Why tell the receptionist why I'm seeing the doctor

[Eldermileniummam]

Why do they ask this? Is it so they can give you an appointment with the appropriate person or some other reason?

I usually don't mind but sometimes I'm embarrassed to say and never sure how specific I need to be.

I am retired a very short time ago and still do Bank Work, am fully up to date and attending seminars and workshops, a member of the RCN and still registered to practice, I train also in moving and handling and risk assessment the more I observe from my quote 'high horse' the less I am impressed with attitudes these days.

I have to correct you, the receptionist is NOT the gatekeeper to medical care the doctor is a receptionist does not and should NOT make significant decisions with regard to medical care.

111 unqualified personnel receive three weeks quite intensive training, they work in the call centre under supervision from usually RN's, who can be called to advise if required, they work from an algorithm that prompts them the questions to ask depending on the patients medical complaint, complex calls are taken by RN's and also some doctors work part time in the service.

I would add HCP's are not trained to do the work of a doctor or nurse, if they were able what would be the point of expensive medical and nurse training, again I would add that HCP's are an invaluable part of healthcare and we would be lost without them but when all is said and done they are not a replacement for doctors and nurses and shouldn't be regarded as such.

It can be a bit embarrassing if it’s a personal issue but I have had two really great experiences where the receptionist obviously knew I needed seen asap based on my/my child symptoms. For one she actually offered me an appointment then phoned me back and offered me an earlier one I assume because she could hear I was in a fair bit of pain.

Much like a triage trained receptionist then? Do you not think it’s possible for them to have 3 weeks training, which is likely ongoing. Or that they can refer for medical advice from the building full of medical professionals if they’re unsure.

What are the necessary qualifications for a GP receptionist? Maths and English GCSE? What about 111 call handlers? Even with whatever training they get at the practice, which I'm yet to hear any details of, GP receptionists should not be making frontline medical assessments of any kind. They clearly often are though.

111 call handlers need no qualifications - not even English and maths. They are literally answering phones and reading from a script.

do you think receptionists are taking it upon themselves to triage or do you think that is part of their job role?

I think it shouldn't be oart of their job role.

Well we’ll have to disagree on that.

It’s just not possible to give literally every single person that wants a gp appointment one without question. The NHS has a multitude of avenues for care and the best one isn’t always the GP.

Yes of course, as I said previously, I'm happy to speak to the nurse practitioner or paramedic PA when its appropriate, or a pharmacist. It isnt up to unqualified admin staff who do not sign up to a professional code of conduct to make that decision for me though. If it is then that is wrong and potentially dangerous.

Thankfully at my GPs they have implemeted a good online booking system so I can specifically request who I want to request an appointment with and now only ever speak to the receptionist for the odd admin query.

I understand why they do it. But when this happened to me and I explained that I thought had a chest infection that had been going on a while, they sent me to a nurse. She examined my chest said I had just a cold and to take paracetamol - I argued it couldn’t possibly be a cold I know the difference and felt very unwell. She was adamant. Turns out it was pneumonia and I had to be hospitalised for a week. I know this is an Individual case but it made me wary!

My old GP practice:
Rude and unhelpful receptionists
Telephones not answered
Prescriptions lost/incorrect/not done/sent to the wrong place
Referrals not made
Errors made regarding appointments - told the wrong location- called with 10 mins notice it was elsewhere (good job I drive)
Variable quality of GPs
Variable quality of HCPs
A couple of quite rude GPs
GP partners more interested in running their other businesses than the practice.

My new GP Practice
All the staff are far more helpful and professional.
The operational aspects are fit for purpose and the receptionists are polite (they still call people love though)

It is honestly as though I have stepped from a dystopian universe into the real world.

The ethos of the GP Partners will seep into the practice. The practice is only as good as those at the top - like any other organisation.

My gp had this service before covid & it worked very well but have abandoned it for the ring up at 8 & wait for an hour to get through.

Nonsense. They are not t'taking it upon themselves'. It is part of their job to get an idea of what kind of appointment you need. It is part of their job; they do what they are told.
In your job, do you refuse to do things you're asked?

In my experience its to decide if you see a dr or nurse and to give them a heads up as to why you are there.

Sorry didn't mean to attach someone else's response! Apologies. I don't know how to delete/edit.

