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?

Mine are quite terrible. It’s a huge surgery with 10+ admin staff. Over the years I have noted several times if there is a problem it’ll be passed on to someone else and is never dealt with.

(My son had a medicine changed on his repeat list. His consultant wrote to the gp advising they were making changes a month in advance. There were then 4 requests,6 phone calls, three times going in person and DSs diabetes nurse to call to ask where was his insulin.)((it took me bursting into tears at 6pm on a Friday evening after another broken promise of a paper copy being ready. We had no insulin to put into his new pump. The practice manager was suitably horrified that they couldn’t explain the fuck up.)

I’m sure they are not all useless there, but some must be carrying the weight of their less helpful colleagues. As a result they are constantly on their guard and are defensive for the off. It must be a horrible environment to work in.

The ones at my GP surgery are pretty good. One even helt my arm when I was panicking about the blood pressure machine! However I do think they can be rude.

I imagine it is frustration with people not doing things properly and making things difficult and just having loads to do. However I have worked with vulnerable people to access various services. I know how off putting it can be if you have plucked up the courage to speak to someone and the gate keeper is rude.

Equally I have had mental health issues myself and whenever I've needed to speak to a gp urgently about it. I've said it's my mental health and they have done all the can to help. This is all the surgeries I've been to and I've moved a reasonable amount.

Some are absolutely vile.

My friend had to stage a bit of a lock in with her surgery to be seen. The receptionist threatened her with all sorts , but she managed to see a doctor and was referred to the hospital straight away! No apology or anything.
Ours are a bit abrupt at times, but nowhere near as bad as my dental receptionists are whose faces would crack if they tried to smile. They are the most miserable women I've ever encountered!

They are carrying the can for a broken and outdated system. Some forget they are dealing with ill and anxious people. Some are burnt out I expect. Some are great. But practices vary hugely, so if you can change, do. If you know anyone in the NHS, they know the reputation of local GP practices. Ask around before signing up, especially in a city.

Mine are absolutely lovely, except one. She is so nasty and rude, and every time I go in there I hear her on the phone being told by a patient how rude she is and how she needs to have some training in compassion. I am super easy and polite but she always manages to make me feel like I am trying to score crack or something!! I think some are just horrible people who happen to be in that job!!

One of ours is lovely but the rest more than make up for her being nice by acting like demented dragons.

Thanks to all the lovely ones reading this, I have a chronic condition and your kindness honestly does make things easier

The receptionists are a mixed bunch at my surgery.
2 of them are lovely and great but one is an absolute dragon

Ours (except one that has now left) are generally not rude but some do give out misinformation and also if a mistake has been made it always the patients fault even when it clearly isn't.

Sounds sensible, if she was about to ring the doctor it makes sense for her to be able to tell them if it's someone known to them, maybe she wanted to know whether to call through for a particular doctor (the persons family GP) or maybe she was going to open her notes for the doctor/ get her personal details ready for the ambulance/ hospital or whatever.

@GreenSlide, you think a stranger trying to get medical assistance for an elderly woman having a seizure in the street would be able to provide information like whether the woman was a patient or not?

It was an emergency. And was pretty clear that the person who was seeking the assistance had no idea who the woman having the seizure was.

I started working as a receptionist for a GP practice when I was 17. Quit after 2 weeks because of bullying from 2 older colleagues. That, coupled with abuse from patients, put me off working at a GP surgery ever again.

Alot of receptionists are vile, I've found every local surgery has atleast one or two. I'm not sure if they become like that because of difficult patients but it's still unfair to treat all patients the same way. My current GP surgery has one who is truly awful. DH calls her the bodyguard. You just cannot get past her unless you're literally dying. After having DC 12 weeks ago I passed a huge clot and rang the surgery for advice. Her indifferent attitude and lack of empathy was really upsetting and I did complain about her when I spoke to the GP later that day. It's unacceptable.

I know the rude receptionist is a common complaint, but the receptionists at my GPs surgery are absolutely lovely.

There was one at my old GP practice. She used to snap and sneer at people constantly. I’ll never forget how awful she was to an elderly woman in front of me who was slightly late to her appointment due to the taxi not turning up on time. It obviously wasn’t the woman’s fault and she had called them to let them know she was going to be late but the receptionist was absolutely awful to her.

All of them at my current practice seem fine but yes, some receptionists are twats. Suppose it’s the same in any job role though.

I was a receptionist in a GP practice for two years and I left because of how rude and abrupt lots of the receptionist were. It was as though they considered themselves to be nearly as qualified as the GP! As an essential service any complaint wouldn't be taken too seriously as it would be in any other industry.

It's not as hard a job as people make out. If you have an abusive patient you are allowed to hang up on the phone or get the practice manager to deal with it.

In many ways they have a captive audience and they know it. Also, the practice managers and GP's should be more involved with what the receptionist are doing, but very often they can't be bothered.

That's my experience anyway

The receptionist at my local hospital's physio outpatients on the other hand...now she was rude!

Doctors can be equally rude and dismissive though. The one who spoke to my brother and I about my elderly dad was really awful. He didn't give a shit.

I understand people who don't work in the surgery may think we are 'gate keepers' for the GPs but actually we are only doing what we are told to do.

So the GP/Practice manager tell receptionists to be needlessly rude, aggressive and dismissive?

Ours were pretty awful, had to take a deep breath and rehearse before trying to book an appointment.
In recent months, a couple of the mature receptionists have left and been replaced by a young man and young woman in their late 20s, who are excellent. Professional but still warm.
Btw, I’m 56 in a couple of months, nothing whatsoever against mature people! I think perhaps people’s expectations of customer service have changed over the years though.

Mine are always very pleasant but grossly incompetent and worse than useless.

The ones at mine are awful. So rude and dismissive and make me dread calling. I have said before 'I need to make an appointment please', receptionist says '10am Thursday, okay bye' and put the phone down. No asking me when I can make it, not like I have a life.

It is absolutely unacceptable for anyone working in a customer-facing NHS role to be rude. People are calling to make appointments for things that are often very serious and they are worried about. How hard is it to be friendly and kind? People have bad days, yes, but it's your job and it's still easy to put on a friendly tone and he approachable for a 2 minute phone call.

Ours used to all be like this but they're gradually retiring and being replaced by younger ones who are so lovely and go out of their way to help. I think there are only two dragons left at ours now.

At my last surgery they were unpleasant 99% of the time and the sort of rude that makes you almost laugh as it's so ott. At my current one they are lovely.

I had a lovely one recently when I was suffering with hyperemesis. She was very kind and then got the GP to ring me within 30 mins. The GP was lovely too, got me into the practice to see him and I ended up in hospital for a week.

Some of the receptionists at my surgery are nice, others not so much. However, it’s the surgery policies that I find more frustrating. This having to ring at 8.30 is ridiculous. Everyone and their granny ringing at the same time. Surely if you could ring between 8.30 and say 10, then the calls would be spread out.
Then when you do get to speak to the doctor and he organises blood tests then you have to go back to the end of the queue and ring again at 8.30. Then not getting to speak to same GP. No continuity. Absolutely ridiculous. I don’t know who thought that through.