Enough is enough, gp blunders

[Meisme17]

First of all, I'm not a complainer. I'm more of a patient person, putting myself in other's shoes. But I had enough.
I've chosed this surgery for the good reviews on the NHS site. I went there to register myself and my baby. I've called in 2 weeks time to boo my 6 weeks check post natal and they says I need to give my NHS number. I've called later that day and gave it. I'm calling again to book the same appointment, the receptionist starts shouting at me that she cannot book it because she told me last week for baby's NHS number and i never got back to them. I've explained that actually she asked for mine and I did called that day and they said its fine. She was adamant saying :"no, you didn't" going on and on. At the end of the call I said :" I wish you will get the same service you deliver"...She squeezed me in the next day between appointments.
Time went, I've been having appointments and for each one of them I had to wait between 15 and 45min, the receptionist are not very helpful or informative or reassuring. They are ignoring people pretending to work on a computer screen. There were so many times that walk ins were seen before me, even I had an appointment booked and was delayed for half an hour. You all know, thing could happen.
What made me reconsider this surgery was my attempt to book my cervical screening.
The surgery is making me aware twice that my cervical screening is due. I'm finally booked. On the day of the appointment 2 hours prior I've got a call cancelling the appointment because the nurse is not in and they're offering to rebook me for next day. Next day, the same, received a call saying there is a problem printing the form for my cervical screening and they have to cancel it and rebook me in a month time because there's nothing available. I'm getting confused, how is that all booked, when you can book an appointment only one week ahead, accordingly with their policies? The receptionist is mumbling, she's saying now there is a problem with my patient acces and that a manager will call me the next day. I'm accepting this and waiting all day next day for a call. You've guess it, no one called. I'm taking the pram and went there quarter to 6 requesting some answers, they're avoiding eye contact and are talking to me starring at the screen. When I asked what is this Web of blunders and why no one has called me, one of them said, ah, just spoked with the nurse(right, she just did) and she said the online printing problem was there only because the cervical screening needs to be done 6 months after birth. Weird, I said, previous gp told me that I should get back to them in 12 weeks after birth. I want to have it done just for the peace of mind. They even told me, (looking at each other) , that there's a new regulation which stipulates it has been changed to 6 months. I said, can I have the appointment which you're offering me yesterday for next month? The receptionist said that I have to call in 2 weeks because the slot it is not available for booking. But yesterday you were offering it to me, how this is possible?! We're sorry mumbling, this is the regulation.
I've searched on NHS site and you can have the cervical screening 12 weeks after birth.
I'm pissed of, tomorrow I'm taking my Id and proof of address and I'm changing to another practice.

I think you've done the right thing changing surgeries. In my experience it doesn't get any better. They sound exactly like the receptionists at my old GP surgery. I brushed it off at first. Thought just a few mistakes, bad communication. It didn't stop. Like you, I asked to speak to the practice manager. I was also told she'd call me. Several times. I never heard from her.

Doctor's receptionists do have a tough job but it doesn't excuse unprofessionalism, rudeness, or plain old bullying. I hope the new place is better and all goes well with your smear.

I was advised not to say anything negative about the old place when registering with the new one. Unfortunately they can close ranks. Just say something like your friends or family recommended the new one. If you want to give feedback, you can anonymously report your experience to the CQC.

I think you've done the right thing. The running late wouldn't bother me. The emergency appointments will likely be seen by a specific on call doctor so I wouldn't expect to be shifted to them from a GP running late unless the on call doctor happens to be free, which is fairly rare. I'd rather have a GP who gives enough time to each patient than one who runs to time.
GP receptionists have it tough, but I wouldn't accept someone shouting at me, that's not ok.

When you move...you can't have your cervical screening done until 12 weeks after you've given birth. I can't tell from your post if that's the case or not, but if not, at least it's not another wasted appointment.

Unless your baby was born overseas and doesn't have one yet, the surgery can't register your baby without their NHS number. It doesn't sound like their communication was clear on this.
If your baby was born in the UK, you can find their number on your birth notes or on the front of their red book if you have one.

That'll teach me to read to the end! Yeah definitely still 12 weeks

You sound very high maintenance!
Why have you moved doctors just after having a baby? It sounds like you're not following procedures regarding registering with your new GP -the new patient form you complete asks for your NHS number, so why did you not put it in there for you and your baby?
When you phoned back with your NHS number 2 weeks after registering, why did you not book your appointment then? And why did you not also give your baby's number?
What do you expect the receptionists to do whilst you're sat waiting for your appointment? Tell a few jokes? Sing songs??? And what makes you think they are pretending to work whilstblooking at their screens?
I think they'll not shed any tears when you move surgeries again.

Regarding the smear, could it be that you actually need a colposcopy which should be done 3-6 months after the birth? The 12 week rule is that you should not have a smear until at least 12 weeks post partum, not at 12 weeks.

My last smear was due while I was pregnant, they said to wait until six months after birth, it can be done after twelve weeks but best to wait until six months, just like it can be done while pregnant but they tend not to unless you were higher risk. You're more likely to get false anomalies if your hormone levels haven't settled back down so I was happy to book it for six months. The running late is because the NHS gives GPs ten minutes per patient, you can understand that this will not be enough for some. Also you cannot register your baby without their NHS number this is fairly obvious. You also seem to have been quite rude to the reception staff "I hope you get the service you deliver" etc. Change gp if you want but a lot of the above is fairly standard and you probably don't get a warm friendly welcome because you sound quite high maintenance. Maybe choose a surgery with online appointment booking if you would rather not deal with reception.

Your surgery does not need your NHS number to register you. They should only need the discharge letter from the hospital to register your baby.

Shockingly poor OP. Worth complaining to your local community health council or PALS team.

