Why are GP receptionists so rude?

[cosmikdebris]

Every single one I've experienced,especially now I'm a mum, seem to act like guardians of the nhs. I've been trying to sign up to my local GP since JUNE LAST YEAR! They've lost my sign up forms 3 times, told me my information is wrong twice and straight up told me to 'sign up else where if i don't like how they practice' and have also told me I'm an irresponsible parent for missing my daughters first jab date (I missed it because they lost mine and her sign up forms may I add).

I tried another go slightly further away yesterday, only to be treated with more attitude and rudeness. I'm so desperate for some help with my mental health, and I've got a backlog of different physical things I need checked, I don't understand why they're all so eager to work against you! Surely they should be required to be calm and compassionate towards people, considering doctor's surgeries are generally full of unwell people.

I just don't understand it. Maybe it's more stressful than I think it is? Maybe I'm just unlucky! Or maybe they're required to put up a front so people don't waste the time of doctors? It's not difficult to just be nice to people though...is it?

To be honest when I worked in a hospital and one of our patients was told to liaise with their GP surgery my heart would often sink knowing how it would never be straightforward. In an ideal world it would be better for the hospital Dr to liaise with the GPs themselves for anything with time constraints but I imagine they don't have time.

@RosesAndHellebores

Why is the behaviour tolerated *@Janegrey333*. Because they are paid minimum or barely more than minimum wage and provided with little or no training. The system gets away with it because it is free at the point of delivery and the NHS is revered as a sacred cow to whom we must exude gratitude and deference.

It is very different in Continental Europe.

I am referring g to simple good manners. Surely that doesn’t have to be taught.

I agree @Janegrey333 but regrettably good manners in the NHS appear to be in vanishingly short supply and extends to from the highest paid to the lowest paid. One would honestly expect a chap or chappess who has in all likelihood attended an excellent school and an excellent university to have learnt them at home but too often it appears not. High standards cascade from the top down on the whole.

I once recall the secretary of a Harley Street consultant telling me Mrs had had to dash off because a nasty little man was putting a ticket on her car and she had to get to a concert her talented DC were in. I was then told Mrs x-xx didn't speak directly to the people. It was 1996 and I was paying her £240 for the consultation and about £750 for the grommet op plus hospital plus anaesthetist. Unbelievable attitude and the consultant was arrogance itself. The other consultant had a 10 week wait list even privately; she didn't but I sucked it up because DS needed the grommets. Unbelievable. The other consultant did dd's 3 years later and everyone around him was utterly charming.

Sounds like you've been unlucky, OP. Ours are lovely- been with the same surgery nearly 30 years, never had a problem, though obviously receptionists change over time. Must be the general vibes of the surgery.

I am a GP and our receptionists are really nice decent people that go above and beyond in helping our patients. Helping with prescriptions handed in late, squeezing in elderly and young children for appts etc etc. Try a different surgery. I think receptions get a bad rep and majority of them want to help despite sometimes facing a barrage of abuse and nastiness from patients. Myself and colleagues have had come out of our offices to tell people they are being unreasonable and unacceptable at the desk on more than one occasion. They back down with me but give our staff a hard time. That tells me that it works both ways unfortunately.

Susiesue61 may I ask about your DD's apprenticeship as I haven't heard of that.
Is there a course and on the job training or is it an excuse for your DD to have in house training but be paid an apprentice's wage instead of minimum wage?

Ours are lovely and helpful. If anything it has become easier to speak to a GP since Covid! They ask questions but I am fine with that. I probably give them to much detail. They must have folks objecting though as one of the GPS has done a recording to explain why the receptionist needs to ask some questions.

I don’t think it is fair to tar all of the profession with the same brush and I imagine adapting to working at the practice in a pandemic brings plenty of stress and challenges. GP receptionists get a lot of criticism for just doing their job which seems a bit unfair to me.

This is another one of those threads where "I have had a bad experience with X job people" becomes "Why are X job people so (insult slightly goady generalisation here)?"

@TroysMammy

Susiesue61 may I ask about your DD's apprenticeship as I haven't heard of that. Is there a course and on the job training or is it an excuse for your DD to have in house training but be paid an apprentice's wage instead of minimum wage?

!!

@Scarlettpixie

Ours are lovely and helpful. If anything it has become easier to speak to a GP since Covid! They ask questions but I am fine with that. I probably give them to much detail. They must have folks objecting though as one of the GPS has done a recording to explain why the receptionist needs to ask some questions.

I don’t think it is fair to tar all of the profession with the same brush and I imagine adapting to working at the practice in a pandemic brings plenty of stress and challenges. GP receptionists get a lot of criticism for just doing their job which seems a bit unfair to me.

They are not professionals.

I honestly don’t think they all are. There are some lovely ones at my surgery that go out of their way to help the patients.

