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.

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

How eminently sensible!

@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.

looks like the receptionist found your Thread OP 😂

I think you could have been clearer, but in my experience its always worth checking on test results. I have had several, where they didn't get back to me and they were abnormal, the same with my neighbour. I now always ask for a print out so I can check, but this could just be my less than great practice.

I do wish all surgeries would send something about test results like a pp just posted. We go for tests but then never hear back whether all is fine, something needs reviewing or the test was messed up in some way. We have to chase to find out anything. There have been occasions where we've needed to go back in as a result of tests but noone informed us of that until we phoned and asked three weeks later. Then got a telling off from GP for taking so long to come back!

@BradleyCooperwillbemine

I think you could have been clearer, but in my experience its always worth checking on test results. I have had several, where they didn't get back to me and they were abnormal, the same with my neighbour. I now always ask for a print out so I can check, but this could just be my less than great practice.

Sometimes it's been brought up the next time I've happened to go in, when the GP has been scrolling through my records - then they'll suddenly say, "Oh, perhaps you ought to try to reduce your cholesterol," not having been in touch previously when the blood test results came back.

YANBU. I tend to find GP receptionists seem only respond if you input an exact selection and sequence of words. And even then things go wrong quite easily. I had to go for an initial screening for possible cancer a while ago. The letter I got with my appointment time etc referred to 'the cancer info booklet you'll have received', but I hadn't.

I went to my GP surgery, showed the receptionist the letter and pointed to that phrase and said 'I haven't received this'. She looked baffled, then patronising, indicated the hospital details and said as if to an idiot, 'This is where you have to go.'
The scene was repeated a couple of times before she understood.

looks like the receptionist found your Thread OP 😂

that's a rather odd take-away from my post

for the avoidance of doubt, I've never met a GP receptionist who wasn't either useless or actively loathsome, and they're very often both. They're well known for overstepping boundaries.

@fortygin

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.

Mine didn't.

I got a call from receptionist at GP to say my bloods were back and GP had asked them to let me know they'd sent a script to the pharmacy for me to collect.

I literally had no idea what I was even getting and therefore what was wrong until then (and pharmacy closes for few hours over lunch which at this time it was)

Luckily it was just iron but I did then need to ask receptionist if I was just to take for the 3 months or if I needed a repeat test at the end of it - she said ring towards end of treatment to know or use e consult.

Today I rang for a f2f because I have an odd spot and skin around it on my face. To be told it's telephone triage first to see if they need to see me or use e consult.

20 minutes later I've gone through e consult including a photo to be told I'll get contacted by end of tomorrow.

So a GP will have to read the form and then let me know when I can go in which takes up 2 appointments in my mind.

I would have thought with something obviously needing to be physically looked at it was obvious online and telephone weren't going to solve the issue.

@mooonstone

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

Well, you seem to need things spelt out for you

I'm not sure in this case it was the GP needing things spelt out.

Rather the person who will fully seemed to misunderstand her question when she phoned them up!

@IntermittentParps

YANBU. I tend to find GP receptionists seem only respond if you input an exact selection and sequence of words. And even then things go wrong quite easily. I had to go for an initial screening for possible cancer a while ago. The letter I got with my appointment time etc referred to 'the cancer info booklet you'll have received', but I hadn't.

I went to my GP surgery, showed the receptionist the letter and pointed to that phrase and said 'I haven't received this'. She looked baffled, then patronising, indicated the hospital details and said as if to an idiot, 'This is where you have to go.'
The scene was repeated a couple of times before she understood.

Yes, I did feel she was answering a completely question! I accept it's a less common question to be asked, but I'm not sure that should immediately render it incomprehensible.

@BradleyCooperwillbemine

I think you could have been clearer, but in my experience its always worth checking on test results. I have had several, where they didn't get back to me and they were abnormal, the same with my neighbour. I now always ask for a print out so I can check, but this could just be my less than great practice.

Get the nhs app. You get them on there.

It's been a great resource for me and I found out that my heavy periods have been diagnosed as endometriosis through the app. I thought they were still trying the coil to see what happened and would them look into the cause!

You weren't being clear.
If you'd said to me what you said to the receptionist, I would have thought you were asking me to decide whether you need an appointment or not!

Why didn't you just say "some test results have come back as abnormal, could you ask the GP to call me back to see if I need a further appointment?"

I think you were clear from what you said and the receptionist could have used her initiative. Leave GP a note to review and feed back if an appointment was warranted or not.
Her job is to act as a connection between you and the GP and shield the GP from admin/interruptions. But she wasn't really doing that.

@StrawberrySquash

I think you were clear from what you said and the receptionist could have used her initiative. Leave GP a note to review and feed back if an appointment was warranted or not. Her job is to act as a connection between you and the GP and shield the GP from admin/interruptions. But she wasn't really doing that.

