I’m a GP receptionist and prepared to be honest about my job.

[TwistedSisterUK]

Hi all, as title says, I’m a Gp receptionist. After reading all the irate, insulting, rude and misinformed threads on here I have made this account!

Please feel free to ask me anything and I promise to answer honestly, even though my opinions and thoughts are likely to make me very unpopular here. I’m prepared for it , having read dozens of previous threads where we are called lazy, rude, power mad, bitches and more…..

I have done this job for 12 years, it’s hard work but can be at times extremely rewarding . I work with a great team. My opinions are only about my job, my day to day dealing at the surgery I work in.

First of all, to the ppl who think we just answer phones and ask patients to please take a seat - I wish!! Lol.

I deal with chemists, pharmacists,hospital secretaries, emails, post, 100s of clinical letters and test reports, arrange all referrals, do all test requests, type all clinicians letters, new patient files are refilled, files from patients leaving must be found and returned, clinical letters received are scanned , coded and actioned, translators requests, letters to be typed up and patients to be called to arrange reviews, Imms,smears etc, the loaning out of medical equipment - there’s lots more but hopefully you are getting the idea that my job involves far more than answering the odd call.

So, the bits you, the patients see and hear are a small bit of my job.

I have to go out today but will be happy to answer any questions any of you may have but I’ll start the ball rolling here about the “ magically appearing appointments “.

I read a lot of complaints here that you call and there are no appointments….then….lo and behold,….after more conversation an appointment is found! This is because I can put it down as an urgent call. If it is NOT an urgent call I will be reprimanded by my manager and if this continues I would possibly lose my job.

I am simply not allowed to continually add more and more patients to be added as “ extras” They are called extras as there genuinely are no appointments left.

When I return I’ll move on to the why we ask the reason for your call! Please be assured I do not think myself in anyway medically trained nor do I even like asking - I have to ask - it’s my job.

I promise any questions or comments will be answered in all honesty! I’m wearing my hard hat…..lol

@reesewithoutaspoon if there were 2 lines then they would probably have to employ another Receptionist.
Also people would ring the wrong line. We used to have 2 lines, one for the surgery and one for prescriptions. We would constantly be saying "I'm sorry you are ringing the wrong number, you need 123456". Now we have one line with options to choose and the times they are open, e.g. test results and prescriptions and still people chose the wrong option. Then they wonder why they've been cut off and that's because they choose test results, open at 2.30pm, and they are ringing at 12pm.

I love the receptionists at my doctors practice I have many dealings with them lately, they do so much and are incredibly busy.

They went through 5-7 years training to earn the right to be called doctor. It's not the same as calling someone "miss" or "mrs"

This has to be one of the silliest arguments yet to support a hierarchy approach, with patient as supplicant.

No professional achieves their status after a three year degree. We all spend years gaining further professional qualifications, charter status, fellowships etc and for most of us the very long days and being away from home are a completely normal as part of that. We don't have the job security or pension schemes of doctors.

My clients/customers address me as "C8" and I call them whatever they prefer - they are paying my bills.

Its a relic from a past age and embeds the mindset that patients must be ever grateful for whatever standard of care is available. Women are disproportionately treated like this Its the same mindset which sanctifies every second of doctor time whilst holding the patient's time as completely valueless.

There are many reasons for the problems in the NHS today and money is only one of them. Attitudes that patients must be grateful, outdated management practices, more quality management and probably the invisibility of billing all contribute to one of the weaker systems in Europe in terms of outcomes.

@C8H10N4O2 very well said.

I have enormous sympathy for overworked GPs. I would say though that the funding model is a bit unusual. My mate who is a GP is paid close to £180k for three days work. She often laments not going into a corporate job which she thinks would be less stressful and I have to point out there are very very few corporate jobs (any?) that would pay similar amounts for three days a week and have equivalent holiday allowance (a lot), sick leave (generous) and amazing pension. Meanwhile receptionists working in the same practice are paid very little. This is in London.

