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.

Our GP's receptionist has on multiple occasions told us we cannot have an appointment as our issue doesn't warrant one.

Last time, I informed her that I wanted to discuss my issues with a qualified medical professional. She said unless I disclosed the issue I couldn't have an appointment. Then she hung up when I said no.

I changed GP, to the centre next door.

No issues since.

Some of the receptionist's can be stuck up

Confidentiality and personal dignity are cornerstones of the NHS.

Funny, when my mum went in for chemo they gently and sympathetically said you leave your dignity in a bag at the door and collect it on the way out, which she did, saved from death, 4 months and many battered veins later. They did the best they could, as did the fab midwives during both my labours and following birth. There were thin curtains between the beds in the induction and recovery wards. Even though the midwives and obstetricians spoke no more loudly than necessary to be clear, I could still have pointed out afterwards which woman had a previous history of severe postnatal MH problems, whose pessary had fallen out, who was crying out for (and received) opiate analgesia at 4am, who hit the floor with a thump having collapsed with sudden haemorrhage the day after giving birth (they swooped down and fixed her) and who was advised not to have any more children after her third child was delivered safely by a fairly hairy EMCS.
That hospital does many more deliveries than it was designed for- they do sterling work and if privacy is the first thing to suffer so be it.

Yes it's embarrassing having to say "err it's a gynae thing" a little bit more loudly to your village GP receptionist when she didn't hear you the first time, but something's gotta give. Ours have some answering the phones in the back office (great for privacy, reasonably fast answering, lack of interruption and hearing each other clearly) leaving one on the front desk with a view of the door, the queue if there is one, the waiting room and both corridors leading to the GP and nurse rooms plus the script box and computer. There is nowhere she and I could easily go for a quiet word but you can hand over a note if you want (and I have). It would be lovely if they had lots of cash growing on the money trees outside to pay an extra receptionist to sit in a soundproofed room all day whispering gently to stressed or embarrassed people who come in but frankly I'm glad they spend the money on the fab GPs and other staff that they have. I have never seen any staff member there propping up walls and filing their nails. They work. Hard.

Yes it's embarrassing having to say "err it's a gynae thing" a little bit more loudly to your village GP receptionist when she didn't hear you the first time, but something's gotta give

Why?

@user1480880826 yes you're right, and yes we did. She no longer works there. I suppose I was just giving some insight into why some people would feel uncomfortable discussing medical issues with a non medically qualified person.

I was a GP’s receptionist part time whilst at Uni.
Whenever someone I knew came in I’d have a nose through their notes. Not my proudest moment but we did it - and gossiped between us about patients symptoms.
A Doctor would hopefully take confidentiality far more seriously than receptionists do - most live locally and know who we know. And they do talk.
But thanks for explaining how it works - I suppose if it is something you don’t want passed around the school gates then make something up to the receptionist until you’ve got the doctor on the line.
Don’t say that receptionists take confidentiality seriously - I didn’t, and I wasn’t even asked to when I was employed.

My GPs are lovely and the receptionists are marvellous. I am very grateful to have such a good practice. I don't mind if I have to wait and I don't expect my doctor to know all of my previous relevant history. Thanks you op for the work you do.

If it's the receptionist triaging patients how are they doing this? What training have they had? In reality, how is it making the system more efficient asking patients to tell untrained receptionists what their medical problem is than just issuing appointments on a first come first served basis?

Having a GP triage every patient for every appointment - can people not understand how difficult this is for patients who are trying to manage a chronic illness alongside work? If you need to see the GP once a month or so, how realistic is that to have to take a day off work simply in order to make the appointment because you can't have your phone on you at work and you don't know when the Dr will phone?

I hate this!
When I was 18 I discovered I was pregnant while taking the pill. I was terrified to tell my mother and in complete denial. Went to the doctors and as discreetly as I could; told the receptionist that I was pregnant and needed to see a doctor. I was told in no uncertain terms, infront of a waiting room of people that, "I have to prove I'm pregnant before I see a doctor/midwife" and she handed me a sample bottle.
A week later I went in for my results and again; she announced to the whole reception that I was pregnant, instead of printing it out and handing it to me.

I'm 30 now and still have a problem talking to receptionists. I dont think they have ANY right to ask you anything if other people can hear.

I think it can be complicated, for us you have to be on the phone at 8am to get an appointment that day . For me I’m in the car on the school run so it’s not always easy to discuss things in front of my 9 yr old and my 16 yr old . My dh can’t ring for me as he is already at work .
Often when I ring at other times for a non urgent appointment I’m told there are non and to phone back . They can’t tsll me when they are releasing any more appointments. Sometimes this is after a dr appointment and the dr has said to return after 3 weeks

I’m also quite shocked that drs pick patients to triage that interest them . I assumed the dr would just work down the list ha I g had anything urgent highlighted to them .
To be honest the whole system seems broken ,sometimes I want to see the same dr for a follow up appointment but that is rarely possible . And when I had a propane armed to see the ‘specialist dr ‘ they said call back in a month which I did twice and there were never any appointments.

I’m sure drs are busy and overworked but it’s not fair to alway blame things on the patient .

