To let you know that you're not doing yourself any favours by refusing to tell the GP receptionist your symptoms?

[privateeyefan]

I'm a GP. My surgery operate a triage system - if you ring up or walk in asking for an appointment, then you get put on the triage list, and get a phone call from the doctor that same day, who can then make an appointment for you if you need one.

When patients ring up or walk in, the receptionists who speak to them will ask for a brief outline of the problem. This means that, as we usually have at least 3 doctors doing triage at any one time, we can prioritise the calls - if if see things that I know will need an appointment, then I will call those patients first so that I can get them into the surgery on the same day, often within the hour.

If you refuse to tell the receptionist what the problem is, and there is therefore nothing next to your name on the triage list, then I leave you until last. I'm not going to prioritise you over people I know will have to be seen, when I have no idea whether or not you will need an appointment. Therefore, if you don't tell the receptionist, your chances of a same-day appointment decrease substantially, and you will also have last choice of appointments over the next few days - the most convenient times after working hours will be long gone.

In addition, I, like most of my colleagues, have a special interest in a certain field. As I glance through the triage list, I generally pick out patients whose problem relates to my particular field of expertise, as do my colleagues. By refusing to give even the briefest of outlines, you rule out the chance that the GP with the most relevant experience will contact you directly.

Receptionists don't have medical training. Of course not. But that doesn't make them incapable of typing a one line summary of your problem dictated by you, in order to help the doctors do their job.

And please also remember - they speak to hundreds of patients daily. Your problem will occupy their mind for a few seconds, and then they will move on to the next patient and you will be swiftly forgotten.

I am btw perfectly happy to tell the receptionists what the problem is. I just expect them to listen, note accurately, not trot out crap and if they refer to my gp as Dr Smith, then to please refer to me as Mrs Roses. They wouldn't call the Dr Luvvie or Dearie, so why the patient? I do think I am entitled to the same level of basic respect afforded to the Drs at my practice. I am, after all the customer. This doesn't happen when dealing with my solicitor or accountant, both highly trained professionals. Although it is seeping into the High Street banks.

Our GP receptionist only asks the problem after she has booked the appointment in so I personally feel there’s no need to tell her at this point. On one occasion she had clicked me into an appointment time and asked what my problem was and when I told she argued that I should see the nurse. I explained that yes the nurse usually sees people for this situation however due to other issues I personally need to see the GP and not the nurse. I then had to argue and justify my appointment. The receptionist does however give the option of saying ‘it’s personal’ if you prefer not to say.

I guess different surgeries have different rules and reasons for telling the receptionist. In the case of the OPs surgery, as long as this is made clear to patients calling them I would happily give a reason, however I have a right to privacy and to only discuss on seeing the GP.

Don't get me started, drives me crazy! I only ever use my GP when completely necessary and never struggle for an appointment however according to all the people I know they can 'never' get an appointment 🙄 probably not a genuine issue or not telling the receptionist the issue. And for all those saying you don't want to say your issue in front of others just bloody write it down and pass it over as I can guarantee you nobody else cares including the receptionist.

Mepop .

I get it, and it makes absolute sense to triage. When you go to A&E you have to tell the receptionist why you are there and no one seems to grumble about that moment of disclosure.

But, and I am sure it has been mentioned loads in the full thread which I haven't managed to get through, but the privacy piece is a little troublesome when you are at the front desk.

I usually call up though, and as a crohn's disease sufferer I have no shame in announcing "Uncontrollable diarrhea" as my reason for wanting to see the doc either on the phone or in person.

In my younger days though, before I realised I needed to accept a life of shitting through the eye of a needle,... I would have totally found that difficult to tell the receptionist....

I would worry that this does put some vulnerable people off booking the appt when they do need to see someone.

I also wonder if there are more women than men who will have things that they feel uncomfortable talking about in front of others.

We have more stuff around reproduction and the consequences. (smears, abortion, often respondibility for contraception esp longer acting, also being victim of sex offences that can injure (remember at least one thread on here), and we have higher rates of mental health issues).

I don't know, but it's possible, that this approach indirectly discriminates against women, as well.

