Page 4 | Woman at GP surgery today.

itsgettingweird · 2020-08-05T12:49:56+00:00

So today I had to go to GP for a procedure. Got there and waited as per instructions on door because someone was in reception. I also rang the buzzer so they could wave me through to waiting area if I wanted. I had put my mask on. Lady (60's maybe?) came right up next to me and stood. I obviously moved away for social distancing. Then asked me if I'd rang bell and I said yes, was waiting as someone in reception area already. She then opened the door, went in and waited in reception against rules. Rules are clearly A.G. eye sight level on the door we were stood at. It also says read before entering! So I then had to wait outside even longer. AIBU to think she's a dick and also reception should have sent her back out as per the rules. I accept they may not have clocked me so couldn't also tell her to wait her turn! I just think it's going to become much harder if people who decide the don't care about rules start getting ahead of those who are following them. It may lead to more and more people giving up on them?

Aloethere · 05/08/2020 17:35

She shouldn't have skipped the queue but I think you have to let these things wash over you tbh. There will be people who do and people who don't follow the new rules just like there are people who speed etc. You would drive yourself crazy if you got worked up every time it happens. I try to obey all the new rules in various places but I'm sure I've messed up somewhere along the line too.

user1497207191 · 05/08/2020 17:42

@daisypond

Weird. Not heard of anyone having to do this. My GP surgery waiting room is open as normal. No buzzing for entry. They have removed the seats, though, so you need to stand up inside.

Nope, our's is closed and locked, even though the receptionist sits behind a screen (hole in the wall). There's a huge sign on the door telling people to phone or go online. If you are lucky enough to get an appointment, you wait around the back and the nurse/GP opens the back door to admit you. You can't do anything in person via reception at all - you even have to drop off urine sample containers through the letterbox.

user1497207191 · 05/08/2020 17:46

@Chloemol

I would have walked in after her and told her she needs to come and wait outside after me. I can’t be doing with people thinking they are above the rules

I'd do the same. In fact, a couple of months ago, similar happened at the vets where there were 2 or 3 of us waiting in the designated area as per the signs (which were huge and everywhere) and a woman just walks past us all and straight in. Luckily the receptionist could see what she'd done and told her to go and wait behind us. Then she started asking if she could go first because she was in a hurry - well, no love, you sodding well can't - you're not special.

PlanDeRaccordement · 05/08/2020 17:58

It might be she was called to come in and pick up an elderly relative who had finished at GP. I have seen random people diving ahead of the queue only to emerge a few minutes later with an elderly or disabled patient as they are only letting carers in to drop off and pick up patients.

JinglingHellsBells · 05/08/2020 17:59

@itsgettingweird Two things...

1 This similar happened to my sister but she was left outside waiting at the door as they forgot she was there even though she turned up 10 mins early for her appt. She mentioned it on the phone to me then got on with her day/ life. Bit annoying at the time but no huge deal.

2 Hindsight is wonderful and we can all give you responses BUT IMO the best thing you can do is be on the ball in future and a bit more quick witted, so you can speak your mind politely at the time (and not waste hours of your life debating a tiny incident on social media.)

Life really is too short. Just think of all the life enriching stuff you could have done this afternoon instead of annoying yourself more on here. :)

Staplemaple · 05/08/2020 18:14

I feel threads like yours are part of the problem OP. You did zero to resolve it at the time if you felt that strongly, and no one else was there or knows the circumstances of the woman to pass judgment. I can't believe you didn't just let it go and get on with your day.

Leflic · 05/08/2020 18:18

It’s hard to follow “ the rules” when places enforce them differently and there are a multitude of signs up.

I went to the dentist yesterday which had a similar wait to be buzzed in system. Which I did, given a seat in a separate area, shown to my dentist upstairs by nurse in full PPE .But although there were signs saying wear gloves and mask, I was told I could take off mask and I didn’t have gloves anyway. A sign to put your handbag in a plastic bag wasn’t enforced, there was no one from the “ other area “ to accept payment, they said they’d take payment over the phone. I wanted to pay straight away so the nurse bought the machine to me, against their own ( slightly loopy) rules.

I expect if I went back next week they could mention the gloves or making my bag safe but chose to seat me in a waiting room with others. Who knows?

