To not what the GP receptionist to loudly proclaim that I'm overdue for a smear test in the waiting room?

[nahhh88]

I went into the GP surgery for a completely unrelated manner, and when the GP receptionist pulled up my profile she said I'm overdue for my smear test, and did I want to book in for the smear test. I just said I'll book it another time and tried to get her to stop talking. I've never had a smear test as I'm a virgin and had the HPV vaccines as a teenager, and I have no intention of having one done any time soon.

I felt really embarrassed knowing everyone in the waiting room will have heard (the chairs are all very close to the reception desk, there's no privacy so you end up knowing everyone's private medical details said aloud for everyone to hear. As I walked out this old man made eye contact with me and I just felt really embarrassed by it.

AIBU to think GP receptions need to have more privacy and things handled more quietly and sensitively?

I invite patients to use my first name.

I was threatened with this in the 90s... I was appalled, but decided it was probably an empty threat and so I ignored it. I wasn't struck off the list.
I find the way women are herded along for these tests to be totally infantilising and border line misogynistic... there must be any number of medical conditions that pose a greater risk than cervical cancer, but no-one is so much as offering me screening for these, let alone pestering me every couple of months with letters, texts, the instruction to make an appointment with my doctor to explain why I haven't made an appointment... and threatening to strike me off their list of I don't obey.
On the odd occasion that I've had a text from my gp inviting me to make an appointment about something else (a flu jab or an over 50s health check, for example) there have been no repeat reminders - and certainly no threats - when I've ignored them.

@MissBattleaxe I didn't ask if you invited patients to use your first name. I asked if you addressed the doctors with their titles and the patients with their first names. You have avoided a very clear question, or perhaps it wasn't entirely clear to you. It's an equality issue.

It's even worse at my surgery... the doctors are referred to as Dr Surname (even in website were not told their first names) and the nurses as Nurse Firstname (worse in my mind because I think that patients being firstnamed when Drs are referred to by title might be unthinking, so while betraying a great deal about the culture of the place, was probably never decided on as policy... the same cannot be said for deciding that nurses get first names)

She did answer you. There are two consecutive posts. MissBattleaxe is not the enemy here.

@IrresponsiblyCertainAboutSexualDimorphism @MissBattleaxe Yes, I have seen that now. I apologise.

Actually though, for your own self respect, if Dr's and patients are afforded the courtesy of a title, quite rightly, so should you be. You are not, as a receptionist a less equal stakeholder in the practice relationships.

Why, then, do thousands not have them?

Do you really think it's because they're too embarrassed? I highly doubt it.

That would have been standard acceptable practice 40+years ago. Things do change you know

I use my first name with patients to feel friendly and welcoming. My colleagues do the same.

I've had 2 texts in just over a week telling me I need to book a blood test for my thyroid function. My husband is always being chased for different tests. It isn't just smear tests and it isn't just women.

We've both had texts in the last month about flu jabs and covid jabs.

I don't understand your point @Iwasafool. Smear tests screen. Thyroid bloods monitor a pre-existing condition if they are regular. Covid and flu jabs are offered and one can ignore.

Smear tests are intimate. HPV arises due to an intimate act on the whole. There is a world of difference, imo, between a receptionist badgering loudly and publicly for a Smear test and a thyroid test. Also, when a woman says no, it means no and should be accepted.

I have thyroid disease. If I stopped having my annual bloods, the necessary prescriptions would probably stop but a receptionist wouldn't bawl the reminder across surgery, because the GPs don't get incentive payments so they aren't instructed to.

I changed GP recently a couple of weeks ago I got an NHS England smear call letter. Then I got a text from my practice. I called and asked who did the smears nurses. I declined and was then told "ooh but our nurses are really good" so I said noted but no and please note it. Today I got a letter from the practice asking me to complete an attached opt out form. The form wasn't attached. That necessitated a call. Is it incompetence or is it a pass ag way to make saying no as difficult as possible.

The NHS of course is under resources but golly the resources go in the wrong places.