Yes, thank you - this is exactly what I was expecting to happen!

@UhtredRagnarson

This really sounds like a non event tbh OP

This! Forget about it its really not worth writing about it on here.

@IntermittentParps

YANBU. I tend to find GP receptionists seem only respond if you input an exact selection and sequence of words. And even then things go wrong quite easily. I had to go for an initial screening for possible cancer a while ago. The letter I got with my appointment time etc referred to 'the cancer info booklet you'll have received', but I hadn't.

I went to my GP surgery, showed the receptionist the letter and pointed to that phrase and said 'I haven't received this'. She looked baffled, then patronising, indicated the hospital details and said as if to an idiot, 'This is where you have to go.'
The scene was repeated a couple of times before she understood.

What exactly did you expect them to do? And how do you look ‘patronising’?

From your OP
She may not have been able to respond because the results hadn't been filed yet. If filed the receptionists can tell you if it needs an appt. The fact that she had to go find someone implies it had not been commented on yet or the comments were not clear. Very likely not the receptionists fault. I applaud her for going to get clarification.
Most GP surgeries have poor online ratings. I am currently trying to change mine and can't fine one with a rating over 1 star.
MCV/MCH cannot be interpreted on its own and is looked at in connection to other blood results. Make an appt with your GP if you still have concerns about your test results.

I’m a ex blood scientist, slightly raised MCH and MCV are nothing to worry about at all. I would just make sure you’re not drinking too much alcohol and you have a good diet, as these can be causes of raised MCH and MCV, and if you are deficient in anything or drinking heavily it can cause anaemia over time, but since yours were only slightly raised it is may just be normal for you (about 5% of healthy people have results outside of normal ranges). My RDW and lymphocytes are always slightly high and there’s nothing wrong with me.

What exactly did you expect them to do?
I expected her to understand that when I pointed to a sentence about a booklet and said 'I haven't received this', I meant a) I hadn't received the booklet and b) that I'd like her to provide me with one/tell me where to get one.
Was that not clear? Genuine question.

And how do you look ‘patronising’? You know (I should think) how people have facial expressions/body language/tones of voice that we can read? Hers read as patronising.

I know the type, OP. Some receptionists are excellent; some seem to think they are the actual doctor at times. I have a friend who works as a doctor's receptionist at a number of doctor's surgeries. From what she tells me the standard of the admin staff is very variable, to say the least!

@Elsiebear90 I was going to write something similar but from being a haematology patient for so long I got used to reading my reports - it turned out I had pseudothrombocytopenia which made me the interesting weirdo for all the doctors for a while!

@Ireolu

From your OP She may not have been able to respond because the results hadn't been filed yet. If filed the receptionists can tell you if it needs an appt. The fact that she had to go find someone implies it had not been commented on yet or the comments were not clear. Very likely not the receptionists fault. I applaud her for going to get clarification. Most GP surgeries have poor online ratings. I am currently trying to change mine and can't fine one with a rating over 1 star. MCV/MCH cannot be interpreted on its own and is looked at in connection to other blood results. Make an appt with your GP if you still have concerns about your test results.

The results were published on the surgery portal thingy, so I'd seen they were slightly abnormal but didn't know whether it was significant.

I have no issue at all with her needing clarification - or with the clarification not being immediate.

MCV/MCH cannot be interpreted on its own and is looked at in connection to other blood results.

Thanks - that's what I'd understood from some cursory googling.

First working day back after a four day weekend isn’t really the time to call about anything that may or may not need an appointment.

Surely when you got your blood test results you would’ve been told if you needed a follow up appointment?

@Keyring

I know the type, OP. Some receptionists are excellent; some seem to think they are the actual doctor at times. I have a friend who works as a doctor's receptionist at a number of doctor's surgeries. From what she tells me the standard of the admin staff is very variable, to say the least!

Yes, some are good, but they seem to be in the minority.

I had a situation recently where I was meant to have a blood test before seeing the GP, but overslept. Totally my fault (although the reason for the test was anaemia which I guess is why I overslept - but that doesn't change it being my fault) and I was VERY apologetic. I asked if there was any way they could possibly fit me in as the GP needed the results for an appointment two days later.

The receptionist told me to wait. Totally reasonable, but then she left me sitting for 50 minutes without giving any indication whether I was waiting to see someone at some point or whether I still might be turned away. They weren't particularly busy, so she could have spared ten seconds to say whether or not I would be seen.

Same receptionist, fwiw...

@MadeOfStarStuff

First working day back after a four day weekend isn’t really the time to call about anything that may or may not need an appointment.

Surely when you got your blood test results you would’ve been told if you needed a follow up appointment?

Yes, you're probably right. I just really wanted to know whether I could draw a line under this condition and consider myself recovered.

I didn't phone until the afternoon if that makes any difference...