From GP practice managers

[Bagamoyo1]

m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR2ZqCHbGq9Tn0WtOYD5B8y8CnjF-MjkmH2tAEz42wEArKz-pl0QRb5s9hI&v=3ru4QhVZ2a8&feature=youtu.be

I phoned to book a smear test, they booked me a telephone appointment. Clearly a smear can't be done on the phone, so why waste everyone's time insisting on a telephone appointment first?

I know that is what the receptionists have been instructed to do to by the practice so it is the managements fault, but I also understand why people get so frustrated by completely ridiculous decisions which cause nothing but inconvenience

It might be better if they could give you a vague slot for a call, even Tesco manages a 1 hour delivery slot, why do my doctors insist on a policy of 'we'll phone you at some random point in the day, if you are not immediately available (because you work) then we will take you back off the list and you'll have to jump through a thousand flaming hoops to get another pointless telephone appointment for something that can't be done over the phone'

@Taliskerskye

Ok valid point. The outcome is often still the same though. The GPs, nurses and pharmacists only have a finite number of hours to see everyone no matter how many people call. Staff will continue to be unfairly abused.

“I don’t have my pill prescription - if I get pregnant it will be your fault”
Err no love you are the one choosing to have unprotected sex
Love how some people take zero responsibility for their actions/consequences/health in general

If people DO die because they are not given appointments, fobbed off or simply ignored - whose fault is that? Theirs?

I was fobbed off in a gigantic way by my GP surgery recently. Despite describing my symptoms, the GP didn't ring back for 24 hours (was promised within the hour), he then reluctantly ordered blood tests, which the surgery are now no longer administering. By the time I got a call from the blood test centre (which was 4 days later than promised) to book an appointment, I was being admitted for emergency surgery for an ectopic pregnancy. The registrar who was admitting me took the phone off me and gave them absolute stinking hell. Her exact words were 'this woman is in danger due to your appalling lack of care. She is going up for surgery in the next ten minutes and you are only now calling to BOOK her an appointment? You should be ashamed of yourselves. I will be advising her to make a complaint.'

Down to a receptionist who asked 'are you sure it isn't a period', and at first refused even a phone appointment, a GP who said 'sounds like a heavy menstrual flow, it's quite normal you know' and the blood test centre being utterly shamefully negligent.

Yes, I do think that that kind of negligence places the blame squarely on the shoulders of the staff of that practice. Pre COVID, they were generally okay. They are not a vaccine centre (I asked). They are not doing any face to face appointments (I checked) or home visits. Just phone appointments if you are deemed worthy.

@TrufflyPig
But if someone answered the phone and gently and kindly explained it all. The stuff led the time line. Other alternative places to go. Etc etc

Rather than you calling at 8am for 2 hours solid. Only redial redial because it’s just an engaged signal. Which drives you fucking mental so when you do speak to someone and they say soz can’t do anything, then you don’t tip over the edge and say, if I die it’ll be your fault.

Surely that’s pretty obvious

I'm never abusive but I can't get an appointment when I need one so what do I do?
Example. I wake up tomorrow and realise I have a chest infection. I'm well enough to work but need antibiotics, so I ring at 8am. I get through after 40 mins and appointments all gone
Repeat at 1pm, appointments all gone
Repeat the next day. They can't book in advance and I can't get an appointment
Now what do you do? If you need urgent antibiotics?
I could ring 111 who will send me to out of hours which is in the same place as a&e so a long wait in a place which is likely to make me more unwell (this happened when I was shielding)

@Bagamoyo1 I'm sorry, I certainly didn't intend it to come across as victims blaming. I don't think GP reception staff deserve any kind of abuse.
What I meant was that people are desperate because the GP system isn't working any more. Not that reception staff should be spoken to like that or threatened

GP surgeries have utterly failed the nation during the pandemic when everyone else stepped up.

Yes, I agree.

I can't help but think of the MNer who was recently hospitalised with undiagnosed type 1 diabetes after getting progressively more ill to the point she fainted upon arrival at A&E.

From what I recall she'd been trying to see a GP urgently for atleast a week and was blocked from being able to, despite her symptoms raising all the red flags.

Also the little boy with autism who was in significant pain with his genitals and unable to go to the toilet, his mum was repeatedly fobbed off and she had to access urgent care via 111.

Its just not good enough.

My GP has actually been much better during covid than before. But I have to say that although the doctors themselves are great, the receptionists are both rude and incompetent. I am intelligent, good at communicating, patient, and fully understand what they are dealing with, having worked in a similar role. I would never be rude to someone. I am happy to tell them what the appointment is for, I don't kick up a fuss if told appointments are gone and phone back tomorrow. Yet the number of times I've been given completely wrong information by the receptionist, told off rudely for their mistake, they fail to do what they said and then are not even slightly apologetic, it is not a coincidence. Was reduced to tears a couple of times through sheer frustration. It was probably the only 2 times I cried during that whole year. I never seem to have any problems with other customer facing staff such as in shops, dentists, opticians etc.
If they could only be either rude or incompetent that would be fine.

