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.

But even if you don't tell a receptionist (because she's a nosy gossip) then she can see from the records what's up with you anyway. Safer to move surgery in that instance.

It’s shocking and unprofessional that, by your own admission, you de prioritize patients who don’t want to discuss their private medical issues with a receptionist and those whose ailments don’t interest you! WTF! Are you for real?

Get a grip. Those patients will still get a phone call from a doctor within 24 hours, who will make them an appointment if they need it. I’m simply saying that they’re unlikely to get a same day appointment as we first call all those people we know will need appointments in order to maximise efficiency and use of appointment time.

And you don’t seem to understand my use of the word ‘interest’. When a GP has a ‘special interest’ in a particular field, it simply means they have more knowledge and expertise than the standard GP. So it makes sense for them to call those patients experiencing a problem within their field of interest. It doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in other problems.

One of my colleagues, for example, has a special interest in dermatology. So if she sees skin concerns I.e. suspicious moles on the triage list, she will pick them out and call them herself. Often she can give them a same day appointment - and thus can either put a patient’s mind at rest or get the two week wait urgent referral process rolling if needs be.

privateeye

Do you think that vulnerable groups such as those who struggle with English, people with learning disabilities etc are disadvantaged by this requirement and if so do you have measures in place to reduce the impact of this?

So first I have to ring and speak to a receptionist and explain my problem to see if I'm able to get a doctor to call me, then I have to wait for the doctor to call me and explain my problem and they then decide whether I can have a face to face meeting? And then I'll have to hope I can get there when the doctor has allocated me a slot in his/her schedule (no chance if within an hour as I rely on public transport and am not local to our surgery)

Bloody hell, a lot of people seem to be piling on on the opening poster.

Look, it's simple. If you hear a HCP discussing your or others personal information on public, report them to the practice manager. If you want a private space to disclose your reason for wanting an appointment, ask for one. If a receptionist tries to give you health care advice, refuse that advice and request a telephone call from a HcP.

What is so difficult about this? The opening poster pastries , as far as I can see, to explain why it's better for you to outline your issue to the receptionist.

They are then being inundated, as I see it, with extraneous reasons why this shouldn't happen.

And to the poster whose FIL had a heart attavk, I'm so sorry that happened.

One of the receptionists is a school mum. It's not that she might tell anyone, more that she will know. And every time I see her I know that she knows.

And one told me an x ray had come back fine, when in fact I had a non union fracture and only found out when I went to GP for something else.

That's just ridiculous. Thank god I no longer have to rely on underfunded NHS GP surgeries. Here in Ireland, I can ring up and get a same day appointment without any hassle from the receptionist.

Surely you can see why people don't want to tell the receptionists though?

As a Dr I'm a bit concerned about your level of empathy for patients with potentially embarrassing or upsetting problems. Your showing quite an unpleasant attitude to people who will be worried and embarrassed.

If I'm in the GP, I don't want other patients hearing my problem. If I'm ringing it's normally at work and I don't want my colleagues hearing my problem. If it's a broken toe or something mundane then sure but there's plenty of things that are already hard enough to discuss with the GP let alone the receptionist or the entire fucking waiting room, for example mental health

I'm a dentist and I find most patients are pretty happy to tell the receptionist their problems, probably because toothache isn't very embarrassing. But there are people that won't, and I completely understand why. And we are just talking about someone's mouth.

Report her to the practice manager immediately

Yeah, right. How about this:

I saw my GP a few months ago with severe depression. She was wonderful and really helped me. She told me to come back if I needed to or if things got worse.

Things got worse. One morning I felt so bad that I considered taking my own life.

Phoned the surgery. Practice Manager answered. I explained (in tears) what was wrong. She told me that there wasn't an appointment for a week. I asked for a phone appointment.

No. We're too busy. You can ring back in a few days if you're still suicidal.

Well, thanks for nothing, you cow.