I'd always thought the receptionist would ask the reason for your appointment to determine if it warranted a visit or just a phone call? The practice im with at the moment cannot be faulted. The receptionists are wonderful, polite, helpful and have made a fuss of my toddler on the few times I've taken him in.
I appreciate them so much as the receptionists at my last practice are the reason I moved. To cut a long story short, one of them told me I didn't need a high dose of folic acid when I fell pregnant with my son. I explained why I did, calmly, her response was simply no. Wouldn't book an appointment either. Yes, I lost my temper. Got a GP appointment though and the vitamins. I apologised but actually still feel she had no right to deny me an appointment. Before and after this they sounded do miserable, would sigh down the phone etc. Messed up appointments with my sons vaccinations...
There's good and bad in every sector I suppose.

@questconnect

I have enormous sympathy for overworked GPs. I would say though that the funding model is a bit unusual. My mate who is a GP is paid close to £180k for three days work. She often laments not going into a corporate job which she thinks would be less stressful and I have to point out there are very very few corporate jobs (any?) that would pay similar amounts for three days a week and have equivalent holiday allowance (a lot), sick leave (generous) and amazing pension. Meanwhile receptionists working in the same practice are paid very little. This is in London.

Are you honestly telling us that her full time salary would be £300k?

One of the things that my sister finds unbearable to deal with regarding her own, very busy, GP surgery is when the doctor tells her to make a follow-up appointment for 2 weeks time, and the receptionists tell her that simply isn't an option, they don't make appointments that far ahead and she'll have to ring in the morning of that day.

This is an untenable position. The doctor wants to see her again, 2 weeks ahead - she should NOT be forced into doing the phone roulette at 8am to try and get an appt that the DOCTOR wanted her to make.

I don't at all understand why this system was ever allowed, and I know her surgery wasn't the only one that did this.

99% of the time the receptionists I’ve dealt with have been polite and professional

Probably 70% of those have gone further than the above and have been friendly and very very helpful

There have been a small percentage that have been rude and positively unhelpful and if i were to start a thread about unhelpful receptionists then they are the ones I’d be talking about.

Our appointment system at the local GP is just dreadful, actually awful not patient based in the slightest, incredibly stressful and it might suit the GPs but it doesn’t suit anyone else. And there is nothing that anyone can do, a Facebook complaints page was started PRE the dreadful post covid appointment system and had to be taken down under threat of legal action. You can’t vote with your feet and leave and you can’t complain to the surgery as they circle the wagons

*I think somebody else answered the question “ What are doctors doing now they aren’t seeing patients?” I’ll try and explain some of their many tasks they do at my surgery :

Phone calls to patients. If they want to examine patient they will make a face to face appointment for that day ( or another day if not convenient for patient.

Taking lots of calls from other medical ppl regarding patients. Ambulance crew often ring. Social workers, probation services, addiction services , MacMillan nurses etc.

Loads and loads of paperwork!

Sicknotes.

E- consultations.

Doing the prescriptions.

Home visits.

Reading and actioning every letter received, either by postman, internal mail or electronically.

Checking all blood tests and other results and lots more!

Trust me on this, I wouldn’t want to be a doctor and I understand why so many are leaving. Our doctors do hours and hours of work at home in the evenings and weekends - solely to play catch up.

When I lock up to go home - doctors are still there!*

Yes but they did all this before Covid and saw patients so they are doing less now?

I think telephone appointments are fine…great idea

I’d just like to be able to book one at 1pm today for a weeks time

Not ring at 8am every day that I’m not working til i get a same day appointment

Stupid fucking system

Because there are fewer GPS per head of population than ever?
Coupled with a backlog because of COVID ?
Abs the fact that before COVID many people struggled to see a GP anyway ?
And the fact that COVID has made more people poorly with long COVID problems ?
Leading to GP s getting exhusted and retiring early or working part time

Yip can't imagine why things seem to be getting worse all the time

I think the trouble behind a lot of gp practices is that they are franchises. No longer concerned for your health just money.

I don't mind being called by my first name but it is slightly confusing as I'm never called that, something like my name is Katherine but I've always been called Kate. I don't like things like love or dear as it seems so patronising and I might be old but I'm not in my dotage just yet.

@ThumbWitchesAbroad

One of the things that my sister finds unbearable to deal with regarding her own, very busy, GP surgery is when the doctor tells her to make a follow-up appointment for 2 weeks time, and the receptionists tell her that simply isn't an option, they don't make appointments that far ahead and she'll have to ring in the morning of that day.

