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

@NorthernSoul55

OH shares a name with another patient at his surgery (full name including middle name the same). There have been numerous mix ups, including OH being asked how his kidney disease is, being called for the first covid jab then turned away, other incidents of information being shared which clearly relates to the other patient. Dates of birth and addresses are different so it's a mystery why this can't be resolved by the surgery, especially as it leads to breaches of both patients confidentiality

In the surgery I work at, we always check a second point of reference. Ie, name and date of birth. Also, we usually try and highlight patients with similar names - ie. Add a warning to their records.

I've experienced spectacularly rude and unhelpful GP receptionists but also lovely ones who go the extra mile and bend over backwards to be helpful. There were so many complaints about the rude ones in my GP's surgery that they eventually got replaced with the really lovely ones. I can imagine that you have to deal with people who are very stressed and can sometimes be rude or hard to understand. It must be a tough job and to do it well must require real patience.

Okay. Can you help me to understand why this would be the case?

Recently, I phoned my GP on a Thursday mid-morning for a repeat prescription. The surgery was closed for training. Nowhere on the website or on social media was this communicated. Now, 111 were hopeless and I was told I needed to wait for my GP to write a prescription for pain relief as I had run out, as 111 couldn’t. But my GP surgery was closed. Also, I couldn’t get a doctors appointment the following day but I did have a physio appointment at my surgery that day. So, I asked the receptionist when I visited to get my doctor to phone me or arrange the repeat prescription. Neither what I asked was done; no phone call or prescription were written. Remember, at this point it was a Friday and needed painkillers over the weekend.

My physio didn’t even provide a physical treatment and said the appointments were consultation only. So, still in pain! The physio said my GP would provide the prescription. So, bear in mind I’m in severe pain and needed treatment too, I was frustrated by no one caring. I’ve been told I could be waiting more than 12 weeks for another physio appointment.

Every time I go into my surgery it’s like a ghost town and few cars parked in the car park. My complaint is most certainly not isolated as a few of my friends have received varying degrees of poor service. The surgery opens and closes without warning. How is this right? Do you think it is acceptable to close without telling patients?

So, being a receptionist, you are ‘front of house’, so when patients have every right to complain, you are the person to receive the complaint. But the patient never wins in their complaints. I used to be proud of the NHS but not so so much now. Why no one bothered to write a prescription or why the receptionist didn’t action this is beyond me!

@TwistedSisterUK I recently started working as a receptionist in a GP surgery and the abuse you get because we can't magic appointments. Is unbelievable. We offer extended access appointment as an alternative if we have no appointments but people don't want to travel to them. - I also now understand why we are being asked what the problem is.

The amount of people that moan about not being able to get through in the morning is unbelievable and there having to sit on hold. Yes I get your 25 in the que but there only 6 of us and we're working as quick as we can. My own GP's are the same it is what it is.

I read with interest your post. I left a really fantastic practice when I moved from Bromley to Maidstone. I realise Covid has caused difficulties but I wonder why GP surgeries are still operating in the way they were at the start of the pandemic. I could not get through on the phone each time the call was cut off. I went to the surgery and was informed that I could only make appointments by phone!! Fortunately I was asked what the problem was and was given an immediate appointment. Hubby had infection so I got immediate appointment. Then 1 hour waiting at surgery to have prescription made up and it was an electronic one. I have waited 1hr 20 minutes at my local pharmacy for my electronic prescription. I love the area I moved to but I absolutely hate the system here. Oh yes I did send a written complaint to the pharmacy who responded with "covid" issues. I am one of many who is cautious and still wears a mask but I am getting a little tired of the "Covid" excuse for inefficiency.

@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

You 100% have my sympathies! Honestly! Both my mother & sister work in two different GP surgeries and the things patients have said to them is not only unacceptable but rude, way out of line & completely ignorant! I know you don't work for the NHS per say but they have saved MY life at least 4 times (that I can remember!) so you and all of your amazing colleagues have nothing but my utmost respect, thanks & most sincere apologies that there are others who seem to know everything about everything when usually it's the other way around!!! Having had a few jobs dealing with the public myself I know just how demanding, disrespectful & entitled some people can be! So thank you once again- I really hope your post opens a few people's eyes and they start respecting people especially THOSE WHO ARE TRYING TO HELP THEM! Xx

Small correction to my post. 1 hour wait was for pharmacy to dispense prescription not as I had put surgery. Sorry for error