I am not someone who goes to the GP frequently, BTW.

I've generally found my surgery ok until recently. I phoned up about an issue I had but I was informed I had to phone before midday. Well before midday I did not know my symptoms were going to get worse. I just needed to speak to a doctor and have a prescription as it's a problem I have had before. Instead I was told as it was 1245 I would have to go to a walk on clinic or wait for out of hours.
Another time I phoned just after 8am and got a call back at 645 when I missed the phone and got told they were closed now and to phone again tomorrow.

Yes I hear your GP. The thing is, it's rubbish really isn't it? I live in England and also in another EU country. English people have this weird thing that we are uniquely lucky and have to be so grateful for the NHS. Maybe this was unique in the 1960s but it's been completely commonplace and normal all over the EU for many, many years now. When I call my doctor in Germany I don't have to tell a receptionist what my symptoms are and then wait gratefully for an appointment many weeks in the future. I decide how serious my symptoms are, I make an appointment, I see the doctor as urgently as I think is necessary and I pay nothing. Because I live in a civilised country where sick people aren't blamed for not being self effacing and self sacrificing enough.

The UK is absolutely becoming a third world country and the sad thing is that many people don't realise it because they don't travel enough to be able to compare it to.

Absolutely not.

A receptionist is not qualified to triage patients. It's not fair on the patients to ask the receptionists to triage and it's not fair on the receptionists, because if one of them makes a mistake then it's their arse on the line for doing something they aren't qualified to.

Also, confidentiality is not a 'right' in inverted commas, it's must. Surprised you call yourself a doctor if you cannot see that.

They are then being inundated, as I see it, with extraneous reasons why this shouldn't happen

I think people’s issue is that they are less likely to get an appointment if they don’t tell the receptionist which people are concerned by given there are very legitimate reasons why people may not feel able to say.

I see it from the OP’s point of view given the very stretched resources but I share the concerns about the system. I don’t have a better solution is the problem!

This is partly why I avoided seeking help for my post natal depression, it’s hard enough to say the words about how crazy I am but to someone who’s not even a doctor and in front of other people. It’s horrible to realise that I’d have been viewed negatively for that too, doctor thinks im a dick then before they even both phoning me... great.

As a serious question tho, why can’t you just phone them in the order that they arrived in? Considering it’s just to arrange appointments, why is first come first served so bad? You obviously can’t tell who will need an appointment the most as you don’t no everyone’s problem (even if it is their own choice) so why not just call back in order? Your way means you could miss someone seriously ill or in a crisis whilst trying to make sure your getting the most urgent cases seen to first... doesn’t seem as efficient as you make it out to be to be honest.

I also think before you make your decisions of who to prioritise that day you should be calling the people who did not give a summary to the receptionists to clarify.

The GMC "Good Medical Practice" guideline states
"You must give priority to patients on the basis of their clinical need if these decisions are within your power. If inadequate resources, policies or systems prevent you from doing this, and patient safety, dignity or comfort may be seriously compromised, you must follow the guidance in paragraph 25b"

I would say these decisions are within your power, and your current system might discriminate against those with mental health conditions or autistic people and out them at risk.

I was a patient in one GP practice where all non-elderly patients were asked to tell the receptionist the date of their last period - in a packed waiting room and irrespective of the reason for their visit. I never did get told the clinical justification for it, despite asking, and changed practices pretty quickly.

Our surgery has a recorded message explaining this when you phone. I have no.issue discussing things with the reception staff on the phone but I'd be more hesitant at the surgery where reception & the waiting room are one big open plan.area

I also think before you make your decisions of who to prioritise that day you should be calling the people who did not give a summary to the receptionists to clarify.

In which case you are suggesting we prioritise the people who say nothing - you’re surely not suggesting we ring to find out what the problem is, then prioritise, then call them back? What a humongous waste of time that would be.