@teksquadI agree. Some of them are downright dangerous. My local GP’s receptionist told me that for skin conditions I needed to go to the pharmacy when I explained that my 3 year old had 40C fever and a rash. No matter how many times I explained my child doesn’t have a skin condition but a sudden rash clearly caused by a virus or bacterial infection, and I wanted to rule out meningitis or anything else serious, she just kept repeating the same thing. The pharmacist just sent me straight back to the GP. Of course by then there were no appointments left - “that’s just what Mondays are like” was the answer, essentially just a shoulder shrug and told to call back tomorrow. Then they wonder why so many people go to A&E (which we did).

Where do 'triage' trained receptionists receive their training?, 111 training for unqualified and qualified personnel is intensive and ongoing, who pays for the training? GP's are notoriously tight fisted, who who supervises them? A doctor/nurse or other professionals in the building cant be interrupted constantly for advice. Thee 111 setup is a system designed specifically for triage, with algorithms and and pathways to follow, and supervision during the shift too expensive for a GP practice, a good receptionist is there to BOOK APPOINTMENTS, be polite and friendly to the public, not an attack dog between patients and the GP, it is rather a low status job and the pay reflects that sadly, they have no power or say whether or not a patient can have an appointment subject to the availability that day/week etc.

Let's just say my old GP Practice paid the receptionists NMW, National Minimum Wage so shy of £9ph. We are very close to London (last London phone no, first Surrey Post code close). The London Living Wage is £13.85 ph.

I pay my cleaner £16.50 ph.

It's hardly surprising GP practices have difficulty hiring staff.

Just as I said, low paid, low status, the pay as you say is NMW, and unfortunately in many instances doesn't always attract high quality applicants, as I mentioned GP's are notoriously tight fisted, IMO the practice ought to invest in higher quality front line staff ie receptionists, hopefully that might help overcome some of the difficulties in hiring.

I had that - knew it wasn't a pharmacist situation and had followed all advice on NHS webpages over weekend- sure enough went into pharmacy got seen and they said needed to be seen by GP asap. Got given a form to take to GP - handed that over and got a later afternoon appointment with GP.

Lots more walking for me on a swollen and painful but clearly hit a key word that meant pharmacist first.

At their place of work (in this case the GP surgery), the same place anyone else receives training relevant to their role.

Their employer pays for their training, so they can carry out their job in the way the employer wants it done.

Why do you have the opinion that GP receptionists are going against the wishes of their employers & taking it upon themselves to triage patients? They are doing as they are told to do.

Absolutely right. We are not trained for this and it’s very unfair. We are on minimum wage too. I do not triage as I am not trained in it so if somebody wants an appt. they get one. I do direct people to the pharmacy sometimes as pharmacists can do
more than people realise but if they say they would rather see a GP then that is their right. I do always ask what the problem is so can put them in with the right person though. If they choose not to tell me then I respect that

I didn't say they are 'taking it upon themselves'. I can quite believe that GP receptionists are hired, without any medical qualifications or even Biology A level, and being expected/told to do medical triage as part of their job role at some GP practices. What I am saying is that:

• I do not support this
• It is wrong
• It is potentially dangerous
• It is unfair on patients to have to discuss their medical symptoms with unqualified reception staff who have not had specific triage training and do not sign up to professional code of conducts that nurses and doctors do
• It is not fair on unqualified admin staff who will feel awful when they advise someone incorrectly and that person dies or suffers medical harm as a result
• It is a sign of a poorly run GP practice - not all GPs force their receptionists to make medical triage decisions

I hope that is clear. I get that this will get GP receptionists backs up, as you do a tough job, in often difficult circumstances. But ask yourself this honestly. Did you study for many years for this role? Have you pored over medical text books? Have you been tested against external standards? Have you been trained in medical ethics? If the answer is no, you are not qualified or appropriate to make medical decsions on who needs or doesn't need particular types of medical care, no matter how annoying the patient/customer is.

If you do want to be involved in that way, become a medic. One of the GP receptionists at my GPs who was very helpful is now a qualified midwife after doing the receptionist admin job after school for a few years not knowing what she wanted to do.

I dint think anyine dusagree with that.

What a lot of people, me included, disagree with is this idea that after a short training, Theyre qualified enough to do some triage. As shown by the many examples on this thread btw.