This is an untenable position. The doctor wants to see her again, 2 weeks ahead - she should NOT be forced into doing the phone roulette at 8am to try and get an appt that the DOCTOR wanted her to make.

I don't at all understand why this system was ever allowed, and I know her surgery wasn't the only one that did this.

I agree, this isn't helpful for patient but it just adds to receptionists work and I can't see any justification for it.

@TwistedSisterUK I think the problem is that GP receptionists are gatekeepers. You sounds lovely and I have been helped by lovely GP surgery staff. However, I’ve also had appalling treatment. Been spoken to in ways that are completely unacceptable. Often there is little consequences (perhaps because the GP partners what a rude receptionist as it reduces their workload?!). Whatever the reason, I think we need PALs to take on GP surgeries in their remit because the variation is appalling.

I work in a hospital and I've witnessed first hand the abuse that Band 2 Emergency Department receptionists receive. It's disgraceful.
Thank you for all that you do.

Ooo actually i ran out of tablets because they didn’t tell me i needed a medical review until i put my repeat in

So i booked the medical review for three weeks time and asked if I could have a prescription to tide me over and the receptionist said no

When i saw the dr i said that id run out two weeks before and he started telling me off so i told him I’d tried to get some more and he said ‘I understand, sorry about that, they can be a little over zealous’ 😀

Every single person I have met or had contact with at my practice is fantastic. I do make a point of thanking and making it known that they are appreciated it is a tough gig, even tougher these last couple of years.

@ThumbWitchesAbroad

One of the things that my sister finds unbearable to deal with regarding her own, very busy, GP surgery is when the doctor tells her to make a follow-up appointment for 2 weeks time, and the receptionists tell her that simply isn't an option, they don't make appointments that far ahead and she'll have to ring in the morning of that day.

This is an untenable position. The doctor wants to see her again, 2 weeks ahead - she should NOT be forced into doing the phone roulette at 8am to try and get an appt that the DOCTOR wanted her to make.

I don't at all understand why this system was ever allowed, and I know her surgery wasn't the only one that did this.

The other 'Complete Waste Of Everyone's Time' are discharge letters and instructions from hospitals (secondary care) to patients to 'See GP Practice' (primary care) within X amount of days when such appointments are impossible to arrange or the GP Receptionist says that they simply cannot do what the hospital has requested.

And back and forth it goes.

I'm on hospital prescribed immune-suppressants. I'm supposed to ask my GP for prophylactic antibiotics if I get so much as a sore throat. The Receptionists say that's the hospital's job to prescribe. My paperwork says it's the GP's. Ditto: follow-up appointment after emergency hospitalisation for pulmonary embolism - that was a No from the Receptionist, and very supercilious he was too.

Getting stitiches out after surgery is also a nightmare. You have to ring first thing on a Friday morning for appointments, and when they're gone they're gone. The last-but-one skin cancer I had excised, I ended up getting DP to take the stitches out with some nail scissors. It's all so crap.

@iloveeverykindofcat

Someone might have already answered but I can tell you that your saga sounds like poor behaviour from the hospital not the GP but with some lacking communication from both sides.

Hospitals are supposed to provide follow up care from an inpatient stay and two weeks of medication and they are payed to do this. So if the hospital dr wanted a blood test in a week or so they should have given you the form when you left and an appointment with their phlebotomist. They then should have made an outpatient appointment to check your results with you.
They failed in their contracted duty and tried to blame the GP.

Letters on hospital discharge can take two weeks to reach the GP even if sent electronically so the GP would have no idea what particular test the hospital wanted.

If the GP has to order the test then they pay for it out of the practice budget and also pay for the phlebotomist- the nhs has already payed the hospital to do this but actually the GP practice often ends up paying. The hospital is essentially stealing money from the GP practice - less money in a practice (which is a small private businesses) means less receptionist etc.

Medical professionals are only supposed to see the results of tests they have ordered due to a complicated mix of data protection/confidentiality/professional guidance and the main computer system only shows results to tests ordered by general practice, however there are usually some “work arounds” that bypass that using technological back doors/having of log ins from hospital jobs - this is not considered good practice and may lead to censure - so while I can technically hack the system to see all sorts of results I don’t!