Whilst I have total respect for both the Receptionists' and GPS at my surgery. I do however take issue that when you have given your symptoms or reason for your wanting to see a Doctor to then go in and the Doctor asking you 'what can I do for you?'. Why has the Doctor not already looked on the screen/notes to see why you're there??

As a business analyst I think there are a few things that immediately stand out.

Talking on mumsnet about what happens at your individual GP practice is probably not the right forum. Each GP practice is a separate business with it's own processes and procedures. This post is like someone who works for M&S ranting about customers not following the rules for M&S whilst they are in John Lewis.

You seem very protective of your system, I wonder if you have a reason to like this system, when it clearly isn't working for the GPs and receptionists that you have said are leaving and cannot be replaced.

You have stated that your business is not capable of meeting the needs that are paid for by the NHS and ultimately tax payers. Any business without an NHS contract that could not meet it's customer needs would no longer be in business.

TBF although my surgery doesn't pick up the phone and a third of the recepts are vile and the admin is shocking and there is little respect for patient time when they cock up prescriptions/bloods etc, the GP partners are all excellent (not necessarily the salaried coves) and if an apt is urgent and you and yours are really poorly you drive down for 7.40am and 2/3rd in the queue you get a morning apt. It isn't rocket science.

Fazy

Because they want to hear it from you
To make a conversation opener
To hear in your own words in case what you said to Recep was a guess of what was wrong, or part of the story only
They want to see how you are as a person
Talking is important
Often the stated reason is not the whole story

It's not only the receptionist, the demographic of patients at our surgery is 58% female, with only one female GP & six Male, the female GP only works part time. To get an appointment to see her is like getting an appointment with the Queen. I am comfortable to see any doctor for most complaints but if I need to see anyone about female related complaints, I prefer to see a female doctor as I am a rape & DV survivor. If I ring for an appointment I am told that any doctor can deal with my problem, I don't want to have to explain to a receptionist my history of rape & DV.

So you walk in and have to discuss your problem in front of other patients?

^This. I recently refused to tell the receptionist my (personal) problem because when the woman in front of me was booking an appointment and gave her DOB the woman behind me then started discussing how old she was with the woman she was with - so BLATANTLY listening to everything that was said. No thank you! Had I phoned up I would have given my symptoms, but I can queue up for 3 mins at the surgery or wait for 45 mins on the phone...

I'm surprised that so many people on MN haven't dropped down dead

Well they’re no longer posting are they, you insensitive twat.

My GP surgery has a good system where you fill in a bit of paper

And if you have read my earlier posts after three diagnoses of chest infection, my darling father IS dead. He collapsed on holiday and a GP who had never seen him before took one look, got him into hospital and he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. He died 8 months later. He would likely have died anyway but a diagnosis earlier would have been helpful and an apology would have been courteous. GP shifted on his cheeks when daddy and I visited together but no acknowledgement of the gravity of his incompetence.

I’ve been a receptionist for 15 years now.Recently we started the triage/ signposting when patients call mostly to free up appointments. You would be surprised how many ailments and complaints patients book an appointment for that really don’t require them to see a GP. Travel vaccines, blue badge/ passport/water discount forms to complete. Prescriptions for calpol, headlice... the Pharmacists have a list of common ailments they can treat and many items are available to purchase over the counter. We have numerous calls each day of patients with stroke and heart attack symptoms, elderly patients who have fallen, all of which require an ambulance or A&E attendance.Its imperative to direct patients to the most appropriate healthcare service or professional to ease the demand on the NHS service. Imagine the person who calls before you and takes the last appointment that day who just wants the doctor to sign their passport picture ( we don’t actually offer this service anymore) and then you call to ask for an appointment to discuss a worrying lump you’ve had for some weeks but are refused as no appointments left.

It’s a very fair point one that I see merit in.
But, during my teens my Aunt ( Mother’s brothers wife) was a receptionist at my GP surgery.
I remember well at 15 - because of heavy painful periods my Mum took me to our GP and I was ‘put on the pill ‘.
I remember the next family gathering ‘everybody’ knowing -with the implication I was promiscuous and Mum didn’t want me pregnant.
Not a nice way to learn not all GP’s receptionists are discreet or indeed understand patient confidentiality.
😔

I am pregnant and after a recent bout of good weather when my hay fever was unbearable I asked for an appt. Not urgent and was happy to wait a few weeks but receptionist still asked why I wanted an appt. I knew the medication had to be prescribed by a GP. She announced I couldn't have an appt but the prescribing team could issue this. Except they didn't. I got a phone call advising me to put Vaseline up my nose and there was nothing that I could take.

