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've had a couple of times when I've been offered same day appointments, despite me not knowing I'd need them. One was an itchy mole and the other I had breathing problems.

You mentioned a GP and a nurse. So that’s two different clinicians. They’re also trying to ascertain if it’s urgent or not. Gp today or in two weeks? GP today or A&E? Nurse or local pharmacy?
But of course you know this

Depending on whether the GP practice is part of a group or not, you could be referred to 111, a walk in centre, an urgent treatment centre, a pharmacy or another surgery if they are part of that network

If your surgery is too understaffed to meet your requirements, why don't you register somewhere else or move to a place with better healthcare coverage?

You know, instead of bitterly complaining to a bunch of people who can do nothing to help you

pre screening so that they can direct your appointment to a GP or nurse or HCA, dependent on the problem, and how long you need, or if you need to bring a sample with you or tell you to go to A&E, etc. I always just tell them, they have access to your medical records anyway

No allocating the best GP in my practice - you get who you are given and lump it - and be prepared to wait .... and wait.

Receptionists are told to ask so that they can decide whether you need an appointment with a real doctor or whether they can fob you off with someone else or send you elsewhere.

personally IME of my previous surgery o think it’s so they can play doctor.

I spent 6 weeks trying to get an appointment and the receptionist kept training me as non urgent and ring for regular apt - I did this daily to be told - none. After 6 weeks I went in and begged for a solution to be told “having a headache for 6 weeks isn’t urgent and can wait until we have an appointment and the only way to do that is to call daily at 8am (while trying to get me and my disabled ds out the front door) and hope I get in soon enough. If you think it can’t wait you can always ring 111 for a second opinion”.

I did that and 3 days later I was in front of a GP being told I needed a referral to a neurologist.

The practice manager tried to argue that the receptionist are taught to triage effectively. I suggested their training provider should be switched to one that taught NICE guidelines as part of triage.

But o them switched surgeries and despite having issues with appointments available - that’s a national crisis - the reception staff could t be any more different if they tried. They are friendly and helpful and actually listen.

The receptionist in my practice has, on occasion, got a doctor for me to speak to on the phone when I described the symptoms. I then got an immediate emergency appointment. In my childhood practice the receptions were not particularly helpful but in this practice they go above and beyond to help.

What do 111 do? From what I've heard or read 99% off the time they tell you to go to A&E

This is so unacceptable. The receptionist is basically making a clinical decision by choosing who to send you to. Receptionists are not medically qualified.

If you ring up because you want to see a doctor then that is who you should see. The doctor then makes the decision as to who might be most appropriate to help you.

When I was a gp receptionist, we had a gp with an interest in eyes, another in sports injuries, another who worked one morning a week in ent. We also had a couple who handled women's issues and a couple who had no interest so their knowledge wasn't as up to date in this area.

Our nursing team had individuals with extra training in asthma, diabetes, travel meds. A couple who could prescribe and ran a minor illness clinic every day and would often have appointments left empty because people wouldn't tell me thought it was tonsillitis e.g.

They would miss available appointments whilst waiting for the duty GP to call them between patients, and would then be added to the end of the nurses list, meaning they would often miss lunch.

Talk to your receptionist team for the best pathway for you to receive care. Yes there are failings at the moment, not enough staff or appointments, but they generally know the best person for you to be seen by.

This, well put.

My local surgery is similar with HCA who can do quite a lot of things you might not realise eg giving injections.

When you phone up you actually get a message saying the receptionist will ask you questions, that this is part of their job and that they are bound by the same confidentiality as the others in the surgery.

The receptionist in my practice has, on occasion, got a doctor for me to speak to on the phone when I described the symptoms. - but this still means that she is basically making a clinical decision that she is not qualified to do.

In this instance it worked in your favour, but she could just as easily have made the opposite decision because she is not a clinician.

A couple of months ago I found a lump in breast. I rang the doctors first thing the next day. The receptionist as usual, asked why I needed the the appointment and I was seen the same day a few hours later. Thankfully after going to the hospital for a scan/biopsy its nothing serious. I am very grateful they ask and I got to be seen very quickly!

Its strange really. Once upon a time you just turned up at the surgery and just waited without being cross examined and saw the doctor. Now it's receptionists gatekeeping, phone at 8am to try and get appointments etc and do as much as possible to stop people seeing a doctor.

It's not better and certainly not speeding anything up

Similar with stuff like tongue tie. It used to be regular that a baby born with it had it snipped shortly after birth. Now it's referral here there and everywhere to finally get it done after 7 months. Having had 3 or 4 appointments in the meantime.

