told that was not possible. Okay I said calmly, I will have to take him to A and E as he is ill and has ended up in hospital in days with similar symptoms. He needs to be seen today. She quickly found me an appointment.

My surgery doesn't offer appointments with GP's who specialise in different areas, you're damn lucky if you can get an appt with anyone within about 3 weeks. And if you want to make sure you don't get stuck with the GP who shouldn't be allowed anywhere near patients with fragile mental health - well good luck to you. The receptionists don't need to know in all cases.

I work as a GP Receptionist. We wouldnt ask why people are booking pre- bookable appointments however we do ask if people are booking same day emergency appointments (usually telephone consultations) the reason we do this is so the GP can prioritise who to contact first..

The receptionists will be questioning things because the GP has told them to, it’s the GP’s you need to speak to if you’re not happy with this.

If you’re booking in with a practice nurse then we need to know why as they can be qualified to do different things and we also need to know how long to book.

It has always baffled me though why people are so against talking to a GP Receptionist but fine with giving the same information to a 111 call handler 😄 it’s pretty much the same thing but people don’t see it like that.

My receptionists at my doctors surgery are awful. Abrupt, rude and have no customer service skills. When faced with receptionists like that, people don't tend to feel very polite in return and commenting on the receptionists asking lots of questions, for example, is just a response to the hostility.

TheWickerWoman I think there is a difference giving information over the phone and in a small surgery with a full waiting room nearby. I have no problem if I ma ringing in. If I am asked something at the desk with a full waiting room of people who can hear every word I am saying, then yes I do mind sharing personal info.

I book appts with GP online :-).