There's a nasty receptionist at my GP's surgery.
I call her out on it every single time - then she acts all hurt.
If she wasn't old and useless and I think she can find another job, I would complain about her to the Manager, but she is old and I can tell she'll find the job market hard and don't want her to lose her job, that's the only reason why I haven't formally complained. Hopefully, she'll retire soon.

I have experienced a mixed bag- some kind and helpful, others not- and one in particular was appalling and should never have been in contact with unwell people.

She was eventually dismissed, after becoming the practice manager!

Mixed experience here. I registered at a new GP when I moved, knowing I was in the catchment area. When the receptionist checked the boundary of the map she looked over her glasses at me and said “Hm, you’re just in”, in way that implied I was lucky. I asked what did she mean, I’m either in the boundary, or I’m not. Irritated the hell out of me.

Is there a course and on the job training or is it an excuse for your DD to have in house training but be paid an apprentice's wage instead of minimum wage?

I believe it is a 2 year NVQ
Unit 1: Obstreperousness 101
Unit 2: Compassion and common sense: your enemies at work
Unit 3: Bellowing confidential information across a waiting room.
Unit 4: How to lose friends and humiliate people.
Unit 5: Body language: how to maintained that slapped arse look 9-5.

I wish that everyone who has taken the time to make nasty comments could come & try a day in my shoes. I remember the first call I took working in a GP surgery, and how shocked I was at how I was spoken to. Unfortunately a vast amount of the population think it’s acceptable to speak to you like you’re scum. GP receptionists are employed by, and go by the rules set by the GP’s who own the practice, so if the phone system is rubbish, or there’s no appointments, why do people think it’s the receptionists fault?

@MadisonMontgomery there’s absolutely no need for rudeness towards surgery staff. But I can categorically say I’ve never been anything but polite to staff, but still received rudeness in return.

KathleenTurnerOverdrive thank you so much for that information but I was asking someone else.

They are very nice at my current practice and try to help you. But the previous one they were very rude and judgey. I worked as a healthcare inspector at the time and just told them i knew what I was entitled to and they used to change their attitude but I worried for vulnerable people who would just accept their rudeness and give up. They should absolutely recruit receptionist staff who can deal with people who are frightened or distressed (quite often people who need health care are not at their best).

Suedo that is shocking. I was only asking not for myself but a new colleague who is struggling. I'll pm you with a follow up to this.

@Livebythecoast

I've been a GP receptionist for 12 years. I think it's like any job OP, you get the good and the bad. I genuinely enjoy my job although it is extremely stressful and draining. I've been reduced to tears a few times by rude patients as obviously we are the sounding board for people's frustrations. I do not deliberately stop you seeing a GP face to face. Our policy now is, in the first instance, a phone call from the clinician. Then if they want to see you, they will give you a time to come in. I am not allowed to book face to face appointments but patients get annoyed with me and think it's my decision - I can assure you, it's not. I'm sorry to hear you've experienced problems with your new surgery. Its very frustrating when paperwork goes missing but pleased to hear that side is sorted now. I try to understand that, for some people, ringing their GP is a big thing especially if the staff are rude and unhelpful. You wait for ages on the phone (and no, we're not sitting round drinking tea ignoring the phones!) only to be told 'sorry, computer says no' but our hands are tied when all the telephone appointments are gone. If we just fit you in cos 'it'll only take 5 minutes ' we are told off by the clinicians. When that happens I offer alternatives, could you see a pharmacist?, can I book you in at a minor injuries unit?, can I book you in the next day?, i really try to help but a lot of the time it just isn't good enough. It can be a soul destroying job but also very rewarding, a real rollercoaster. However, it's a job i get paid for (albeit minimum wage), it's interesting, satisfying (when I can help) and some of the patients are so lovely and grateful

I work in a GP surgery in a clinical role and our receptionists are fab. Sometimes they have to be assertive as people can be very demanding but the one thing that never fails to amaze me is the regularity with which I will be asked to ring a patient who has been extremely rude, sometimes reducing staff to tears, only to find they are as nice as pie when a clinician rings. The way some people speak to receptionists is really not acceptable,. I do always tell people that but I'm not sure how much they take it on board

@KathleenTurnerOverdrive

Is there a course and on the job training or is it an excuse for your DD to have in house training but be paid an apprentice's wage instead of minimum wage?

I believe it is a 2 year NVQ
Unit 1: Obstreperousness 101
Unit 2: Compassion and common sense: your enemies at work
Unit 3: Bellowing confidential information across a waiting room.
Unit 4: How to lose friends and humiliate people.
Unit 5: Body language: how to maintained that slapped arse look 9-5.

👏🏻😝👏🏻😝

I think of them as being on a par with traffic wardens.