DitchinVirgin · 05/08/2020 18:27

Jesus. My parents are late 60's and neither I nor they would class them as 'elderly' to the point that the implication is that they're "doddery and confused". I forget how old they are most of the time. When did late 60's become elderly?

Original poster

itsgettingweird · 05/08/2020 18:33

[quote JinglingHellsBells]@itsgettingweird Two things...

1 This similar happened to my sister but she was left outside waiting at the door as they forgot she was there even though she turned up 10 mins early for her appt. She mentioned it on the phone to me then got on with her day/ life. Bit annoying at the time but no huge deal.

2 Hindsight is wonderful and we can all give you responses BUT IMO the best thing you can do is be on the ball in future and a bit more quick witted, so you can speak your mind politely at the time (and not waste hours of your life debating a tiny incident on social media.)

Life really is too short. Just think of all the life enriching stuff you could have done this afternoon instead of annoying yourself more on here. :)[/quote]
I actually did do stuff.

I took ds to his college transition. He's disabled and has ehcp so he had an extra visit.

But having bleed for 6 weeks solidly and having a coil fitted that caused me to pass out I am also having by to lay down and recover.

MN always amuses me when I'm doing nothing else

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EL8888 · 05/08/2020 18:34

YANBU she sounds like a dick. Surely at a GP’s surgery of all places, she should have been more self aware and thoughtful? But it’s hard to argue with stupid l know

I had a procedure at my GP’s a few weeks ago. While l was waiting in the waiting room to go in, a man rocks up to the counter and moves a chair out of the way, they had clearly placed a row purposefully parallel with the counter to keep people back. Receptionist politely asks him to put the chair back and take a step back. He gives her a filthy look and then launches into his moan about something. The chairs were so obviously meant to be there to try to make idiots like that keep their distance but he takes it on himself to move them

Original poster

itsgettingweird · 05/08/2020 18:38

@Staplemaple

I feel threads like yours are part of the problem OP. You did zero to resolve it at the time if you felt that strongly, and no one else was there or knows the circumstances of the woman to pass judgment. I can't believe you didn't just let it go and get on with your day.

But how could I solve it? By bursting into a room already with twice as many people as requested I became part of the problem too.

That's what concerns me though. That others may start to do that or think duck the rules because no ones following them and that increases the issue.

I did think I'd chat to receptionist after about having door so it can't be opened from outside but having passed out and spent 20 minutes recovering I really didn't have the energy.

She annoyed me but honestly she didn't ruin my day as some here have decided to translate it! She just made me think about the wider consequences of everyone just went about their business as normal and more and more people gave up on following the instructions.

However later on in the day I stopped at shop for some bits with ds. That was also 1 in and out. 1 person came out and so I met the person waiting behind me go in as I could see no one was paying and I needed 2 people to come out which was obviously going to take a few minutes.

OP posts:

Original poster

itsgettingweird · 05/08/2020 18:39

@DitchinVirgin

Jesus. My parents are late 60's and neither I nor they would class them as 'elderly' to the point that the implication is that they're "doddery and confused". I forget how old they are most of the time. When did late 60's become elderly?

Yeah I know! My mums 67 and has terminal cancer and is far from doddery and confused!

It's amazing how mentioning age got me told off whilst at the same time made others say she was elderly so I should allow her to barge past me even when I said I'd buzzed and was told to wait.

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MoreListeningLessChatting · 05/08/2020 18:43

Did you ask her to move away from you as per social distancing?

Maybe she has dementia/didn't understand etc etc.

I am finding that MN is full of stupid posts about silly things lately. I guess Covid makes people feel the need to tell everyone about the old dear who forgot to stay 2m away [hmn]

MoreListeningLessChatting · 05/08/2020 18:45

@Staplemaple

Totally agree with your post.... does nothing to resolve, rushes to MN for a whinge!

[hmn]

MoreListeningLessChatting · 05/08/2020 18:46

You know what.

Call the police, have her arrested, hanged drawn and quarter... I mean it's covid ain't it!

Next shut down your entire town and isolate for 14 days.