Depending on where you are and the time of day, they can get you in to another GP surgery that has specific slots for 111, get you an appointment for OOH, send a medical practitioner if you are housebound (that's a long shot, but it has happened) or, if you need an urgent prescription, triage you and send a prescription to your local pharmacy

If it's afternoon, they will, more than likely, send you to a walk in or urgent treatment centre

I think it is a kind of triage @Eldermileniummam Some people just want say, some sleeping tablets, and they can pass a message on to the GP and get that sorted without the person seeing a GP. (Saves time for the patient and the GP and saves the NHS money.)

Or it may be something a nurse can sort. Sometimes it can be something that the pharmacy/pharmacist can help with, again saving a GP appointment.

If it's very sensitive, it's OK to say 'I'd rather not discuss it sorry because it's rather personal.' I mean, if you book a GP appointment online you don't have to say what it's for. So they won't mind you saying you'd rather not say... GP receptionists aren't monsters and are only doing their job.

I think this is more a symptom of the nightmare of dental care tbh. Loads of people don’t have an NHS dentist, and can’t afford a private emergency dental appointment. Or they do have an NHS dentist, but they’re fully booked with no space for emergencies - I had this, with an impacted molar where I was on the waiting list to have it removed but it sometimes flared up and got infected, so I knew what the issue was. My NHS dentist couldn’t see me as they had no appointments, 111 wouldn’t help as I’m registered with an NHS dentist so sent me back them them. I could afford the private dental fee so I did that. But if I couldn’t, I don’t see why a GP would be massively wrong. I didn’t require dental care, the only thing that was going to help ultimately was it coming out. I just needed the immediate infection treated.

I just had to Google the dental infection issue - there is a shortage of NHS dentists, and many people in this country can't get taken on and also can't afford private care, so I was wondering what on earth they would do. Apparently call 111 and they will refer to an emergency dental hub or send you to A&E.

I’ve been a GP for about 30 years so there’s pretty much nothing I haven’t seen. Our receptionists are pretty good, but every now and then we have a new one who lets things slip through that shouldn’t. I’ve had patients make emergency GP appointments to chase up an outpatient clinic appointment, sign a Blue Badge form, issue a repeat prescription, sign a medical form for a parachute jump, check the use-by date on a box of tablets….and many more issues that really didn’t need an emergency face to face appointment with a doctor.

Hopefully that clarifies for you why receptionists have to ask.

@Fundayout2025 there didn’t used to be as many people in the country, so demand didn’t outstrip supply, like it does now. It’s basic maths. I remember a time when you could probably safely cross the M1 motorway on foot, because traffic was light enough. Now you would get hit by a vehicle straight away. More cars than there used to be. Basic maths.

Ok and what when it works the other way also? I desperately tried to get an appointment with a GP. I told the receptionist about feeling dreadful and abdominal pain. Still refused a doctor appointment. Told to get painkillers OTC In the end taken to hospital to be " told off" for not seeing a doctor earlier. Turns out my appendix has burst, I had a large psoas abcess and sepsis. Spent a month there

If people are angry/horrified by GP receptionists not being medically trained, wait until you find out about 999 call handlers/emergency medical dispatchers!

I never have an issue discussing what I need an appointment for. I don't for a second think that the receptionists are even vaguely interested in gossiping or laughing about whatever is ailing people, it's just part of the job.

GP receptionists have a difficult job and have have asked to do this by the GPs. I promise we're not asking your symptoms because we're nosy bastards.

Certain GPs specialise in certain areas, some things may require a longer appointment, some things may be more suited to an Advanced nurse practitioner, practice nurse or health care assistant, some GPs won't see certain complaints, some health care workers won't take bloods. We might need to tell you to bring in a sample before seeing the Dr. If it's a simple infection the Dr might just prescribe something rather than waste an appointment slot.

Oh, and imagine if I gave the last appointment of the day to the guy with the cold (yes it does happen) and then I get a call about a sick baby that needs seen ASAP. Thankfully at my practice the receptionists aren't the ones responsible for triaging so it's easier for us.

Just let them do their jobs.

I got a message last week that my GP surgery is swapping to this system from 1st July.

I've recently had a receptionist push a calculator in my face arguing that using 6 tablets a day with 168 tablet should last 2 months after a repeat for my meds that are in the toxic category was declined in thethe same query I was told it was a pharmacy issue, then told GP's don't decline meds. Eventually got to the bottom, it's an algorithm related to blood tests for the drug. I managed to remain calm though.

Lol you have clearly not ever worked with the public. I continue to be shocked at how utterly dumb the general population is. Like I've worried for our species that these people breed.