I would like to ask your opinion please. I recently for the first time (it was a huge deal for me) opened up and asked for help for depression and anxiety. The receptionist asked me what was the nature of my call and I explained how I thought I needed to speak to someone as I was feeling quite stressed and anxious. For context, this was a Friday morning.
She laughed (yes, laughed) and said "well you'll have to feel stressed and anxious a bit longer because I don't have any appointments now until next week".
Honestly, I felt so upset and small that I burst into tears and she said "oh dear, I'll see if I can get an urgent appointment". I was actually really grateful for the appointment so didn't say anything.
The same receptionist has told me over the phone that I "probably need physio" for a leg injury, which I had yet to see a Dr about, which I really don't think she should recommend without medical knowledge.
Same receptionist told me "these Dr's do like their blood tests don't they!" when I had to book in for one with some worrying symptoms. I've had enough really of the sarcastic comments and medical diagnosis from someone with no medical knowledge.
Its otherwise a fantastic surgery and the other surgery staff, Drs and non medical staff are all lovely. So my question is: should I make a complaint? Or is this par for the course and I should let it slide on the basis that its otherwise a great practice

Thank you for being a fab member of staff! I am sure you are appreciated!

@Crumbleburntbits

I’ve been horrified at how rude people can be to receptionists. How do you cope when patients are abusive? I know I couldn’t do your job and I’m so grateful for the work that you do

👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 couldn't agree more xx

I am writing in my capacity as a professional not patient, who has to deal with GP surgeries.
One of my many bug bears is that;

I send emails that are never responded to, call, get told to email. When I say I have already email, they say they have not seen the email.
I give dates, the reply is; ‘ooh yes the email is here has not been dealt with’… a week later!
You guys get away with such things, we wouldn’t!

If it was my service, telling you that I have not seen your email for a week, it gets escalated very quickly, complaints and incident forms until its heard at the highest level!

I find the relationship very frustrating.

@Creameggs223

Why do you say their are no appointments left when there are?

@Creameggs223

There are no appointments left. We can only see so many people safely in a day. Once the 100 plus appointments are gone we are full. What happens in our surgery is you go on a triage list for the duty doctor and we phone you and decide if you need to be seen. So the magically found appointments are actually extra work on top of our normal work piled into the busy duty doctor. Some days I would have my 3 hour session of appointments then have another 30 to triage and maybe see. It's quite simply not safe.

I do sympathise, I work at a local hospital in the outpatients department, booking appts and dealing with patients is one of the many jobs I do. I totally get the frustration of patients as it can be equally frustrating as an nhs employee. You have so many jobs to get done but unfortunately the multiple systems they provide you with are not always the most user friendly. I've worked in outpatients for 20 years, only leaving briefly for a few months stint at a Gp surgery which I hated, and our computer systems we use for booking have got progressively worse and slower and the endless information you need to input has got progressively more long winded and intricate. When I started work the job was relatively straight forward but gradually more and more things have been added as responsibilities to the job and you are expected to keep up to date with booking rules of over 15 specialities and the way each of our consultants like their booking done. Some being more particular than others. And god help you if you make a mistake. There is very little support as you colleagues and managers are under as much if not more stress.
Jobs in the nhs have got more and more demanding, with more and more responsibilities and stresses. Unfortunately some patients think we all sit doing nothing, however nearly every single person I speak to have been nothing but polite and patient with the time it take to get them seen and bear with me whilst I work my way through the actual booking which is embarrassingly long winded. most days I leave work feeling like I've been through a washing machine on spin, my daughter is a nurse who works in a&e and feels very much the same but obviously has very different much more intense pressures. I truly believe working in the nhs is one of the most demanding jobs and is incredibly draining but as long as you treat patients as you would wish to be treated it is also one of the most rewarding.

I’m sure the majority of frustrations can be resolved by GPs providing a decent online system. It seems like technology has completely by passed Doctors surgeries. I really don’t want to call receptionists who are already busy nor do I want to have to call, wait in a queue, get to the front finally, give my details and reason for call only to be told the appointments have not been added to the system or can’t yet be for god knows what reason and to call back next week! Also when you finally get an appointment, I’m being told gp will call me back, not even a face to face and if I want a face to face to face, that’s another appointment that needs to be booked. I’m so fed up! It’s no wonder people don’t bother calling their gps, you can’t make a routine appointment at all or have to lie and say it’s urgent. Why are there no appointments? I don’t mind waiting but just let me book it in, online, I will include full reason on there so long as it’s secure, so no need for receptionists to repeat out loud what my issue is! Etc etc. I’m getting frustrated just writing this.