But if someone answered the phone and gently and kindly explained it all.

Yes when I did speak to a receptionist at relatives surgery they were so rude, no pleasantries, no acknowledgement that there was an issue, no explanation.

@Grizalda

You’ve missed the point. “If I die, it’ll be your fault” is what the patients are saying to the receptionists. It’s not GPs and staff blaming patients. It’s the standard threat from aggressive patients. That’s where the quote comes from.

Just highlighting this because sooo many of you have spectacularly missed the fucking point.

Watches video about disgusting abuse to medical staff… then abuses medical staff!!

Yes, I think people did get the wrong impression initially. That so many did perhaps suggests it isn’t the best way to get the message across. No need to swear.

I feel very fortunate. The staff at my surgery are fantastic.

Yes, you sometimes have to hold on for 45 minutes to get through, but they will give you a telephone consultation the same day. If the doctor then decides they need to see you, you get an appointment the same day or early the following day, although it may not be with the same doctor.

Recently, a consultant decided to prescribe me an additional medication, following a telephone consultation, and for some reason he sent a paper prescription to the surgery. The receptionist rang me, to ask if I wanted to collect it or if I'd like to collect it or have it posted to my usual pharmacy. I collected the new meds from the pharmacy 2 days later, all very helpful and efficient.

I have absolutely no complaints, and don't understand why not all practices can be like this.

My only gripe is that if I have to go and see a doctor in person, it costs me £4 to park the car for an hour anywhere near the surgery, but that's not their fault!

I am not abusive to anyone, including GP receptionists, but I don't think those of us who have been treated badly by receptionists are in the minority.

I called when my 1 year old woke up unwell and didn't feel better after breakfast and I couldn't tell what might be wrong. The receptionist nigh-on shouted at me, that I shouldn't be calling for an appointment so late (9.30am 🙄), that I had to call back tomorrow at 8am... It was only when I then said I was sorry that my 1 year old had become ill too late in the day, should I take him to A&E since I was "too late" to see a GP that she decided he "is quite young, yes, he probably should be seen".

They have made me feel incredibly stupid to the point of not wanting to call in the past, funnily enough the time she really made me feel like I was wasting time and hmm'd and made disapproving noises throughout most of the call was the time I ended up getting a hospital appointment for a thankfully minor issue which, if left, could have become quite serious. At my surgery, at least, their attitudes genuinely could stop people seeking medical assistance, I don't doubt it.

@Taliskerskye

Where is the alternative place to go though? OK a few people can be referred to community pharmacies, dentists, opticians (if they can afford to pay). But other than that it's A&E.

Without hiring more medical staff you can only provide a limited service, people will still abuse staff if they can't get an appointment even though it only took 3 seconds to answer the phone.

Most abuse I've taken in the workplace isn't from people being 'tipped over the edge'. It's from people are who are entitled bullies. You really get to know the difference after so many years.

Everyone who works front of house serving the public gets verbal abuse sometimes. I’m not saying it’s ok but it’s part of the job and the same goes for supermarket staff, bus drivers, train ticket inspectors etc...it’s the reality of this kind of work. Putting out a video like that isn’t going to change anything. Improving the GP service on the other hand might.

I don't think any of us would disagree with the sentiment that improving the GP service is the solution. We spend every day battling to provide a service with ever dwindling resources.

Where we differ is that the majority of people/posters think the GP Practices HAVE the authority/funding/resources to improve the current situation.

We categorically DON'T have the authority/funding/resources to achieve it.

Help us to help you.

@PearlclutchersInc

I'd never treat anyone like that - but, by gum, my practice receptionists can leave a lot to be desired sometimes.

I'm sorry, but there some NHS staff whose attitudes leave a lot to be deisred (and that was before COVID)

Agree! I’ve never been abusive in any way but I have been treated appallingly.

I've never insulted a receptionist. I know they work hard and I've seen some of the rubbish that gets thrown at them.

However...yesterday evening our GPs did an open video call showing the community around the super duper new surgery that opened last October. I've been in twice - once for a problem with my back that needed the GP to exam me, once for a yearly blood check. There was no one in the waiting rooms when I got there and no one in it when I came out - there are three floors in this place. It was like showing a kid around a toy shop then saying 'but you can't come in'.

The GPs opened the mic to people and the number one question they were asked was 'before Covid you offered appointments to people - 8.40am or 3.15pm. We understand why you have to do telephone triage but why can't you offer telephone appointments at the specific times? We used to wait 20 minutes to see you if you were running late. Now we have a call back slot of 5 hours...' The GPs answers - we're working on it.