The discharge letter from the hospital has the baby's NHS number on it. They do eventually trickle through if a parent doesn't register their baby though, in which case they can be registered as 'Baby Surname'.
Some parents don't ever get in contact so that's how it's done, but even that has its pitfalls.
It does sound like the receptionists are rude and the type to make something up if they're not sure rather than saying 'I don't know but I'll find out', which is why I said YANBU to move.
That said, it sounds as though there have been issues with communication and information provision on both sides.

Soontobe60, it sounds you're a receptionist :) ) no offence to your "tough" job.
Following the procedures it's another synonym for burocracy and pile of shit.
We had to move houses, as previous studio flat was not big enough for a baby. That's one.
Second. My previous gp told me I can not register my baby with them as I'll be out of the area when I'll move. They've recome me tob register with a new gp asap. We have to moved the second day after I've got home from hospital.
They told me to wait 2 weeks for the registration to go trough as they have loads of requests.
Yes I forgot to add her NHS number,but how they've registered my dd then,meaning what a lousy job they're doing missing such an important aspect?
When I've called to book the appointment again, they said I needed to call another day to book the it because was afternoon and they cannot book it for me. Bullocks.
Did I answer all your receptionist's questions?
Or do you have some more?
Bring them on!

To Lionel...high maintanence is not the case. I work myself in a customer facing role. I know what I'm talking about. Every individual needs to be treated with respect and kept informed about what's going on. Needs to be transparency between what you say and what you will actually do.
I was not rude, just reminded her, in a nice way, how she'll feel in my shoes?
And that's exactly what I will do, chose a surgery with online appointment booking system.

You lost me at “pretending to work”

I have Smears at the GUM clinic now. They seem more experienced.

You know many places are getting rid of the 6 week check up. My doctors will see any baby of a patient. I don't know if it true but apparently something awful happened to a baby they refused to see years ago because it wasn't registered yet. Now they will see any baby of a patient quickly. If they really can't they beg you to go to A+E

Sorry OP, you sound like you’re the one causing the problems. And being sarky in your replies here is just making you look a twat.

Move/don’t move, no one actually cares. You do you. But from the sounds of it nothing the surgery do will ever be good enough for you, so try somewhere else and see what happens. You might find it’s worse and be back moaning again.

Or you could try being polite and not a sarky cow, see what doors that opens up. Because it’s clearly not something your ‘customer facing role’ has taught you.

I’m not trying to be rude, but your written English isn’t great. If you speak the same way, it might be that the receptionists are having difficulty understanding you.

Some GP surgeries are just poor at their job, root and branch. Poor service spreads into all corners as good staff whether clinical or admin leave to join better practices.

My GP surgery is sadly like this, so bad that it is under final notice to improve or close.

The issue is that GPs seem to have forgotten what they were invented for. The sneering at moderately ill people is disgusting. I'm not sure what the pint of them is anymore, most of the time they refuse to refer people and have crappy nurses triaging their patients.
My mum was almost killed by a sneering practice nurse who told her 3 times there was nothing wrong with her. She nearly died after being diagnosed with sepsis after she lost consciousness. They are crap and it would be far better to just let people self refer to proper doctors. And scrap the nurses. I used to teach nurses at Masters level and I promise you, most are thick.

Risamind589 :)), I am not born here. But being born or not, you understood were I'm staying.

Ridus...from a sarky cow, here's a reply : "I give what I receice"

#onioncrumble, hope your mum is well. I would say always trust your instincts and do what's right. I had the feeling this surgery is dodgy, but I said :"let me be patient", maybe, maybe, finding excuses for them. Not anymore.

I complained about a GP at my surgery who was rude to me, but I complained cleverly, and made my complaints about the procedures not being followed correctly rather than the individual. It worked really well. I got a personal written reply and have received great treatment ever since. All my appointments have somehow avoided that GP, and I suspect I'm not the first to have had an issue with that GP.

Anyway, I wonder if the OP has come recently from abroad and is used to a more streamlined service. I know that when I returned to the UK, I was a bit shocked by the creaky NHS. The OP should of course be treated in the same way as any other patient, irrespective, and I was a bit at the post above criticising her written English. Her English is perfectly adequate to convey her meaning. I am sure that my foreign language was equally filled with small grammatical errors when I lived abroad, and I was never treated with anything but respect.

#hederex, I gaved them the discharge letter from day one of registering with them, don't know where all of this blunders are coming from.
I'm not a fussy person, but sometimes I need to make my voice heard.

Honestly this just sounds l like every GP practice I've ever been to bar the GP in my home village which has a much smaller population. Yes it's very annoying. But that is the reality of the NHS now. Our local clinical commissioning group is in a huge deficit and cutting funding to GP surgeries all the time. You can't expect them to be able to run an amazingly efficient service with all the pressures they're under from funding cuts and growing/ageing population. Plus from what I've heard from friends with private health insurance, the private sector didn't sound much better lol.

It's frustrating but you need to be patient. If you're waiting for a routine appointment and someone walks in with a potentially much more urgent problem (for instance heart palpitations) then of course they should be seen first.

I wouldn't be upset by a 15-45 minute wait as that's quite normal IME.

You've clearly lost faith in the surgery though and its support system so moving seems very sensible to me

They've made mistakes, you've made mistakes. You should probably move, but you should probably adjust your expectations too. Waiting 15-45mins for your appointment is normal, often due to people being squeezed in - just as you were squeezed in - but also just because resources can't meet demand. So unless it's more life-threatening matters than these, I'd choose when to be demanding. Regardless of your job, from what you say and how you're saying it, you come across shirty and it isn't going to help your case. As for 'pretending to work', do you really think they're under-worked?