"Can I ask what it's for?"

[Syrinx89]

Is it normal for the receptionist to ask this question when booking a GP appointment over the phone? This happened to me for the first time on Monday when calling my local surgery for an appointment and I wondered what I would have said if it was something I wanted to keep confidential (thankfully, it wasn't!). Has anyone else had any experience with this? Is it allowed/the norm?

YABU - YES it is common practice
YANBU - No, this doesn't sit well

They’ve been doing this for a few years at my surgery so its normal for me.

They always ask this at my GP.

Both- it's common practice and it doesn't sit well.

I've found it depends on the surgery. My current and last don't, my previous one before that did every time.

I don't agree with your YANBU option.

They don't ask this at my GP's surgery, but I wouldn't care if they did. It sits just fine with me.

@sparklesocks Thanks! Not particularly phased by it, but never had this before is all. I previously thought there was a degree of patient confidentiality between the GP and the patient. But on the flip side I can understand the receptionist needing to prioritise urgency etc.!

Absolutely normal- staff are trained to ask this - if you say - I think I have - for example- tonsillitis - they know that they can book you into a nurse clinic. If you say I have found a lump - GP - making best use of resourses

It's common practice because depending on what you need that will determine who they book you in with- Doc/nurse/phlebotomist/etc

@BeeFarseer Maybe I should have worded it differently. My bad... Just tired!

It’s so they can direct you to someone other than a GP if your condition isn’t serious enough. Lots of people have reported my local surgery refusing GP appointments if they think it’s something the nurse or pharmacist can deal with.

I normally just say something vague but what category it’s in without going into too much detail (suspected chest infection, pain in arm etc) Or if it’s very sensitive I will say that.

Mine has just started doing this. It’s so that they can either make you see the nurse instead, book an appointment in three weeks time, send you to a nearby locum or actually get you in to see a GP. You dont have to tell the truth if its nothing important (awaits flaming). They just want to know how urgent it is.

Voting isn't enabled for me. I would have voted YANBU
Our surgery has recently adopted a system whereby you tell the receptionist your symptoms and then your call is triaged, then a Doctor will phone back to discuss your need for an appointment.
I'm not overly keen but so far it's worked ok for me.
We do have a fabulous small local hospital and they'll definitely help more than the doctor's surgery.

Our GP surgery has done it for years - it's on the instruction of the doctors to help them prioritise. I have occasionally refused to divulge if it was something especially personal but I'm used to being asked.

I knew what you were getting at. I'm just pedantic.

I don't know if it's common practice but they do this at my surgery. They tell you at the beginning of the phone call and there are posters all over the surgery and I think it's so they can book you with a suitable HCP (generally whether a nurse will do instead of a doctor). It's often easier for us to get an appointment with a nurse so quite often I tell them what the problem is and ask if it's okay to see the nurse. If it's for a child they tend to give an appointment with a GP.

It is common practice - do I like it - not hugely but I can see why it is done.

Firstly they need to prioritise people - only one appointment left this week so they want to choose the breast lump over the sore finger etc.

Secondly different doctors will have different areas of interest and expertise. It makes sense for you to see the doctor who knows the most about whatever your issue is.

They ask this at mine too. I don’t really agree - I’m sharing personal information with a receptionist - but there isn’t a choice. It doesn’t sit right with me that a non-medic gets to decide whether or not my problem is urgent enough to see a doc that day, or in 3 weeks time (these seem to be the only options).

Common practice. Lets the receptionist see if another HCP would suit you, I've had a case where she suggested I could see the Doctor in a couple of days but the nurse had a space that afternoon. Nurse sorted me out with a peak flow meter and told me how to tell if I needed a Dr's appointment. My chest improved and I didn't. I know of other people being told an optician would be more appropriate and fasters.

But 'I'd rather not say' is an ok answer as well.

It’s fantastic. I called up the doctor the other day for an appointment, and as they could see the thing I was calling for was the same thing I’d had before, they put me on hold for a few mins, spoke directly to the doctor and just left a prescription for me at the local pharmacy. So so good and easy

In my surgery if you need a same day appointment they ask you what it is about so that the receptionist can tell the triage nurse and they can prioritise more urgent issues. If you just said "it's personal" or "I'd rather not say" then they would accept that. I can't get myself worked up about this to be honest. If you don't want to say, don't. If it's not a personal issue let them do their job!

It is common in the UK although not elsewhere. It's an absolute joke. Receptionists are not medically trained and aren't qualified to make judgements about what is urgent and what is not. And you are correct that there is a problem with confidentiality as well. I always used to say, "I'll discuss that with the doctor." I now live somewhere where GPs are properly funded and this doesn't happen.

Totally normal.

It helps signpost people to the best person - whether that’s a particular doctor who specialises in a condition, or something the practice nurse can deal with rather than a doctor, or actually go talk to the pharmacist and come back if it gets worse.

Especially in light of covid19, they can prevent someone coming in with infectious diseases (not just covid19 but things like chickenpox) and direct to telephone consultation instead.

They will be bound by confidentiality just like the GPs are. And they really really really won’t care about your embarrassing health issues

They used to ask at our GPs surgery, however I think they have stopped doing it, probably because people didn't like it. Strangely I once made an appointment for conjunctivitis that wouldn't clear up, by the time I got the appointment the eye problem had cleared up but I decided to keep the appointment and ask about a lump on my skin. The doctor was chatting away inspecting my skin and I happened to say something like "Yes, sorry, this isn't what I told the receptionist I wanted the appointment for". And she replied "Oh, do they still ask that? Don't worry about it, that's just them asking. It doesn't make a bit of difference that I know of!"

Always happens at my surgery. When you call there is a recorded message from the senior GP telling you that the receptionists are acting under instructions from the GPs to ask what the appointment is for. They help with triaging appointments.