Privacy at GP surgery

[fluffybottom]

I've recently had two appointments where midway through, the door has swung open and someone has just walked in while I've been having my appointment. The first was my midwife booking in, where I already felt vulnerable and apprehensive and the second was last night during an appointment where I was having a bloodtest and other investigations.
AIBU to expect that staff should knock before entering a room during surgery and what should I do?

I agree. Put in a complaint to the practice manager

Yes. Anyone should knock and await a reply. Very unprofessional behaviour. I would make a complaint. I suspect the staff have forgotten the training module where the dignity and the informed consent of the patient was covered.

YANBU - I am a Practice Manager and I would want to know about this so that I could stop it.

YANBu raise through practice manager or staff consultation group.

What @SeaViewBliss said. I'm an ex PM and I'd be appalled if I found out that had happened to a patient!

I have a weekly appointment with the nurse at my surgery and it's a rare appointment when one or more members of staff DON'T interrupt to talk to the nurse.

I once had a GP barge in without knocking while a nurse was doing my smear test. I was young at the time and too scared and embarrassed to make a complaint, but it makes me so angry when I think about it now I wish I’d have said something

Then both you, OP @fluffybottom and you, @silverysurfer should be complaining to your respective practice managers. No-one should have to put up with this total lack of common courtesy from anyone , let alone people who one could reasonably expect to have at least SOME level of training in dealing with patient confidentiality...

@fluffybottom

YADNBU! I hear ya!

This happens to me some 1 in 3 times I go, and it REALLY FUCKS ME OFF.

It's either a nurse, or a receptionist, or another HCA. I don't really say anything, but it annoys me I have to say. They don't even bloody knock sometimes, they just barge in!

One time it happened, I was in the middle of a CERVICAL SMEAR.

I am not kidding.

I had the plastic speculum in my vaj. I was mortified. I mean, I was on the bed, and she quickly slid the curtain across, as the woman opened the door. So nothing was seen. But FFS! ,

Very annoying I agree.

My nurse locked the door when the woman (receptionist) had gone, and apologised profusely.

Complain to the manager. Hopefully they’ll be like mine was. My teenage DD was walked in on while having a lump examined and my complaint was taken very seriously and I’ve noticed already they now knock and wait.

What really bothered me was that neither the midwife or the nurse said anything. At my booking in appointment, the midwife actually finished the appointment with the other person in the room and then had to ring me back while I was on the way home because they forgot to ask about some really important family history. I would normally have said something myself but pregnancy has made me feel a bit vulnerable.

I will put a complaint ASAP.

Happened to me during a smear test 15 years ago, a member of the public walked in, and to be honest I felt utterly violated. I’ve not had an nhs smear or any kind of nurse appointment since. In my experience NHS HCPs don’t give a shit about this sort of thing.

This happened to me several times with nurses. One day, I am actually going to say if they are so interested in my medical history, then perhaps next time they can observe properly 😂

Another patient, a man, walked in on me once when I was pregnant and my GP was examining me. He was feeling all round my bump so whilst I wasn't lying there naked, I did feel a bit exposed with my trousers pulled down and my top pulled up.

Said man didn't give a shite, said he was fed up with waiting. GP was very apologetic though and gave him a right earful.

But I have noticed that there are no locks on the doors (presumably for the doctor's safety, so that a patient can't trap them?) do I don't know how you'd prevent that.

But staff absolutely shouldn't be walking in, that's shocking.

I had a male doctor sweep into my cubicle the morning after I'd given birth. I'd had a horrendous tear that required surgery to fix. They had left me naked from the waist down on a absorbent pad- but had covered with me a blanket to maintain my dignity . But that had fallen off during the night. I was in so much pain (it was a severe tear!) I wasnt able to twist my body to reach down and pull it back over me again (the hospital beds are so high up!). I was also exhausted as my surgery finished at 3am and I was then up most of the night with my new born or listening to some other screaming new born on the ward (6 full beds!). Anyways - I was asleep on the bed, naked from the waist down, when this male doctor swooshed back the curtains and stepped into my cubicle at around 8:30am! I knew it was before 9am as that was when visiting hours started and my husband was planning to come bang on 9am. I was in so much shock I said nothing as the male doctor droned on about the after care of the tear etc - and I was still in too much pain to move to cover myself and felt too ashamed to ask him to help me or even draw attention to my very clear nakedness! Major hairy bush out and everything! My husband arrived mid way and quickly covered me with a blanket. I'll never forget how vulnerable and horrified I felt. I never complained as shortly after I got sick with a womb infection and so was distracted by that. When I was finally discharged a week later, i was just grateful to be home. But I wish I had complained now. If only to ensure he didnt do that to another woman!

We had the same recently with 2 different people walking in on my husbands appointment. One bobbed about and stared at the nurse practitioner trying to get her attention to ask where a piece of medical equipment was. The np was really angry at them and apologised to us quite a few times. Luckily it wasn’t anything too private or involving clothes off, but they weren’t to know that when they barged in

I find at my work (HCP) that other patients just wander in some knock.some knock them just open the door . There are signs asking them to take a seat . Height of rudeness