Also their is the principal that the healthcare worker who ordered the test is responsible for checking the result and acting on it. Depending on the test needed it’s possible the GP wouldn’t be able to interpret the result or might interpret it wrong if it’s a specialist test- if the hospital doctor wanted a test it’s really their professional duty to arrange the test and check the results themselves.

@SpinningTheSeedsOfLove

Anger here should be directed at the hospital - they are paid for post op care by the nhs (and so our taxes). The GP is not. The hospital has received the fee to take out your stitches but instead tries to get the GP practice to do it for free - they don’t share the fee with the practice. Many practices offer stitch removal because they don’t want their patients to suffer but it comes out of the practice budget as it’s not nhs funded - so less money for more nurses, receptionist and waiting room chairs etc.

Ditto with follow ups post inpatient stays - the hospital is funded for this not the GP. So the hospital is pocketing the cash for follow ups but getting you to see your GP instead - this is then using up appointments that are actually paid for by the nhs for GP work doing hospital work - this means less appointments (very few follow ups are funded - the 6week post birth check is and probably a few others).

Ditto with the antibiotics- if you have a long term condition needing hospital care then the hospital has received all the nhs funding for your care and so should be prescribing all the medications - however it’s cheaper and easier for the hospital to get the GP to do it, but the GP doing that takes money and time away from the work they are funded and supposed to be doing (there are exceptions to this called “shared care agreements” where the hospital and the GP agree to share the care and some of the funding)

Makeitsoso

Thank you for your kind words. I must say, you make a great point and one I hadn’t even considered! Perhaps there are surgeries who actively want a fierce gatekeeper to reduce their own work!

As my first post says, I can only speak about my own surgery and the way I do my job - seems to be I work in a fabulous surgery where we all focus on patient care, kindness, respect and consideration.

I genuinely am not a gatekeeper, we listen. ( I think of myself as more of a messenger!) I listen very hard as I am always aware some ppl belittle their own concerns out of “ not wanting to make a fuss “ or perhaps fear. I then always write up what they have told me incase they don’t mention it at their appointment.

On a rare occasion a vulnerable person has told me in passing (!) something that has horrified me - abuse . I pass what I’ve heard onto doctor where they then act upon it with compassion and it’s followed through correct channels to protect patient.

I’ve spoken to elderly patients just discharged from hospital to am empty house with not even a drop of milk in it to make a cup of tea. I discreetly ask them who will be bringing in their supplies and WHEN …
If they say their relatives … I ask if I can, with their consent, call the relative. ( I do this to check because some ppl are so proud they lie ) if I find out that no one is coming… I’m straight to practice manager to sort out adult social services and any other help they need. Would I go home and drink my tea and eat my supper knowing full well someone has nothing? No! I could not! Luckily practice manager is on same page as me….she would drop supplies off herself before going home that night to help that patient.

You would be surprised how many ppl aren’t taking don’t take their meds correctly - this can be picked up when going through their prescription requests. I always send message to dr on call making them aware. This is the importance of listening and making time for each caller.

Not once have I been told off for bringing extra work to clinicians - I’m so lucky I work in a surgery we’re all on the same page!

I couldn’t work at a surgery where anything less was accept - I couldn’t sleep at night!!

Please ppl, report, report report any substandard dealings with your GP surgery. Every time!

I’ll get back later with my thoughts on the appointments system.

To the poster who asked about autism training - I’m so sorry you’ve been through the experiences you’ve described. How unkind and unprofessional.

At my surgery any needs would be accommodated. A message will pop up on the screen when dealing with patient. Examples can be :

Pt prefers to wait outside until called ( we then keep an eye on the board and go find them once called )

Pt prefers to wait in private , we find a room or if none available a quiet place.

I would hope every patient feels safe when visiting our practice.

They do an awful lot that's wholly unnecessary and wastes time - 56 day prescribing for example which is absurd for people like me who have a thyroid condition that has been stable for more than 30 years. It isn't even about paying 6 times rather than once for a prescription because I'm exempt. It defies common sense.