I appreciate the great work you do, you are at the brunt of it and it must be so hard dealing with so many tasks. It is not you, it's the system which will not let people make an appointment for the next week, only that day, which is of course impossible unless it's an emergency! This leads to clients having no choice but beg to seen as otherwise it's catch 22 and going round in circles. The system needs to change urgently, it's just a farce, and you on the frontline are having to deal with the ineptness of it, which isn't fair. X

The receptionist at my surgery are all friendly. Problem with my surgery is that it's always busy do can never get through on the phone! Largely due to (i assume) a large elderly population where I live.

Mum of four here!
I think You do an absolutely wonderful job. Many times I’ve had to phone my GP surgery for appointments or questions and the receptionists have been absolutely fab and always helped me out. I feel lucky to have a great surgery and sometimes bring boxes of biscuits down in the days when you’re allowed to do that LOL
Keep up the good work we do really appreciate you

Pre COVID, if you had a GP appointment, you would be given a specific time. But now that the first contact with a GP is now by phone, why can’t you be given a specific time slot for that call, rather than being told to expect the call between, for example, 1pm and 6.30pm?

Yes, we're not even told a time range, it's just any time on one day. And if you miss the call for any reason, they'll 'try to call back if they get chance'. Even if, as happened to be once or twice, the phone rang once then cut off.

Have to say that the receptionists at my gp have always been great, even getting the Dr to call me back despite only calling late afternoon when I had a bleed early on in my last pregnancy. They've always been understanding/sympathetic as a situation warranted

Like people in every walk of life some receptionists are nice some are not.
The system you guard is dreadful now, I called in mine recently to help my full time NHS worker daughter get a call at a good time (they were ringing her over and over whilst in work) to arrange her DS vaccination. I could technically do it as permission is on the file but I was told the computer is in another room, its not it was in front of me, and could I go home and ring up to ask the question.
Just saying, oh and econsult has been turned off for months too and you cant come to the surgery to book anything you have to ring and find youre number 40 in the queue.

We're not talking about how great the individual receptionists are though, I thought the whole idea of AMAs was to get some insight into the inner workings of the job, the rationale behind management's decisions, etc.

The receptionists at my surgery are wonderful and everything is well managed so few mistakes are made. I have had experience elsewhere with family members where everything is managed so poorly. The receptionists say they are a large practice and do their best but my practice is large as well. There is no excuse for one mistake after another or the impossibility of being able to communicate with someone about it. I am glad for you that you work for a good practice. I never mind being asked about why I need an appointment as I want to be seen in the quickest and best way. On another note I do think GP's should integrate fully into the NHS and be paid a salary. But this is for Governments and GP representatives to sort out. Thank you for all you do for your patients. I know you have all been so busy in the last two years and have continued to serve us in most cases very well

I've no doubt the OP is good at her job and pleasant to deal with, and I know it's a busy, demanding and very skilled job. I have come across some excellent GP receptionists; most IME are at least courteous and effective; some are exceptional.
Unfortunately I have also come across some awful ones.
Two that come to mind:
I was ignored for quite a long time by two staff members standing well back from where I was at the counter, casting glances at me while giggling and audibly discussing a new beauty product one of them was trying; I said politely 'I can hear that you're not discussing work; could I please have some help to check in for my appointment?' and got a shocked stare, then a stony face as one of them stalked over and checked me in while refusing to look me in the eye.

I got referred to have a mole checked; had received the fairly frightening pack that explains all about going for a check for cancer and a note that said 'you will have received [x piece of info about cancer screenings from your GP practice'. I hadn't, so went in, indicated that line on the letter (didn't want to shout 'I need the cancer info!' in the waiting room) and the receptionist looked at me as if I were stupid, pointed to the location info and said 'You've got to go there.' I had to explain again, slowly and with gestures, still trying not to let the whole room know I was asking for cancer info. She also had a stony face throughout and didn't say anything to acknowledge that she'd misunderstood.
I get that neither of these are up there on the awfulness scale, but I've worked in quite a few public-facing jobs of various kinds and I very much hope and think that a) I wouldn't have ignored a customer/student/patient so I could carry on a personal conversation and b) I'd be able to read a bit of a letter someone was pointing out to me and understand what they wanted. And when I DO make mistakes I apologise.

PS I should add that my surgery is fabulous, responsive and compassionate. The receptionists are very nice too!

[quote Coffeepot72]Pre COVID, if you had a GP appointment, you would be given a specific time. But now that the first contact with a GP is now by phone, why can’t you be given a specific time slot for that call, rather than being told to expect the call between, for example, 1pm and 6.30pm?[/quote]
Please let me answer this. GP’s tend to triage their list, dealing with the most poorly, elderly, youngest first then leave the follow ups and test results calls till last. They also have to allow for people who don’t answer first try, they have to call at least twice before the appointment is cancelled