Our surgery works in a very similar way to the OPs. You phone in the morning or early afternoon, get asked for a brief reason for your appointment (you can just say mental health, or woman’s issues.) One of the GPs will then phone you back - reception give you a rough idea of when and what is the best number to get you on. If you need to be seen they will give you a time to come in. Sometimes they can just fax a prescription over to a pharmacy of your choice for you.
The receptionists do not act as gatekeepers they simply pass the information onto the GPs who do make the decision. The receptionists in the morning are sat towards the back so you can’t overhear them. The one at the desk is very discrete.
There aren’t enough appointments to go round so I think this is a much better way of managing a limiting resource. The odd occasion I’ve just needed a prescription and that has saved me a trip to the doctors.

Both surgeries in my town operate this system now and I’ve not heard one person complain about it.

Yes it's embarrassing having to say "err it's a gynae thing" a little bit more loudly to your village GP receptionist when she didn't hear you the first time, but something's gotta give

Why?

Because they can't afford a spare receptionist sitting in a separate pivate reception room.
You can pass a note over in silence, as I did when I had tonsillitis and couldn't speak. Fortunately my local GP practice has good receptionists who can read.

If you really didn't want the receptionist to know I suppose you would still be put on the callback list or asked to wait till a slot became free due to a no show or something, but I wouldn't expect them to assume it was urgent and worthy of leapfrogging over all the routine stuff on the callback list unless you were gasping and collapsing.

*OP, you don’t seem to be taking people’s legitimate points on board here, I have to say

I’m afraid I disagree. Most people seem to be quite clear that they do not want receptionists triaging patients, yet all their ‘solutions’ entail receptionists triaging patients...*

No I think what a lot of people are saying is, ring them back in the order they call in unless they ask the receptionist for a different time (the only type of questions the receptionist should be asking IMO should be contact deets) and you decide as a GP if they need a nurse appt, a GP appt, and what day (ie today, tomorrow, next week etc) it’s not rocket science, it’s fair and no one gets upset, not the patient not the receptionist and presumably as neither of them are upset neither will you be.

A receptionist has no business asking for private information.

Just because you have low standards of the care you're happy with doesn't mean everybody else should.

It's insulting to suggest they would be any less careful with the data they are exposed to than clinicians. Any data breach is dealt with using stringent procedures

No it isn't.
If a clinician is found guilty of breaching confidentiality they could be struck off and lose their right to practice for ever.
Not quite the same for a receptionist.

If i call the G.P surgery for an appointment, it's because i want to see a G.P. I don't want a receptionist telling me that i need to see a nurse or any other HCP,
If i think i need a nurse, i will ask for an appointment with one, otherwise i want to see a G.P.
Hence if the receptionist asks, i usually tell her its confidential and not up for discussion with her.
In my motherland, i phone the G.P surgery and not only do i get a same day appointment, but i don't have to tell the receptionist or anyone else why i want to see the G.P.

Stupid system if you ask me. I was once asked what the problem was, I replied "If I knew that I wouldn't need the doctor! In that case we did not have triage and there was no reason for the receptionist to ask. Now the most they ask is if a nurse practitioner could help.

Yep totally understand, it must be very frustrating and I explained this to my mother who refused to tell them she had chest pains!! Sometimes receptionists are brusque and their questions seems invasive. I can see why people refuse.

Tell me, OP: are the receptionists in your surgery as rude and unhelpful as they are in my local surgery? I presume (and hope) not.

That kind of rudeness is not conducive to disclosing personal confidential information.

To be honest, the whole system seems broken.

THIS.

I’m also quite shocked that drs pick patients to triage that interest them . I assumed the dr would just work down the list ha I g had anything urgent highlighted to them .
Why so shocked? OP said she picks out the urgent sounding stuff and does those callbacks first. Then her area of interest. Then the other stuff. If it's anything like my GPs the bulk of those calls came in between 8.30 and 8.45am with the receptionists working like fury to get a few words about the problem, simultaneously quickly ascertaining that you aren't in immient need of an ambulance, and sticking you on the Drs callback list before swiftly moving on to the next call waiting. So if one of the Drs is interested in mental health issues and you called with your MH issue at 8.33am whereas I called at 8.31am with my gynae problem, I'm not going know if you get called back first and even if I did know, I wouldn't mind you getting "served" first just because I beat you to the receptionist by 2 minutes. Yeah technically it's not "fair" but it does do the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

My best appointment was phoning,the receptioist said that since it was urgent they could see me in 5mlns.I had to point out that since I was at home it would take me 15 mins to Vet in.I was told I was being difficult and would miss my slot.!
Not the best way to respond,I had my neighbour drive me in took 25 mins.The receptionist told me I would have to wait and it could take some time.My body didnt agree and an hour in I collapsed.
That receptionist had never forgotten me,is unerringly polite years on.I havent forgotten either.

to everyone on this thread who's been humiliated or upset in public by badly run reception systems. Some of these stories are awful.

I will never tell a receptionist what my medical problems are. it is not their business. they are not as strict about keeping things confidential either and they are almost always rude. I especially will not disclose a problem in front of other people who may be waiting to speak to the receptionist too. Privacy and confidentiality are supposed to be our right when it comes to medical info.

@Pinkpeanut27 in a larger practice there will often be sub specialities e.g. geriatrics, paediatrics, MH or some will have done extra qualifications in a particular area - makes a lot more sense to see the most relevant GP where possible.

I always tell the receptionist what the problem is - problem is with a young baby they always want to see them, even when you really want phone advice on existing problem vs otc pain relief...

By interests, the OP means specialities that they have extra training in.
Not whether they think it sounds fascinating.
But the OP didn't explain that.
And, having read her posts, I'm sorry for her patients.