Just by fluke I managed to get an appt cancellation online and when I explained to the GP what had happened she was happy to print out a list of the medication I could take during pregnancy. Something the prescribing team presumably also had access to

And don't even get me started on the time the nurse told me to book my son in for an urgent appt with a GP to discuss the bloods she had just taken and the receptionist still wanted to know why I wanted an appt!!

Confused why this is more efficient if you call them at the end of the day anyway.

Why not allocate the people with no “reason” against there name a random place in the queue so you aren’t discriminating against people who only want to discuss their problems with a medical professional?

It seems pretty unfair of you to leave them till last.
Sounds like you should change that as a practise.

I do sometimes make an apt for a repeat prescription. Because when I request one the surgery says i haven't, they it's with the chemist - it isn't, it's at reception, it isn't. When I've sent an sae have had my prescription sent - and two for other people . Now know their addresses, dobs and drigs they need.

Takes two mins of my time to get a repeat via apt. Can take two hours of my time to sort out a repeat alternatively. Any gps like to comment about taking the piss out of my time and why I shouldn't make an apt forvsomething that should be simple.

Our receptionist rarely ask. If you ring in and there's an appointment you're allocated one - that's it.

The only time in 10 years I've been asked what the problem was, was a month ago when I'd been suffering with a bad neck for three weeks. No GP available so the receptionist asked if a nurse would be OK and asked what the problem was.

I've never had a receptionist ask me what the problem was otherwise. Didn't know it was a 'thing'.

YABU your system clearly does not work. You would not get away with this entitled, high ended attitude in any other profession. Your system clearly does not work and you are refusing to listen, we are your 'customers' try listening to feedback....

As a side note, have you taken on too many patients? I'm aware GPs can get paid per patient.
Why can other surgeries manage it okay bout you can't I wonder?

Why do soooo many GPs only work part time. this surely can't be helping the problem. Oh yes that 89-100k salary....

I don't have a problem disclosing personal information to the receptionist. However, I disapprove of the way my particular surgery operates as you get asked for this information in front of the whole queue and waiting room. It can be really embarrassing. I have ended up disclosing confidential and personal information in front of complete strangers because I have been so desperate to be seen that I don't want to make a fuss/not get an appointment.

BTW the way the OP does their triage sounds very frustrating.

For example, if I try to get an appointment for DS (let's assume he's got a cough that's not going away so may have a chest infection. Fine to go to school but may need antibiotics). He's is 12 years old. I ring at 8am. By the time he's leaving for school at 8.15am he knows what time he needs to leave school (if I can't get an after school appointment).

With the way the OP's surgery seems to work, I'd explain to the receptionist, who tells the GP. Who, sometime in a busy day, looks at the list of patients and calls me to arrange to see DS. Who I now can't get hold of unless I ring the school and trust that the over worked admin people can actually track him down amongst the other 2000 pupils to let him know that he needs to leave at 3pm instead of 3.30pm. He then has to get a note from his teacher to say it's OK so he can get a chitty to let him off site early!

Whereas at 8.15am I just put a note in DS's hand, the teacher countersigns it and the student services people give him a chitty to leave at 3pm instead of 3.30pm.

Doesn't sound very patient helpful OP.

Ontheroses - that’s when I became in love with the new system. Spent loads of time chasing prescriptions. Now the oddmistake it’s all done over the phone/email/text.

After one hospital discharge there had been a change of meds. The new system let me talk to a gp, who hadn’t received paperwork yet, scan them the notes and have meds sent to the pharmacy. 20 minute walk to gp, only 5 minutes to pharmacy. I wouldn’t have thought about taking discharge papers with me.

Op maybe a fairer system would be of course see the obvious urgent ones. Then alternate between those left. Also look at Communication and look at different ways people can make contact. Texts and emails allow those working etc to retain their privacy whilst talking to the gp. We also have phone, online and in person ways to speak to someone.