@privateeyefan
You're obviously going to get many different opinions here!. Completely agree; if your surgery runs a triage list then it's in the patients best interest to tell the receptionist what your problem is. If it's 'personal ' then that can be anything from MH issues to intimate problems; again, probably something you account for. In most surgeries (and I'm sure CQC requirement) there should be a notice about privacy and a place within the surgery (albeit a separate room or hallway) where you can discuss your problem without announcing it to the entire waiting room. Or like others have suggested, writing it down. This obviously is for face to face contact but on the phone it is confidential unless the receptionist shouts 'oh Mrs Smith, how awful, there's a cream for that' unless you have a very unprofessional receptionist. Its very different from village to town to city but my argument would be if there is something wrong medically then surely you want it sorted even if it means in a small village that you have an embarrassing haemorrhoid problem or the like 🤷‍♀️.
Everyone I'm sure has their own experiences, good or bad but your post is to say within your surgery (triage) it's best to tell the receptionist.

I would tell them my symptoms if they would
a) answer the phone
b) not slam the phone back down after picking up
c) actually speak to me instead of saying ' You have to call back in the morning' at any time after a.m.
d) see a) and b) when I call in the morning

I'm more than happy to give an outline of my symptoms to the person who answers the phone at my GP's surgery.

However, what I don't want to receive, as I did at one surgery, is a diagnosis from that person and to be told that I don't need a doctor's appointment but should buy a particular cream from a pharmacy, try that first and if it didn't work to ring up and she'd give me an appointment with the doctor.

I also don't want to be told by the receptionist, as I was recently, when I rang up for test results that my results show that I don't have an infection, because if I did xyz would show up and in this case they didn't, only to be rung half an hour later by my GP's PA to be told that I have signs of an infection and a prescription has been sent to the pharmacy.

These were two different receptionist at two different GP surgeries.

It's all very well giving receptionists more responsibility but unfortunately, in my experience, some of them let that go to their heads.

I haven't seen a gp at my surgery for over 5 years now, went to walk in last year for an ear infection.

Here's how it goes when I call:

7.58 - line still closed
7.59 - line still closed
8.00 - you are 26th in the queue
8.35 - you are 1st in the queue
8.40 - hello, how can I help..... sorry we have no same day or advance booking appointments for Drs or nurses, call back tomorrow at 8am and we'll try to book you in.

3 years ago, my DD was unwell, I suspected chest infection but wasn't 100% sure that was right. Called and spoke to receptionist explained, she had a chest cough, was rasping when breathing, temperature, very tired and listless. Was told , no need to see a GP just give some callow. It didn't feel right so I insisted I was bringing her in, end of. Got their, GP who happened to be in reception took one look at her, straight into a room, chest and ear infection high respiration rate, right on the borderline of hospitalisation. Antibiotics and inhaler needed.

Add in that the receptionists in our place are always rude and bitchy means that I no longer trust the surgery at all.

I remain registered because can't get in to any of the others but I exclusively use the walk in centre now.

My GP surgery don’t operate in this way, so bollocks is it necessary. It’s not A&E so I’m unsure why it needs a triage system as everyone is given a timed appointment. If it is urgent then those people need to go to A&E surely. Equally we can phone for a nurses appointment for none urgent appointments such as smears.

I wouldn’t feel comfortable having a receptionist get involved in my medical care. Our surgery issues appointments twice a day, and I have only struggled once to get an appointment.

Ok I can see what you’re saying BUT
I’ve had the receptionist refusing to give me an appt and telling me to go and but migralive when I said I had the most severe pain I’d ever had in my head and face, and I’d previously had 2 TIA. She wasn’t quite so stroppy about my insistence at being seen when she was calling the ambulance the dr ordered at my appt.
I’ve taken months to make an appt for depression and burst into tears the moment I’ve seen the dr, no way could I tell the receptionist without
crying on them.
3 of the 4 receptionists I know through the kids school playground, the 4th was the appt refuser.

*buy migralive