WIBU to complain about this hospital employee?

[regthetabbycat]

I'm wheelchair bound following a stroke. I can speak normally.

Yesterday I was at outpatients. As we were booking in the receptionist asked my husband if I'd had any Covid symptoms!

He said 'Why don't you ask her?'

I'm still angry. WIBU to lodge a complaint?

I think YABU.

So if you are in front and your husband behind you and you were speaking dealing with the receptionist she wouldn't then turn to the person behind you.

But if shes already speaking to your husband and hes answering all the questions it just naturally leads on with the conversation.

Name.
Address.
Phone number
Etc

@regthetabbycat

I started by trying to deal with the arrival myself but as I have said I'm in a wheelchair and couldn't reach the window to show my appointment letter. The receptionist was aware of this and tutted impatiently when I had to hand it to my husband to show her.

Then that should be your starting place for a letter to the Hospital Trust. If they are not making simple things like booking in desks accessible then they are not going to be ensuring that all their staff are trained appropriately. One leads to the other, as you can point out!

If the conversation went like this-

So can I confirm your details. Date of birth etc. - asking you

Then turns to your husband- so does Ms regthetabbycat have any covid symptoms?
Then YANBU.

But if they are already speaking to your husband they will likely just continue speaking to him.

@Souther

I think YABU.

So if you are in front and your husband behind you and you were speaking dealing with the receptionist she wouldn't then turn to the person behind you.

But if shes already speaking to your husband and hes answering all the questions it just naturally leads on with the conversation.

Name.
Address.
Phone number
Etc

He wasn't answering questions! He just showed the letter with my details on because I couldn't reach the window!

regthetabbycat
Having read your update I think the whole thing was very poorly handled by the receptionist. YANBU

But I would raise the issues with the height of reception etc.

I would be complaining about the inaccessibility then rather than the receptionist

What do you hope to achieve by lodging a complaint? You’d be getting an underpaid overworked employee in the shit. OK he/she could have handled it a bit more diplomatically but are you really suffering because of this? Move on and forget about it.

Did he have to put the appt letter through a window, was there a screen between dh and the receptionist. Would she have been able to speak to you clearly or had to lean over. Is it the accessiibility and the height of the desk that's the issue.

Yes, report.

I understand why this horrible for you since it will happen all the time and rob you of autonomy. But it is also likely unintentional and happens in large part because of routine heuristics that work for people the vast majority of the time. What is needed is more training for staff and you reporting can only help achieve that.

this is endemic.
not worth complaining about, except at the time, to say you can ask me.
but they should have reception desks that are accessible.
that is worth complaining about.

@HildegardeCrowe

What do you hope to achieve by lodging a complaint? You’d be getting an underpaid overworked employee in the shit. OK he/she could have handled it a bit more diplomatically but are you really suffering because of this? Move on and forget about it.

I'd hope for disabled people to be treated in a politer and more dignified way in future!

We are not voiceless and we are not children!

@regthetabbycat

I started by trying to deal with the arrival myself but as I have said I'm in a wheelchair and couldn't reach the window to show my appointment letter. The receptionist was aware of this and tutted impatiently when I had to hand it to my husband to show her.

100% this is your starting point, followed by the attitude of the receptionist

Not in the UK but our hospitals have a complaints email but also a suggestion email. If there is one of those perhaps you could suggest they lower the desk, explain that you had difficulty showing your letter and that the receptionist seemed to be frustrated by this and suggest that a reminder is sent to staff to address the patient directly as a matter of course.

@regthetabbycat

I'm wheelchair bound following a stroke. I can speak normally.

Yesterday I was at outpatients. As we were booking in the receptionist asked my husband if I'd had any Covid symptoms!

He said 'Why don't you ask her?'

I'm still angry. WIBU to lodge a complaint?

I would contact the hospital and point out that the recetion needs adjusted to allow you to fully use the services and explain that you were left feeling undermined and humilated because you were spoken over and not directly to and the effect this has had on you.

@regthetabbycat

I started by trying to deal with the arrival myself but as I have said I'm in a wheelchair and couldn't reach the window to show my appointment letter. The receptionist was aware of this and tutted impatiently when I had to hand it to my husband to show her.

That should form part of your complaint as well. I am stunned that they didn’t have a wheelchair appropriate height desk. Or perhaps they did but weren’t using it? I have seen that a lot.

I agree with complaining about the height of the desk and resultant feelings / attitude.

Yanbu. It’s shit that the desk wasn’t wheelchair accessible, and shit that the receptionist didn’t treat you like a capable adult.

Ignore PPs saying you shouldn’t complain because she’s just an underpaid worker. It’s not your job (or that of any disabled person) to swallow indignities to protect people who have been ignorant and crass. Clearly the receptionist needs trained on how to do her job, and I see no issue with you raising that as a concern.

Complete lack of insight here into how things are in the NHS at present. Temporary covid boxes around reception ridiculous patient flows all in the name of ‘distancing’. Having to ask stupid questions such as covid symptoms when by now it should be common sense not to turn up. Filling in forms confirming you’ve asked said stupid questions. Then you complain on top of all this when your husband’s arsey comment at the time should have ‘taught’ the receptionist to address you first, even if it was him who handed in the letter and you were at a different height to the window. Unbelievable!

Yes report, ableism is a huge huge problem and people with disabilities are regularly assumed to be stupid and an inconvenience.

Being on low pay is not excuse for ableism.

YANBU

I would 100% complain in your shoes. I don't care if she's busy or overpaid - that is no excuse for the contempt she exuded.

I wouldn’t complain

What @Factoryfloor said. Totally agree.

It seems like you're more pissed at the fact you couldn't see over the desk to speak to her and her 'tutting'. I'd leave a suggestion about the desk height but beyond that, YABU. I very much doubt your complaint about her asking your husband a question would be taken seriously, because quite frankly, it's ridiculous.

@Factoryfloor

Complete lack of insight here into how things are in the NHS at present. Temporary covid boxes around reception ridiculous patient flows all in the name of ‘distancing’. Having to ask stupid questions such as covid symptoms when by now it should be common sense not to turn up. Filling in forms confirming you’ve asked said stupid questions. Then you complain on top of all this when your husband’s arsey comment at the time should have ‘taught’ the receptionist to address you first, even if it was him who handed in the letter and you were at a different height to the window. Unbelievable!

Love how you say it as if OP being at a different height to the window happened organically, or perhaps as if the OP chose to crouch down from the desk to be awkward. Bravo for the critical thinking.