GP receptionist - report or let it go?

[6079SmithW]

I’ve just come off the phone with the GP surgery.
I had an appointment today which due escalating problems at work I needed to move to next week. It’s for a timed (28 days) injection so it’s really not convenient to move it as I will be outside of treatment for a week, but I didn’t feel I had any choice.
(Full disclosure - I also had to ring them yesterday because I had written the appointment down on different days in two different diaries).
After changing the appointment, and presumably after she thought the call was disconnected, the receptionist said (to person unknown) “She’s a right bloody nuisance ‘6079SmithW’ with her bloody injection”, then realised and hung up.
I rang the surgery back and told her that I had her comment and she apologised. I explained that I would love to be able to drop everything and just attend but that as I work full time, I have to balance priorities. She said “Well we struggle for appointments so it’s just a good job we could for you in”. I felt that the apology wasn’t genuine and she was just trying to justify herself.
I appreciate that we’re all busy and we all have work stress etc. but AIBU to think that a GP receptionist shouldn’t be slagging off patients (within earshot of god knows who)? Furthermore would you report her or just let it go? My inclination is to leave it there, but I feel like she hasn’t taken the incident seriously and probably just slagged me off a bit more once she got off the second call !

But she's right though, they won't be able to easily fill that appointment so it's wasted.

I'd cut her some slack, it must be so frustrating, booking appointments all day, turning people away all day and then having to see appointments get wasted because of late cancellations and no shows.

Your job isn't for her to worry about.

I don’t mean to laugh. But that was fucking hilarious! I bet your colleague thought that too x

What a nasty thing to say. Some might be difficult because they do a difficult job but to call all GP receptionists bitches says more about you.

She was acting unprofessional but seeing as she has apologised, I would let it go. Maybe you do need to prioritise your health more over your work, though.

I'm going to go against the grain. I think you should complain. My complaint would not be about being called a nuisance. It would be about her breaching my privacy by saying my name and talking about my private medical procedures. My GP practice is in the village I live in and it is very likely that someone I know would be sitting in the waiting room. When you're in the waiting room you can hear everything the receptionists say. If it's even a bit like this then absolutely she needs to be told that what she did was a breach of your privacy.

I can't decide whether you should complain or not. I'm just amazed that you managed to get through on the phone 3 times in 2 days!

Are you a man?

Our surgery receptionist is quick and efficient. Sorry that women don't have time to stroke your ego.

Lol - and now is considering a 4th call to complain!

As much as I can sympathise with you, and I too would be really pissed off, I really don't think you should go any further. You've made your point by calling back.

Every single job that requires you to work with the public is absolutely taxing. She could have had 5 calls before you who have all moved/cancelled/missed appointments or something similar.

I suppose it depends on what you’re looking to achieve by complaining formally.

You were a nuisance and then you called back and wasted her time further.

Very unlikely that would have been said in earshot of the public - likely upstairs in the admin room.

You can't just post this and not tell us what you said to her when you realised she could still hear you😂

I'm sure I'm not the only one that wants to know.

You need to go every 4 weeks, but just today cancelled at the last min? Now one less patient will be seen.

why not set up a standing appt?

your shots do sound like they are annoying!

Thankfully we were friends and she was someone who I kind of looked after in work. She was just like "errr... hello. Oh don't worry mate I've heard it all!" I apologised and laughed it off but I was absolutely mortified. We swore in front of each other but NOT the c word 🙈

OP, I really do think YABU here. Do you really not think that people don't have a bit of a workplace moan about you behind your back? Do you never, ever do it yourself? Difference was, she screwed up and you heard. You complained (ringing back and saying 'I heard that!' is a complaint!) she apologised. What more do you want, blood? She's working in a really frustrating and stressful environment, made harder if people get stroppy (or can't remember when their appointments are...).

And she DID apologise - what grounds do you have for thinking 'she didn't mean it'? And do you normally demand, of adults who apologise to you, that they make it sound heartfelt? I thought that was something we might sometimes request of stroppy children.

On a side note, if this injection is really important then I assume you'd have it at the correct time, regardless of your work life, as it's essential medical treatment. Nobody is so busy at work that they can't make a few minutes for really important medical treatment. If it isn't really important medical treatment then I think you're making a bit too much of this...

Personally I would provide the feedback to the practice manager and let them explain to you if they think this was acceptable behaviour. I don’t think they would tolerate personal remarks made towards their staff, it works both ways.

But isn’t it actually a ‘good’ thing that there are no shows?
You can’t actually get an appointment at my surgery; but years ago when you could you always had to wait 10 - 50 minutes.
If everyone had turned up you would be waiting hours!

I would leave it - she hopefully will have learnt from what you have said.

To be fair you do sound like a nuisance. Every minute they're on the phone with you they can't sort out another patient who might be having an urgent problem.

Yes, I’m sure that’s what a lot of receptionists think - GP surgeries would run like clockwork if it weren’t for the bloody patients! They’re receptionists, not paramedics. No one died because the op had to ring the surgery twice.

It wasn’t professional of her but I’d let this one go. As a PP said, the fact that you phoned back to let her know you heard what she said will have been embarrassing enough.

She didn't have to ring twice and she took up time the receptionist could have been using to allocate the late cancellation to someone who would actually be grateful for the appointment

Thanks for satisfying my curiosity.

That could have gone so much worse😅

So you've had to cancel an appointment at the last minute for an injection you need to have every 28 days and you'll now be 28 days + 1 week when you have it?

I imagine that they have to wiggle things about to ensure you have you monthly injection on time (and I also imagine you'd be the the first to complain if the surgery couldn't see you at the 28 day mark?). Plus you'd called yesterday as well to check the appointment? Then cancelled it today?

Yep you're a total pain in the arse. Sorry.

I get it. I work, have kids (one of whom is disabled and has lots of medical appointments) and I sometimes have to cancel things at the last minute. I know it's a pain for those who have facilitated my busy schedule to find me a suitable appointment only for me to cancel at the eleventh hour.

I'd not take this any further.

She sounds like a bitch. I’d leave it though.