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.

Oh well I must be so stupid then. The last time I tried to get an appointment was burst appendix/ sepsis / psoas abcess ( all together) that the much more knowledgeable receptionist told me that I can buy painkillers OTC. That was 8 years ago. The appointment before was 3 years previously for cellulitis.( Did actually get seen that time)

So I suppose my one appointment 11 years ago plus an attempt to see the GP 8 years ago is the reason the "system" exists as it goes?

Because most toothache isn't a raging infection and doesn't require antibiotics, and GPs have no training in diagnosing dental infections/problems. Even a raging infection is best managed with drainage or extraction/dressing a tooth alongside antibiotics. And it's not a comment on you, more on the lazy NHS dentist who took money for an emergency appointment, claimed you needed immediate treatment and did nothing about it.

If you have a obvious infection (swelling, temperature) and there's no available emergency dental appointments then yes the GP is better than waiting to get sepsis. But GPs aren't actually qualified to provide antibiotics for a dental infection

I say "for an ongoing issue" and that works. They have never asked a follow up question to that and I've always been given an appointment.

Why would you be trying to get a gp appointment for any of that you need a&e

No health system is "utopia" including Australia. I live in the Sydney region and know health services are much more challenging in the regions or outback without the same amount of doctors.

Universal health services like the NHS or Australia or Spain (the two countries I have experience with) are a bottomless pit of money because providing health to everyone fairly, takes billions of money every year. The older our population gets, the more money it's needed.

One of the things I think the Australian health system works is because is a hybrid. It's a combination of public and private. Many GPs will charge a fee, many others will not. A first visit to a specialist is expensive - around $300. But follow ups, specially if there is a chronic condition, is often bulk billed. Pensioners and disabled are mostly bulk billed with GPs and after initial consultation, same with the specialists.

And if you are not happy with your GP, you go to another. The system offers complete freedom to get the doctor and fees, or lack of them, as you want.

Because I didn't KNOW I needed A&E obviously. After all if the receptionist tells me to get OTC painkillers then why would next stop be A&E seeing as it wasn't considered bad enough to see a doctor.?

And when you are very ill you don't have the energy to be battling people to get healthcare. I did end up in A&E in the end. Don't remember much about it apart from the fact they were shouting amongst themselves about my blood pressure dropping

What are you paying your non medically trained receptionists to do your triage? Are you insuring them against claims if they make a mistake and turn away a patient who turns out to be urgent?

Our practice uses GPs to triage on a call back basis. Amazingly they find that most patients do in fact know if they want to make an appointment for one of the regular clinics (smears, wound dressing, diabetes etc) and that having someone qualified on triage saves the practice and the patients time money.

*Hippobot · Today 11:13

I say "for an ongoing issue" and that works. They have never asked a follow up question to that and I've always been given an appointment.

But what if its not an ongoing issue and it can be resolved quickly by seeing a nurse, possibly the same morning rather than waiting a week or more for a doctor? Wouldn't you prefer that? I would.

But you know your own body if your very ill you know a gp will not be able to help. The receptionist will assume like most people if its that severe you wouldn't be wasting your time ringing a gp you would just go to hospital. Yes she gave you the wrong information but you was contacting the wrong service. People are human and will make mistakes but you also need to take responsibility for yourself and not just sit at home dying because one person told you wrong information.

I know there is a bit of a stereotype of the nosy, bossy dragon as receptionist, but this is for me anyway, rare. (The one I did encounter was appalling).
So I don't mind telling them briefly, and also how it is affecting me.

I have no problem telling them about it (although we do live in a rural community where everyone knows everyone else - including the receptionists - or is related to everyone else!) but I am questioning their ability to make what are medical triage decisions.

By the way, whilst expressing my dissatisfaction with the current system I also feel very sorry for the doctors trying to work in this system. I am not blaming them.

And I also feel sorry for the receptionists being put in a position where they are being asked to make decisions outwith their skill set and knowledge.

One of our receptionists is a wee lass barely out of school - she is tentative and hesitant and wary. She should not be in this position.

If it’s gynaecological, I just say that. They never pry further. Only once did the new receptionist ask to elaborate.

