To complain about receptionist

[TEH82]

So yesterday I ate something while out in my car (piece of fruit) and my eyes instantly swelled up. I was 2 mins from local minor injuries so went there and the bell to be let in. By this time my breathing was rapid and I was dizzy so I rang the bell again as was scared. The receptionist come out and shouted at me for ringing twice between gasps I said I have previous history of severe reactions (never with this fruit) and my chest was tight and it’s hard to breathe.
The receptionist tutted and let me in and told me to sit down and went back to her desk and started discussing her coffee break with another receptionist. The panic and sense of doom had set in so I got up and walked through to where I knew the nurses were and the receptionist shouted me to sit down and wait my turn. Thankfully the nurses were amazing and one look at me they put me in resus, gave oxygen, 1 min observations and needed 2 doses of adrenaline as airways were closing and my arms locked and were burning where I didn’t have enough oxygen in my body.
I am just upset the way the receptionist was if I hadn’t walked through it’s could of been a very different outcome

Have you got a PALS service?

I complained after seeing the out of hours GP service at the hospital. The nurse wrote in the allergies box on my form that I was allergic to penicillin (anaphylaxis). He diagnosed infection but couldn't prescribe so went and asked a GP to write a prescription. The GP later admitted he didn't read my notes form and just prescribed penicillin.

I went home and took one without realising what it was, went into shock and my OH ended up ringing for an emergency ambulance to take me back to the hospital.

I was sent an apology letter and it said they'd all been given extra training on drug allergies.

Definitely complain, that sounds insane, what was she thinking?!

Yes complain please

Sounds like a typical GP's receptionist, obviously just getting practice in during this lifetime for when their time manning the receptions of Hell comes by.

Surely this would be raised internally anyway? The medical staff are bound to be asking questions? I'm not saying don't report it, I absolutely would, but I would expect medical staff to have done the same.

@Biker47 if you read the OP this wasn't a GP Receptionist.

Yes complain. The receptionists where I work are bloody amazing at spotting sick people and will flag them to me asap

Definitely Complain, she was very unprofessional.

Sounds so scary, hope you are feeling better

I'm confused, did this take place at a hospital or a minor injuries clinic? Because minor injuries do not have resus. They have neither the equipment or the training to run a resuscitation unit.

@nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut
The might not have a resus room but they will definitely not have a resus trolley and drugs box.

Have!
I don't know where the random 'not' came from.

@nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut

I'm confused, did this take place at a hospital or a minor injuries clinic? Because minor injuries do not have resus. They have neither the equipment or the training to run a resuscitation unit.

The OP claims "it's small local accident treatment centre ......I have just always called it a minor treatment centre".

Of course but the OP specifically said they had her 'in resus'

If this took place in a hospital A&E then they should have taken a brief triage there and then to ascertain whether you were about to drop dead.

Minor injuries, you do just sit and wait and the receptionist wouldn't really have much emergency training in this as it isn't the correct place to be in an emergency.

Last year a receptionist at a minor injuries unit refused to let me speak to a locum GP who had earlier prescribed DS a medication that isn’t licensed for children (I discovered this a few hours later when it made him worse and I asked advice from a medic friend). The receptionist insisted a GP wouldn’t prescribe incorrect medication.

12 hours later my DS was admitted to hospital via A&E and the paediatrician confirmed the medication wasn’t licensed for children and would indeed make things worse.

I complained and received a swift response that all the locum GPs who worked there would receive additional training and the receptionist had been given additional training around what is and isn’t appropriate for them in terms of medical decision making.

It is worth complaining; you could save someone else’s life.

@TEH82

No she didn’t tell anyone I was there- she walked ahead and pointed at a chair and then started discussing who was going for coffee break first with the other admin/ receptionist sat at the desk and I continued to hear her discuss this as I sat down and was sat there when I got up and walked through the doors for help

Atrocious behaviour , she would have been given training in what is considered an emergency and would know your symptoms are high priority. I recently had to use a&e had excellent nurse triage then appalling receptionist's twice , i am polite , not a time waster and also have public facing aspects in my job . I would face consequences in my role if i spoke to clients the same way -so i complained on the hospitals review page , i praised the good things but made it clear how the service was let down by the receptionists - i did get a response asking me to contact them directly, i didn't as my review said it all . I expect to be treated the same way i treat the patients in my care . My situation was not life or death as in your case so even more reason to complain,she may get the message and not do the same again in similar circumstances. Sadly people like this give others a bad image.

Yes I'd complain.

YANBU

Please complain, you were lucky the next poor person might not be if they are faced with that receptionist

I'm glad those nurses were able to act quickly

Definitely complain. The reception isn’t medically qualified to decide whether you wait or not.
From your symptoms she should have alerted medical staff immediately.

you could literally have died in reception while she chatted

@nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut

I'm confused, did this take place at a hospital or a minor injuries clinic? Because minor injuries do not have resus. They have neither the equipment or the training to run a resuscitation unit.

The OP said she was quickly transferred to hospital by ambulance.

All the concern about what setting OP was in is irrelevant. Minor injuries, urgent in treatment centre, GP surgery - all are equipped to deal with anaphylaxis. It is also not true the receptionist wouldn't know about identifying emergencies - regardless of the sign above the door all medical settings like this have the potential for seriously ill patients to pitch up. She should have been able to at the very least identify the limit of her knowledge and react quickly to someone saying they were struggling to breath and believed they were having an allergic reaction.

Please complain to the NHS organisation that runs the service - I say this as someone who has worked in NHS complaints in the past. It's not safe practise and they probably need to do a review of what happened to make sure the next person doesn't have a worse outcome.

I hope you are feeling better!

How scary for you. Absolutely complain. Hope everything is okay now x

Goodness OP, complain (and keep complaining) until you get a satisfy response! This must have been really scary for you! And what's also scary, is I don't think other people would have done what you had done (ie go and find a nurse) I think I would have sat there quietly waiting "my turn". Well done for taking the decision, sounds like it saved your life!

Absolutely yes - anybody with even the most elementary medical awareness training (first aider at work etc) should know that swelling, struggling to breath etc - particularly after eating something - can be indicative of an anaphylactic reaction, which can potentially kill very quickly.

They may not be able to treat it, but they should be sufficiently clued up to be able to respond appropriately.

This is a disgrace and you absolutely should take it up with the relevant authorities.

Definitely complain. I’ve a daughter with severe asthma, and any time I’ve taken her to A&E with especially scary symptoms, the receptionists have identified her needs quickly and gotten immediate help. Identifying really critical emergencies such as yours is absolutely in their remit.