But it's not rocket science. If Dr X can allow 10 minutes per call, knows when the face to face patients are coming in, I can't see why they can't allow the receptionists to book Miss Y in for a telephone call at 11am, Mr Z in at 11.20am etc.

Everyone is back at work, we can't all just sit around for 5 hours waiting for a call. And, of course, who gets the brunt of the 'why can't you just give me a time' messages - the receptionists.

So whilst I understand and sympathise with the receptionists shown, in our practice certainly, some of their frustration should be aimed at the GPs in their practice and the practice managers should be finding a way to give the same appointment service (albeit over the phone) as you used to get pre Covid. After all a telephone call doesn't involve cleaning a room or disinfecting an area so it's no different to having the stream of people walking into the GP's room as they used to.

I can't work out what is so hard in implementing a telephone appointment time if GPs aren't seeing endless patients. And our GPs couldn't answer the question. Something is going wrong and, yes, our surgeries are letting us down. My DS has had four hospital appointments, two MRI scans, a tooth extraction and three visits to the orthodontist plus three visits to a podiatrist since Covid struck last March. He's seen the GP ... never but had one telephone appointments - with a 5 hour wait for it. It doesn't make sense.

'Most posters simply use the opportunity to slag off their own surgery. It speaks volumes.'
Yes, indeed it does.
Most posters are sadly reflecting the experience of dealing with their own surgery. That is vey telling.

Christ. A video full of people (mostly women) recounting the abuse they routinely receive while doing their poorly paid jobs and every second post on this thread is yeah, but...

Shame on all of you.

Primary care is utterly broken because demand spectacularly outstrips supply. Thread after thread after thread on mumsnet GP bashing and people still don’t realise that things are shit because there are simply not enough primary care appointments to meet the escalating demand. The system is fucked and the people responsible for that work in the Houses of Parliament, not your local surgery. The people working in primary care are madly bailing out a rapidly sinking ship, and they’re getting abuse because their not bailing hard enough, and the quality of their bailing isn’t good enough. Anyone on this thread criticising the service who don't have first hand experience of working in it have zero clue how hard surgeries are working right now. Zero clue.

My husband started at his practice at 8am today. He’s still there now. He’s probably got a year or so left in him working at this pace before he jacks it in. He’s 46.
To be honest threads like this make me wish primary care would hurry up and break, then it can be privatised and I’ll get a husband back who isn’t at work all the live long fucking day, comes home exhausted, lies awake at night worrying about what terrible mistake he might have made because he’s seeing so many patients at break neck speed, and then spends all weekend worrying and feeling sick about Monday coming round again.
We might get an increase in his salary too if it all goes private, which would be splendid seeing as it hasn’t happened for over 10 years in this house.

Don’t bother @ing me with stories of woe about your particular GP surgery not giving you exactly what you wanted, and that giving you some moral justification to feel it’s OK for the poor bloody receptionists to receive a load of abuse.

The GP was in more ppe than I wear on a covid ward just to assess a joint I was in the room 5 mins max!

I was with you until you jumped the shark with this comment, @Embroideredstars

@ncgy

I ended up in A&E about a month ago & the paramedics & hospital staff were all complaining about the GPs not seeing people. A good number of patients were only at A&E because they needed treatment but couldn't get to talk/see a GP.

Wow, that's really unprofessional

You shouldn't act like that towards any one but there are some receptionists who act like the security guards for the NHS.

Gives good receptionists a bad name.

What a load of absolute codswallop. And nothing but a load of laughable propaganda!

As many posters have said, this does not represent the VAST majority of patients. Most people have been patient, but frustrated and desperate, as they haven't managed to get a single face to face appointment, and some people have found their surgery hard to even get through to, and haven't even spoken to a doctor for a year!

But as a pp said, most people are tolerant and patient, and don't scream abuse at the receptionists.

As a pp said, I would like to see proof of the 3.5 million face to face appointments, because I sure as fucking hell don't know a single soul who has seen a doctor (face to face) since February 2020.

As as some people have said, the gatekeeper receptionists talk to some people like they're a piece of shit on their shoe, and always assume that everyone is lying/exaggerating.

GPs are not earning anywhere NEAR the large amount of money they are being paid, and I am sick of their lame excuses to not resume face to face appointments. Everyone else has done it, but not GPs/doctors. It's an actual disgrace.

Also, my eyes rolled right around to the back of my head, when the woman at the end said 'in a world where you can be ANYTHING, be kind.......'

Fuck.

OFF!

And the ones calling people ENTITLED for wanting the basic health service they NEED, and they PAY for are frankly, absolutely disgusting.

And if people DO get angry and DO lash out, well it's hardly surprising is it, given the pathetic excuse of a GP service we (haven't) had this past 14-15 months.

As many people have said, there are SO many things that cannot be done over the phone. The GPs need to get their act together, and resume regular face to face appointments.