JustOneMoreStep · 05/08/2020 18:47

Have a gold star for following the rules. Im not sure that there is any other point to this thread. Life is short, you cannot manage other peoples behaviour only your own so don't waste time and energy trying to fix others - its only you that will get hurt.

Incidentally if you passed out I hope you didn't drive after just 20mins. General guidance is always monitor for at least 30mins ànd drive after 45mins. Or at least that's what I have always been told and what the hospital and my GP have done.

iklboo · 05/08/2020 18:51

guess Covid makes people feel the need to tell everyone about the old dear who forgot to stay 2m away [hmn]

60 is not 'an old dear'.

MoreListeningLessChatting · 05/08/2020 18:56

@iklboo

I was being sarcastic!

It would appear a lot of people rush off to MN to tell of people who walked to near to them, stood next to them, etc... etc.... the lady 60's.... was written in OP post so I'm being sarcastic about 'the old dear' - no real need for her assumed age/or for the stupid ridiculous need to rush onto mn's to moan about this slight inconvenience but hey ho.... it's covid (big huge massive sigh)

FrodosRing · 05/08/2020 19:02

Actually I think YANBU. You were there first. Although there may be mitigating circumstances, I don't know.
My GP has some other services attached (eg blood testing) which aren't actually part of the surgery, they just use the space. So sometimes it seems like people are queue jumping to walk right in past everybody queuing to book in, but they aren't, IYSWIM.

iklboo · 05/08/2020 19:04

@MoreListeningLessChatting - ah, sorry. I've got it now.

I plan on being a very subversive 'old dear' when I grow up.

Original poster

itsgettingweird · 05/08/2020 19:05

[quote MoreListeningLessChatting]@Staplemaple

Totally agree with your post.... does nothing to resolve, rushes to MN for a whinge!

[hmn][/quote]
How should I have resolved it?

She walked and stood at my side and asked if I'd buzzed.

I stepped back to make distance and said "yes, reception are aware but we cannot go in until the person comes out as - in and 1 out"

She just sighs and goes straight in anyway and doubles the number of permitted people in the small reception?

Tell me how I could have resolved it? That is without becoming a third person inside or physically grabbing her and stopping her going inside?

And also read what I've asked. Not if she is unreasonable - she was!

But whether there is a risk of guidelines slowly being ignored as a drip effect because people won't want to follow guidance if it means they have to wait longer for services.

OP posts:

Original poster

itsgettingweird · 05/08/2020 19:05

@JustOneMoreStep

Have a gold star for following the rules. Im not sure that there is any other point to this thread. Life is short, you cannot manage other peoples behaviour only your own so don't waste time and energy trying to fix others - its only you that will get hurt.

Incidentally if you passed out I hope you didn't drive after just 20mins. General guidance is always monitor for at least 30mins ànd drive after 45mins. Or at least that's what I have always been told and what the hospital and my GP have done.

I live 100m from GP surgery. I had walked!

OP posts:

Original poster

itsgettingweird · 05/08/2020 19:08

[quote MoreListeningLessChatting]@iklboo

I was being sarcastic!

It would appear a lot of people rush off to MN to tell of people who walked to near to them, stood next to them, etc... etc.... the lady 60's.... was written in OP post so I'm being sarcastic about 'the old dear' - no real need for her assumed age/or for the stupid ridiculous need to rush onto mn's to moan about this slight inconvenience but hey ho.... it's covid (big huge massive sigh)[/quote]
Not at all. Read what I e said a million times.

It's not the fact she was a dick.

It's the fact I was wondering if more and more people would give up following guidenace because they spend extra time waiting for services because of those dicks.

She was a fully competent woman . Competent enough to ask me about rules and if I'd buzzed.

She just obviously felt she was above rules.

Even more stupid when you're in a high risk category but it wasn't the point of the thread.

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SheepandCow · 05/08/2020 19:10

If 60s is now classed as elderly we need to urgently lower the state pension age.

welliesarefuntowear · 05/08/2020 19:13

I've not read the full thread but I am on reception at a gp surgery and finding the whole experience quite difficult. We have an intercom. I can't hear clearly what people are saying. I've mixed patients up. We can't let them in till clinicians are ready. I'm not surprised people are fed up but we really are trying our best. It's hard to fjnd a balance with patient safety and our safety. COVID can do one