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

@limitedperiodonly Couldn’t even be bothered to read all of that waffle you just typed out.

I said what I said. You don’t like it? Cool. Move on.

@limitedperiodonly
Unattributable gossip from an anonymous talk board isn’t a news story.
Whether the journalist is fulfilling her contract is another matter, but it’s lazy journalism and a worthless story.

Further, who's to know whether the journalist was involved in starting or contributing to the thread? No-one, that's who.

@SpinningTheSeedsOfLove that thought had occurred to me too!
I don't have a problem with journalists using threads as sources. But starting one to stir up opinion would be v bad journalism indeed. In fact not journalism at all!

@browneyes77 I guessed you'd say that. People who have no answer always say they can't be bothered answering.

I think it's worth wider discussion. You don't. I still don't understand why you linked to Mail Online if you hate them so much though.

@ResurrectionInfinity Did you really mean to say contributions to this thread were "unattributable gossip" and "a worthless story"?

I know you're going to say you didn't mean it like that but you said it.

It's nothing to do with whether it should be in Mail Online or not. You dismissed as "gossip"and "worthless" over 450 contributions here from people talking about their experiences of doctors' receptionists and the wider NHS including contributions from people involved in the NHS on a clinical level.

And your own.

I'm going to drop this discussion now because you only want to answer the bits that suit you and even then you are muddled. But I might carry on talking about doctors' receptionists.

@limitedperiodonly
I stand by what I said.

@SpinningTheSeedsOfLove

Further, who's to know whether the journalist was involved in starting or contributing to the thread? No-one, that's who.

@SpinningTheSeedsOfLove that is paranoia on low to medium level in my opinion. You might want to seek the advice of a medical professional if it persists.

I am a journalist who has been a member of Mumsnet for at least 15 years. There are a lot of us about. We walk among you.

I promise I am not the OP. I can't prove that and it's not worth trying. But contrary to popular paranoia journalists don't cast lures on Mumsnet for stories. They just spot something that looks interesting and lift it. This is legal and not immoral.

Mostly I don't talk about journalism on Mumsnet. My favourite topic is neighbour disputes not because I'm going to plunder the thread for copy but because I had the neighbour from hell and read things and think: "You poor thing. I've been there."

Sometimes I give people advice - never legal because I don't know what I'm talking about there and unlike some people on Mumsnet I try not to talk about things I know nothing about.

I offer support. Mainly: "I found using a solicitor quite good rather than listening to potentially disastrous advice from people who don't know what they're talking about."

But my Bat Signal goes off whenever someone says "Daily Fail" and "lazy journalism" and "cunt" which is a word all journalists, particularly those on the Daily Mail are not at all scared of.

Then a thread like this one that I've contributed my thoughts to and have been happily following in all innocence as a general Mumsnet member turns into a mission to defend my trade against people who don't know what the fuck they are talking about.

It's a fool's errand and that's why I'm going to get back to talking about doctors' receptionists.

[quote ResurrectionInfinity]@limitedperiodonly
I stand by what I said.[/quote]
That's very noble.

@RosesAndHellebores

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.

You get 56 day prescribing? You're lucky. I too am on thyroid medication for life, but our surgery insist that they are not allowed to prescribe more than 28 days at a time!

Talk about increasing your workload. They say it's because thyroid patients need regular monitoring, but they've never done that either.

There are posters on MN whose family members have died due to not being able to get an appointment. It is shocking.

The receptionists at our surgery are absolutely useless. I'm glad other posters have great experiences but we don't. You ring up at the correct time and you have to listen to endless waffle about "if you're unconscious hang up and dial 999" (no joke it says this) then if you're lucky you get you position in the queue, you wait for ages with tinny Muzak and just as you get to position 1 they hang up so you have to go through the whole shebang again. And THEN if/when you are lucky enough to get through you get the 3rd degree. Surely the Dr's are GP. General Practitioner so I don't need to tell the receptionist what I'm phoning for. If I want a smear test, bloods taken or a dressing change then I'll let the receptionist know from the start as I know if i need one of those services. Otherwise you're not knowing what I need. Dr only.

