AIBU, to feel sorry for Dr receptionists?

[DUFFDADDY1]

Hello. I am waiting in a Dr surgery as I write this . Previously I have been frustrated with surgery reception staff finding them rude , uncaring , and generally unhelpful!
Although as I sit her with the constant phone calls, the repeated explanation " sorry I can't help you , repeated to the same caller, it's x department you should call , I feel a slight guilt that it's possibly more me wanting answers immediately , and thinking I am the only one with an illness.
AIBU

Some could be a bit more polite but I think many are greatly overestimating how much power they have.

Also why would you want a receptionist to read and action a letter from the consultant? Isn't that the doctors job?

The admin function at our surgery is appalling. I can usually hold my own, especially when I know that the practice manager is lying, again, but this took the biscuit.

I was in the waiting room, back in the day, before they locked down, seemingly permanently, when a young couple came in with a child of between 4 and 6, who was clearly unwell. They booked her in and sat down. Her father then went to the desk to give the family's new address. He was told that it was out of the surgery's catchment area. The appointment was cancelled and he was told the family needed to find another doctor.

First do no harm?

Why do so many of them think they can call patients "luvvie"? Serious question. My name is Mrs Hellebores, why can't it be used particularly if my appointment is being made with Dr Brown. Do they call the GPs "luvvy" as well? If not, why the patients? It's basic customer service!

Well, I can only speak as I find and the ones at my GP surgery are rude, dismissive and bloody awful.

I've been feeling sorry for them for a while now. I've witnessed about four horrible shouting incidents in the GP's over the course of the lockdown. I've found the receptionist staff to be very helpful personally, even when there was no appointments for my daughter the receptionist helped by giving us a number for a clinic at the local hospital that saw her straight away. I think they really took the brunt of the anger people felt when not getting seen and it was unfair.

It’s like every role that deals will the public daily. Shop assistant, bus driver, nurse, call centre worker, teacher, social worker etc. Most are nice and trying to do their job to the best of their abilities, occasionally getting stressed out and irritated. Some are ok, some are terrible. Most of the time when they’re being what the public believe is awkward it’s because they have orders from above to tick boxes.

While I can sometimes feel myself getting irritated with them I try and keep a lid on it because it’s not always their fault they’re being awkward.

My own experience is they've become even worse. Like dragons protecting their lair. Now I've worked in GP surgeries. I've never been shouted at or had someone be rude to me because I have customer service skills. Last time I was lucky enough to get an appointment I heard one receptionist talk badly about every person who had phoned in whilst I was in the waiting room. It was utterly appalling, she spoke to the patients like shit so no wonder folk lose their rag.

I have real problems getting an appointment to see my GP but I don’t blame the receptionist. In fact, I go out of my way to say I’m not blaming them when the system they have doesn’t work.

Getting cross with them, doesn’t help.

Having said that, the receptionist at the local branch of my GP is a really unpleasant individual. On the handful of times I have been to the branch surgery she has always been gossiping about other people and she never says anything pleasant. I never ring the branch surgery though as I can not bear to speak to her.

I am always polite to them until they aren’t and even then I keep it up to keep myself in the right.

The gp reception at my local surgery is so bad that when enough complaints had been raised that it drew the local mps attention she posted on the community fb page asking if anyone else wanted to share their experiences. In less than 3hrs there were 998 posts and they closed commenting.

My daughter has a medical condition that means she is prone to urine infections and also that they are particularly dangerous for her. I am genuinely concerned that the gauntlet of receptionists will be the death of her and it has certainly impacted her long term kidney health

After our urology team had to try and get hold of them to alter the normally prescribed dose (and finally understood what I was dealing with) I got permission to go directly to them for a script. It means I have to travel about an hour into the city to collect the script at the hospital but it means that she gets abs in her within an hour not at some point before close of business if they remember

I really feel for the parents locally who don’t have the option to get specialists to intervene on their behalf. It must be frightening to be unable to access healthcare without running the receptionist gauntlet

Covid seems to of done ours a world of good they are now lovely to deal with. The system on the other hand

Thank You everyone. . I suppose it's costs nothing to be polite , empathetic if needed . I suppose we feel our illness and needs ( sometimes they may be . ) are a greater priority than the other 20 previous calls ?
I do wish the Dr could document if the receptionist can inform non emergency results?