GP's receptionist

[LemonMeringueThreePointOneFour]

I got some blood tests back today which slowed slightly raised MCV and MCH. I know from past experience that sometimes if a test result is only just outside the normal range the GP isn't concerned and doesn't require a consultation or need to prescribe treatment.

So I spoke to the receptionist and said that I had slightly abnormal tests results and wanted to find out whether the GP thought they needed to discuss it with me (I was very careful with my wording and to speak clearly). She said, "We don't have any appointments today."

I tried again and said I wasn't sure that I needed one, but wanted to establish whether the GP thought it was necessary to see me. She said, "So you would like me to book an appointment?"

I tried for a third time and said that no, I didn't want to take up an appointment if it wasn't necessary, but would like to know whether anything should be done about my marginally abnormal test results.

Finally she got the message and went to check, then came back to say the GP didn't need to discuss (as I'd suspected).

WIBU? Was I unclear? I really felt like I was speaking a different language. They may have been busy at the surgery as I was on hold for about ten minutes - although when I've been in there I've noticed they don't really seem to react to the phone ringing.

They are generally a bit shit at that surgery (their rating is poor), but I was trying to save NHS resources and don't understand why my question was so hard to convey! Not a big deal, but I just found it a very enervating experience.

Oh, and if anyone could tell me what raised MCV/MCH means I'd be grateful.

Personally I would prefer GP receptionists to stick to booking appointments, rather than taking on a triage role they are not qualified for, and asking intrusive questions about medical matters.

I think you could have been a bit clearer - if you wanted her to ask the GP whether he needed to speak to you, you could have just asked her to do that.

www.reference.com/world-view/mean-mcv-mch-levels-above-normal-2b75493398a7c8f0

Ive worked in a GPs surgery for 17 years and started off as a receptionist.
Here's the thing the GPs insist we ask these questions. It is as uncomfortable for us as it is for you to be asked. There are a certain number of slots allocated each day for telephone calls/appointments and it's very hard when they are all gone and you have to tell a patient that.
I would ask for a telephone consult but to be honest if your bloods were worry some a GP would have called or asked to see you.
I hope youre ok but honestly being a GPs receptionist can be a thankless task at times.

Next time just say
Could you pass a message to the gp for me please?
Then your query.

@sadpapercourtesan

Personally I would prefer GP receptionists to stick to booking appointments, rather than taking on a triage role they are not qualified for, and asking intrusive questions about medical matters.

I think you could have been a bit clearer - if you wanted her to ask the GP whether he needed to speak to you, you could have just asked her to do that.

I wasn't asking the receptionist to do a triage role at all - I wasn't asking for her judgment.

I said I wanted to establish whether the GP thought it was necessary to see me. I would have thought it was implicit in that statement that the receptionist would have to ask the GP - otherwise how else would she know what the GP thought?

I mean, if you say to someone, "Do we have any milk in the fridge?" you don't usually expect to have to instruct them to walk to the fridge, open the door and have a look for milk.

Anyway, perhaps I could have been more explicit...

This really sounds like a non event tbh OP

You were in the wrong, if the GP needed to discuss your results with you, they would contact you.

If you want to discuss your results with the GP, you book an appointment

GPs don’t have time to randomly check blood test results on the fly when a patient calls with your request, because they’re presumably dealing with patients that have already booked appointments and sorting out other admin etc

I don't mean to sound flippant, but what are you trying to get across here ?

@VettiyaIruken

Next time just say Could you pass a message to the gp for me please? Then your query.

Yeah, I guess that would have been better.