I knew I didn't feel well and had abdominal pain. I didn't know what was causing it That could've been a stomach virus, infection or even constipation amongst other things surely. And seeing as we are all too stupid to know when we need to see a doctor how do you expect us to self diagnose?

Whereas the receptionist is supposed to be able to refer you to the right service. She was obviously wrong. But still you are making excuses for her,

Yesterday, I had to explain to a woman, a perfectly average, intelligent seeming woman, up to this point, that we could not fit flooring in her child bedroom with all the furniture, toys and child still in situ.

She honestly thought that we would just work around her daughter playing in there and lay down to reach under the bed. She also asked that the fitters not bring any sharp tools as her toddler was into everything.

Quite how she thought we were going to cut wood flooring without a saw is beyond me.

She is not even the stupidest person I have dealt with. Never assume that anyone is blessed with an abundance of brain cells.

If you’re on minimum wage that’s down to the gp’s that employ you as gp practices are run as a business now.
Hence pushing my 94 year old df to go on statins that he doesn’t want or need.

It’s because some GO’s specialise in certain fields so they can put you in with the right person

How are the GPs benefitting from putting your dad on medication?

Actually, until the NHS was so overstretched, someone in severe pain would usually get a home visit from a gp who would decide if the patient needed an ambulance.

Dd’s gp refused to listen to dgc chest because he was only 6 weeks old and told the receptionist to direct dd to A&E! Ridiculous.

The call handlers at 111 aren't medically trained either, but we tell them our problems in order to be triaged and directed to the right services. I don't see the receptionists at the GP as being any different really.

In terms of people saying they're jumped up or above their station, they are doing the job they're employed to do, you might not like the system for whatever reason, but it's certainly not like they're taking it upon themselves to ask questions they aren't permitted to.

My biggest frustration with GP surgeries (or mine at least) is the inability to book non urgent appointments in advance. Calling at 8am is no use as at that point it's too late organise leaving work to go and whatever random time you're allocated 😫

If you feel it's embarrassing all you need to say which problem it is, gynae, bladder, bowel, breast, skin, stomach, head or whichever body part that is the problem. No specific detail needed. I'm a GP Receptionist and I'd be fine about this but if any further info needed I would ask and you would only need to say yes or no. Eg bladder - burning on urination, frequency? Bowel, diarrhoea, constipation, bleeding? Or would type in "did not want to discuss in further detail". Can't speak for all GP Receptionists though.

GPs like a bit of info just in case it needs to be directed elsewhere or they know when you could be placed on their triage calls.

You are lucky not to employ a nurse practitioner who can diagnose my Brachial Neuritis as Epicondylitis, lateral or medial not specified!

At the surgery I work at we have nurse practioners who can prescribe but tend to see less 'complicated' problems, we have mental health workers, we have advanced physiotherapists who can assess and treat musculoskeletal problems, we have pharmacists, we have nurses, we have social prescribers and we have patients who want to see a GP for reasons which don't require a GP eg a sick note that could be done with an econsult/wanting a referral or support letter that the receptionists know that the GP is not able to give/a dental issue. Worse you might get people coming to the front desk half dying of a heart attack who needs an ambulance. How on earth is the receptionist meant to give appropriate advice if they don't ask you the reason for the appointment?!

The alternative is that receptionists allocate appointments indiscriminately. The GP's massively oversubscribed clinic list is frustratingly full of people who can't be helped or could have been helped by another clinician. The other very competent clinicians don't fill their slots because patients aren't actually aware that they are there and the man who came in at 9am with chest pain is dead by the time his 3pm appointment comes around because he should've been asked to call 999.

The alternative is that a doctor/nurse is employed to triage all appointment requests but this would be much more costly.

I think the real question you should be asking is what kind of an angel would want to take on the risk and abuse that receptionists do for the pay that they receive?

seriously???? I mean seriously???

Doi dr

• Helps the Dr triage urgency. The amount of oldies that deem their issue is routine and would wait weeks... when I've seen them on the day and sent them directly to a&e.

If you say its about my xyz scan... they know to chase it if it's not back, so doesn't waste both your time. Can triage to drs that have specialist areas. Can give you a nurse appt insteas if dont need a dr for the issue. Can ensure chaperone is available