@RosesAndHellebores in my surgery people are sent text reminders for necessary blood tests because as you rightly say, they are necessary for those with certain conditions. However they are treated with the same importance as other tests. Financial incentives don't come into it.

Interesting point @MissBattleaxe. I've never received a reminder from my surgery about bowel screening, either by text, phone call or an inappropriate conversation at the reception desk.

All reminders, including med reviews are done by text. FIT tests and other screening is either done by text, in a consultation or from a third party org if applicable via letter. I.e Mammograms.

Because bowel screening is a centrally administered PH test and has absolutely nothing to do with GP. However we are still told we should remind non attenders at all opportunities. Erm no financial incentive. But we all bloody terrified of the no claim no blame legal system. Those who shout the loudest about being badgered are also the loudest to shout when they get cancer/get something wrong. We absolutely can't win and all mightily sick of it.

@BurnoutGP You are 💯 right.

@BurnoutGP it is completely acceptable to opt out of certain tests. I am opting out of having a smear test via my GP because of previous poor experiences where nurses do not appear to have heard of a reteoverted uterus and have not stopped when told to. I am perfectly happy to pay for it or if my practice is so bothered then a female doctor could do it. However, I refuse to be badgered, sometimes in public for something a practice nurse will not be conducting.

I take the view that my body is my responsibility but I am afraid I did object when my GP insisted I hadn't broken another vertebrae and refused to refer (severe osteoporosis). It was confirmed privately. Cock up after cock up at A&E and my GP in relation to it. I also privately fund my osteoporosis daily injections because the NHS won't. I have no intention of litigating but it would be nice if GPs sometimes listened, sometimes said sorry and sometimes behaved as though the patient were an equal stakeholder.

I, like many patients am also mightily sick of a system that presses what it wants but does not provide what patients need. More mightily sick than you can probably imagine.

Those who shout the loudest about being badgered are also the loudest to shout when they get cancer/get something wrong.

Is there any real evidence of this?

I had my smear done privately but still get letters and texts from the NHS despite the results being sent to my GP. When I questioned it the receptionist said it hadn't been added to my notes yet even though it was months after I had the smear. If I didn't think it would be a hassle I'd opt out as, like the nurses at @RosesAndHellebores surgery, the nurses I've seen aren't really good and I'd rather never have another smear than have it done by them.

@PinkSparklyPussyCat I've tried to opt out, so far:

A difficult conversation with reception
Put it in writing
Reception called back to argue their nurses were lovely and the letter was from NHS England, not them but the text was from them.
Wrote via their portal I wanted to opt out
Was sent a letter that said I had to complete the attached form
No form attached, no facility to reply
Phoned again (took 10 minutes) to be told I was complaining about human error.
Still no form but today the practice has invited me to attend a Well Woman forum

My GP practice bleats about lack of resources and overwork. This could have been effected in 30s with a simple note and the bleating wears thin.

@BurnoutGP do you have examples of where doctors have been struck off/fined specifically for failing to remind people of routine tests? I've had a hunt and I can't find any, nor could the docs in my family. The nearest they found was a minor mention of it in a case of much wider delinquency and poor care.

You may have missed my post upthread about automating the reminders thereby having a record of all reminders, an record of opt outs etc without consuming practitioner time. Is there a reason why you don't do this to save yourselves time and your patients hassle, inconvenience and the distress of being berated by a receptionist in public about an intimate procedure?

I have been getting almost weekly texts about smears lately.
I have an appointment with a mental health nurse soon, I and TBH I wont be surprised if a smear is mentioned.

Years ago, my GP wrote a report to the local CMHT about me, and he even mentioned a smear test in that.

Adding to my post above, I received yesterday another text reminder from my practice.
I called and explained and the matter was referred to the deputy practice manager.
I sent in a lost not interactions to the portal.
I received the opt out form, via link, for me to print off. It has to have "wet" signature and has to be received as a hard copy.

This is not giving women agency over their actions.

This is so frustrating... and exactly why I simply don't engage with any of the reminders, instructions and threats.