Didn't really occur to me I'd have to phrase my question as if talking to a five-year-old child, though.

so essentially you chose a random third option, and should have been upfront that you wanted a GP to check your blood tests there and then. You weren’t clear and were being awkward. Like I said, GPs don’t have time to randomly check blood test results on the fly like that so I’m not surprised the receptionist was confused by your demand

Receptionists are trained in telephone triage and instructed by the GP's to ask 'intrusive' questions about medical matters. Those that don't like it could perhaps complain to the GP's personally about the way they run the practice.
The first day back after a four day bank holiday weekend, yes, they would have been busy! I'm sure they would have loved to just be sticking to booking appointments.
GP's usually add a note when reviewing the results if a follow up is required. Just make a routine telephone appointment to discuss if it puts your mind at rest.

@mooonstone

so essentially you chose a random third option, and should have been upfront that you wanted a GP to check your blood tests there and then. You weren’t clear and were being awkward. Like I said, GPs don’t have time to randomly check blood test results on the fly like that so I’m not surprised the receptionist was confused by your demand

No sure why you felt the need to make two almost identical posts.

Anyway, I was not being awkward at all. I didn't expect or ask for the check to take place there and then - my reason for not simply booking an appointment was to save the NHS time and money.

Think we must gave the same GP surgery OP! When I've been in, don't get me wrong they are nice enough but they chat amongst themselves and don't answer the phone then when they do they are not helpful atall. I think it depends who you get as there is 1 that's on the ball but she's only part time.

Have

No sure why you felt the need to make two almost identical posts.

Well, you seem to need things spelt out for you

In our surgery and I assume most others, the GP will review all blood test results then contact you if they feel any follow up is required. If they don't contact you then they have reviewed and considered no follow up necessary

You would have saved the NHS time and money by not contacting them over blood results that are only slightly raised and that you know don’t require treatment.

@mooonstone

No sure why you felt the need to make two almost identical posts.

Well, you seem to need things spelt out for you

How rude.

I didn't want to discuss the results if it wasn't deemed necessary - that was the whole point. At no point did I demand that a GP drop everything in order to answer my query.

@FireflyRainbow

Think we must gave the same GP surgery OP! When I've been in, don't get me wrong they are nice enough but they chat amongst themselves and don't answer the phone then when they do they are not helpful atall. I think it depends who you get as there is 1 that's on the ball but she's only part time.

Yes, sometimes they're great and really "on it", and sometimes they are annoyingly lackadaisical.

@wingsnthat

You would have saved the NHS time and money by not contacting them over blood results that are only slightly raised and that you know don’t require treatment.

If I had known I wouldn't have contacted them, but I wanted to make sure. This surgery has form for not communicating important information.

Didn't really occur to me I'd have to phrase my question as if talking to a five-year-old child, though.

Perhaps if you didn't come across as quite so patronising then you might get further? She is there to do reception, not run around after you. Did it not occur to you that it is not her job to put down the busy reception duties in order to find an equally busy doctor to ask them the question. And please don't spin me yarns about wanting to save the doctor time. It is a medical question that needs answering by a doctor or a nurse, not a receptionist, and "I don't know if the doctor wants to see me or not" is not her job. What you mean is that you really couldn't be arsed wasting your time getting an appointment to discuss the results so you wanted some lackey to do it for you. If you thought that it was important to get an opinion from the doctor, then the correct approach, when she asked if you wanted an appointment was to say "yes". Which she asked you several times but you were apparently too juvenile to answer.

when she asked if you wanted an appointment, I'd have replied " Yes please, I'd like a telephone consult".

This seems a very random thing to post a thread about. The receptionist got confused? What else is there to the situation?

@DrinkFeckArseBrick

In our surgery and I assume most others, the GP will review all blood test results then contact you if they feel any follow up is required. If they don't contact you then they have reviewed and considered no follow up necessary

If the test result is normal, ours justs sends a text that says "test result normal, no further action required".

If the result requires further advice, they text wte "Please phone reception and make an appointment to see the /see the doctor/talk to Dr on phone . about your test"

@2bazookas

when she asked if you wanted an appointment, I'd have replied " Yes please, I'd like a telephone consult".

Yes, perhaps I should have done, but (despite what some PPs seem to think) I thought that would potentially be a waste of NHS resources.