Any GP receptionists about?

[MissPeachyKeen]

Not a bashing post. Just have a question about the triaging you all have to do.

Does it actually achieve that much?

I get that it might weed out a few time wasters or maybe even flag up where a 999 call is needed, but for the rest, given the sheer number of patients, what's the point??

The amount of detail I'm asked these days amounts to a detailed doctors appointment in itself (and I'm just not going to tell all that to someone other than my doctor, sorry) & that's what the appointment is actually for.

Yanbu.

The receptionists at my current gp practice don't do this. I'd look at moving gp

It often means you can be redirected to a specialist GP.

no point booking a 50 year old female in with menopausal issues with the GP who specialises in Asthma or diabetes treatment, when she would be better dealt with a nurse practitioner or GP who has specialised training in HRT and Gynae issues.

no point booking a newly pregnant women in at all when they can self refer to m/w.

lots of reasons.

Ours ask so they can make sure you are booked to see the right person. They also offer calls rather than in house appointments so that maybe more appropriate.

Triaging calls 1000% helps reduce waiting times and getting patients to the correct clinician first time.
Receptionists are trained and told what to ask by the GPs. They don’t just make up what questions to ask, it’s part of their job.
My old GP surgery (before I moved) went from 3 week to 3 days waiting time for routine appts after introducing triaging.

DOI: Doctor working in different part of NHS

I did it as a temp job, admittedly years ago. It happened at the surgery I was working at because so many appointments were for sick notes and we asked patients to self-certify, initially, and would only give a note if it went over the threshold. Triaging weeded this out and freed up more appointments for people who needed them.

I'm not a receptionist but have recently retired from a GP surgery.
I can't speak for other places but it was helpful in our surgery.

The GPs wrote the questions they wanted asked and it was solely used for signposting patients to the correct practitioner.

There are some patients who will insist they want a doctor when others can deal with that and free the limited time the GPs have for the people who really need it. So they might ring to ask for a prescription (prescription clerks), ask for medication to be adjusted (pharmacists), have a minor ailment (nurse practitioners), want a blood pressure check (practice nurse) or minor condition home visit (paramedic). All of the multi-disciplinary team are highly trained in their own area so it makes sense to use them well

@caffelattetogo this actually makes a lot of sense, since I always assumed it was for a very good reason and not just to piss off patients. It's a shame that patients can't see the bigger picture and it puts me off ever doing this for a job even though I am a very good receptionist.

I never thought they were doing it for an ego kick lol I know they're told to by the doctors

It's great that some surgeries have specialist GPs, at mine you only get to see your assigned GP regardless so once we've established that I don't need to see the nurse, a pharmacist, physio, or go to A&E I really don't see the point.

And most of them are pushy to the point of aggression with their questioning. I know they get a lot of abuse, I'm always mindful of this - and obviously polite - but it makes the experience of booking intrusive & really stressful

Or course it makes a difference (former NHS Manager, now medical student). People phone wanting appointments for verrucas, help with completely unrelated paperwork (genuinely) and all manner of very minor issues that do not need a GP's time. How else to deal with this? Surely you're not suggesting that the in-demand medical professionals answer the phones?

Ours ask so the doctor knows what they are phoning you about. And you can vague as possible.

I'd thought it was clear I'm not and that I wasn't bashing receptionists. I understand why a level of triage is needed, what I don't understand is why it's become so intrusive beyond - as I say - establishing that yes, someone does need to see the doctor and I was asking why.

No need to infer anything else.

I'm hanging on phone to my receptionist now.. she's being really really helpful.. keeps going off for more information but can't praise her enough.

@PutOnYourRedShoesAndLetsDance that's lovely :)

I'm not a receptionist but a manager.

Yes it works. It allows the gps to deal with the complex cases and the advanced nurse practitioners to deal with infections.

It also saves wasted appointments like the ladies who ask you see a gp because they are pregnant (gps don't deal with this a they need another appointment with a midwife) or the patient with a bad back who would be best having an appointment with the physio or the patient wanting long acting contraception, again most gps not trained in this.

It has its major faults. GP receptionist triaged mum as having a UTI. They hadn't passed on the other symptoms to the doc which was unable to eat or drink, diarrhoea, vomiting, fatigue......

She actually had e-coli and nearly died.

When I asked for info on what had happened they admitted if a GP had seen the triage info in full they'd have advised her to go to a&e immediately.

Also a lot phone for things that need to be dealt with with the clinical pharmacist or admin. Some ask for a telephone consultation when on questioning, they need a face to fqce appointment

I have found the online consultation process very useful this week. I spent time organising my history, symptoms etc and typing everything into the form. When I got to the end it said that I needed to make an appointment. When I rang the surgery and explained this, the appointment was arranged without difficulty. Saw the GP, and came out with the appropriate tests arranged and a plan for follow up with the results. I have only used the online consult process once and I think it is a pretty good triage system.

My mum was a doctors receptionist and I think, until you work in that environment you don’t realise just how pressured they are.

People “need an urgent appointment as they’re very ill” but can only do it once they’ve finished shopping/work/whatever (and simply have a cold). People want to rock up for a repeat prescription wel before it’s due (and the dr wont sign it off), etc etc

From memory I think her surgery had around 10000 patients and three GPs and two nurse practitioners. So they have to be as efficient as they can.

Personally I don't care what receptionist's ask me, I would just like to speak with one. When I do get through all appointments are gone till the next day, our e-consult is open for one hour a day and you can't make appointments in person either. You can make appointments on the app but they are for smears only.

I used to be dubious about this, but so far, it's worked well.

once DD had an infected nail bed. A quick photo sent after a chat with receptionist and the nurse practitioner sent a response and antibiotics waiting at the pharmacy within the hour.
Next time DD had a prolonged cough and causing pain elsehwhere. Saw dr within 2 hours.

I can see where things could fall through the cracks like the poster above whose mum had e Coli. And it drives me mad I can't get a standard appointment for a routine thing. But the triaging seems to work well.

But surely in this example you are asking a non medically qualified person to decide what is complex/urgent? What happens if they make the wrong call, are those chest pains a pulled muscle or a heart attack?

@MissPeachyKeen can you share an example of what the receptionist said that was aggressive?

@Hobbitfeet32 aggressive tone/manner. It's just cos they're under so much stress. My sister has a similar job so I have some insight into how hard it is.

There's no easy answer to this aspect of it is there, really? Receptionists who are at best brusque and worst aggressive are likely so because of the abuse they get from the public, but it perpetuates something of a cycle really...

Its hard for patients who are vulnerable, stressed/distressed, or find answering quick fire abrupt questions hard etc

Shame we just can't all be nicer to each other!

Equally, like a pp I've spoken to absolutely lovely GP receptionists - but few of them work at my surgery 😄

Tbf I do feel for those at my surgery, the practise has been bought out lately & they'll have been taking the brunt of it.

@Ilovecurrywednesdays that's awful, I'm so sorry. Is she OK now?
It's definitely wide-open to human error.

Didn't say you were bashing...I said, yes it makes a difference and achieves something because there isn't a better way, which was your question.