You get 56 day prescribing? You're lucky. I too am on thyroid medication for life, but our surgery insist that they are not allowed to prescribe more than 28 days at a time!

Talk about increasing your workload. They say it's because thyroid patients need regular monitoring, but they've never done that either.

Oh absolutely, @DeedIDo. The lack of monitoring for thyroid patients is shocking, and has been since way before the covid-19 pandemic.

That's very noble.
I wish I could say the same about you @limitedperiodonly
but you can’t even keep your word for an hour.

Many GP receptionists are simply on a power trip and love having that power. They love being as sour, unwelcoming and unhelpful as possible.

That said, my GP receptionists are generally ok but with the exception of one who always, without fail, takes pleasure in being as unhelpful as possible, giving the death stare and/or a smirk to patients at the reception desk.

This is the same receptionist who, when I went in to make an appointment to see a female GP, loudly demanded in front of a queue of people and busy waiting room, why I wanted to see a female GP.

This same receptionist also made an elderly male patient cry as she was so unhelpful and downright rude.

Despite repeated complaints about her, she's still there and continuing to ruin an otherwise pleasant surgery with great GP's.

My neighbour has just started as a receptionist at our local surgery and now knows when my next smear is and what medical conditions I have. I bet she's also discussing it with other neighbours.

@SpinningTheSeedsOfLove

You get 56 day prescribing? You're lucky. I too am on thyroid medication for life, but our surgery insist that they are not allowed to prescribe more than 28 days at a time!

Talk about increasing your workload. They say it's because thyroid patients need regular monitoring, but they've never done that either.

Oh absolutely, @DeedIDo. The lack of monitoring for thyroid patients is shocking, and has been since way before the covid-19 pandemic.

I can only have 28 days for my HRT. When I queried it with the in house pharmacy, their answer was that the GP might want to change it at short notice. I haven't had a change for the last 8 years FFS. I have to drive 10 miles to drop of a paper repeat script, then drive back 2 days later to pick it up. What a waste of pharmacist time, my time, petrol costs etc.

Sorry,... that wasn't anything to do with receptionists.

I know, but sympathies nevertheless, @thenightsky

My GP only gives me 28 days at a time as well - and reduced it down from 75 to 25 without any consultation whatsoever. I bought 3 months' worth privately of a higher dose but not everyone can do that. Come onto the Menopause board!

@ResurrectionInfinity

That's very noble. I wish I could say the same about you *@limitedperiodonly* but you can’t even keep your word for an hour.

We should stop goading each other. You have your opinion and I have mine.

The reason you can’t have more than a 28-day prescription is down to the way the NHS pays pharmacists. It’s actually nothing to do with GPs. The NHS pharmacy payment mechanism stipulates a 28-day prescription max so it’s a contractual issue which GP practices have to comply with

@thenightsky you also shouldn’t have to be driving around for repeat prescriptions. Download the NHS App or the app your GP practice uses, and you can request repeat prescriptions through that. You can either then pick up your medicines straight at the pharmacy of your choice or get it delivered by one of the online pharmacies. Sorry but you are making your own life harder by not using the services available to you. Everyone in England has access to online services like this

It used to be a 90 day prescription at one point I couldn't afford to buy mine every month so my Dr tripled my "dosage" verbally told me what to do and said see you in three months the prescription at the time was only about £6 but it was still more than I had spare every month looks like we are heading back to those financially grim days

@Fretfulmum

The reason you can’t have more than a 28-day prescription is down to the way the NHS pays pharmacists. It’s actually nothing to do with GPs. The NHS pharmacy payment mechanism stipulates a 28-day prescription max so it’s a contractual issue which GP practices have to comply with

Ive got 56 day perscriptions…

I am on medication for under active thyroid, high blood pressure, hrt and statins. I get 3x months at a time for all my prescriptions. They only get reduced to 28 days if they have changed my dose and I need to have a blood test to check whether I'm now on the correct dose.

Being reduced to 28 days would be a nightmare!

I think the thing about this thread is you have sort of gleefully said your doing a ‘tell all’ thread but then posted several times how your so busy, and “just on your way out” etc whilst cherry picking which questions to answer