What do GP receptionists ask intrusive questions?

[jeaux90]

AIBU to not expect to tell the receptionist more details? She asked me the nature of the appointment. I said it’s a gynaecological issue, she asked if I could share more information I said no, I’m not comfortable doing that. It wasn’t an emergency appointment and I asked for a female GP. Surely she didn’t need to know anything more?

It's to triage you so the most urgent cases get seen first. A lump would be very different to a bit of thrush.

I suppose it’s to triage how quickly you need to be seen?

If they didn’t ask and it transpires it was urgent then they could be liable in some way. I imagine they genuinely want people with urgent issues to be seen too.

I don’t think they ask for fun.

It's unprofessional of surgeries to put them in that position imo. They are not medically qualified to triage.

The receptionist is under instruction as to what to ask. So don't blame her.

It's a triage system to make sure you see the correct person.
That's all.
They don't need to have medical knowledge because they are likely to be following instructions on the computer screen.
It's their job.

I told the receptionist I’d been having headaches for 6 weeks after going in because I couldn’t ever get an appointment through the phone dash or e consult.

Her “medical” knowledge triaged it as “clearly not urgent as I’d had them for 6 weeks”

111 as advised by receptionist “if I thought it was that urgent” deemed it serious enough to tell GP to refer me to neurology.

I moved surgery and I see my neurologist every 6 months.

So I wouldn’t want to give more info for a GP receptionist to decide on my behalf how urgent it was because that’s what a GP is qualified to do.

Having said that my current GP surgery (I obviously moved after the above debacle!) receptionists are amazing as are all the staff and I’ve just delivered them a gift hamper for Xmas for their staff room as they really do care and show empathy.

I understand it’s for triaging purposes but the issue is we’re expected to disclose potentially sensitive and confidential information to people who are not trained professionals and have no real accountability the way a clinician would.

These people are not medically qualified to carry out triage.

We must have one of these threads at least once a month. Can people really not see why the receptionist needs more detail? ‘I have post menopausal bleeding and need a gynae referral’ is very different to ‘I have very heavy painful periods every month’. I had the former. I was given a telephone appointment with a doctor that day and saw the gynaecologist a couple of weeks later. That would not be necessary for someone with heavy periods each month but may be when the doctor has seen them and taken more detail.

They don’t do the triaging. They obtain the info which they then pass to the clinicians doing the triaging.

Its a cost-saving exercise because they used to have nurses doing the triage. That seemed to stop after covid pandemic.
At least in my local surgery.

This is what I wanted to say. I understand that it’s supposed to be triage and I don’t blame the receptionist, but I find it really difficult being asked to go into detail with someone I know isn’t medically qualified, especially over the phone. It’s not a patient-friendly system and it does create a barrier to treatment for some people (as if there weren’t enough of those already).

To gatekeep appointments on instruction from the GP.

Yabu...they are doing their job. They don't personally want to know all about your gynaecological problems...

No they don't at my surgery. They gatekeep and decide on the spot based on the information you have given them whether or not to give you an appointment that day or in 3 weeks time. That is inappropriate in my mind and why I now exclusively use the online booking system, which does do AI based training properly, and where I don't have to list my symptoms in front of thirty other people in the waiting room to someone who I know love to gossip at the school gates and has no medical or professional qualifications. I know the surgery gives them training but it is not sufficient imo.

I think some surgeries are getting them to input responses into a similar AI bases system now in real time which is probably a bit better than in the past when they were making their own (non qualified)! judgements, but it's still unreasonable to expect you to talk about potentially sensitive, personal or upsetting information in front of random people and to people with no professional code of conduct. What is you were suicidal or had an STD or wanted a termination etc.

@ itsgettingweird -
Think yourself lucky you were able to move. When I tried to change to a different GP’s surgery, I was told that as I was registered with a GP in the same town, I couldn’t move. The surgery I was trying to move to is much nearer where I live: the one I’m registered with used to be opposite my house but has moved a couple of miles away.

I asked for a HRT review.
I didn't get the HRT specialist. But that's fine. I had a doctor who could listen and make a suggestion to try and I can always go back and see someone else (guaranteed to be someone else) if I still need help.

Is that the best use of GP resources?

I think they also put a note for the doctor to see so they can look up any relevant medical history.

It’s now just a fact of life in this miserable country.

If it hasn't already done so, your GP practice will soon be using an online appointment request system. You request will be triaged so you will be expected to fill in forms about the nature and duration of your symptoms.

Ours used to use an awful platform called "Klinik". You could find yourself filling in forms for over half an hour. It's now using SystmConnect which is a less complicated system. Once the forms are filled in they are triaged by staff who have been trained to triage or by a GP or Physician Associate (PA), aided by AI.

If you haven't got access to the internet platform or are too unwell to use it you can phone to request an appointment but the receptionist will still go through the same symptoms and history forms with you on the phone.

As usual first reply nails it!

A lump would be seen by a gp. Itching is seen my an advanced nurse practitioner.

you do realise it’s their job and they are trained and asked to do this.

Thier employer asks them to get this information as part of thier job role. Then the doctor triages it.

My doctors surgery has an faq on this on thier website basically saying stop being horrid to our receptionists, they are doing what we want them to do.

I’m 54. I know a non urgent gynaecological situation from an urgent one. And no, I don’t want to talk about a deeply personal issue over the phone. I want to see a female GP.

They it so that they can help get you to the right person, my surgery needs to book extra time for a smear test, but not for a discussion with a GP which may lead to a referral. Sounds like she was being helpful, not an interrogation.

Again, I’m 54 and know a non urgent gynaecological situation from an urgent one. I explained it was not urgent and that I was happy to wait a week or two for an appointment with a female GP. The clue is in my OP.

Yes my GP has recently switched to this system. It is much better as you list symptoms confidentially at home and decisions are made objectively via qualified people or software. not foolproof but takes the random gatekeeping out of the equation and addresses the privacy concerns.

People not comfortable with the technology or who don't use phones/laptops still have to go in or phone up and run the gauntlet of the reception, but there is more time and space for them as most people are suing the online booking, and the receptionists are also using now as well and just doing it for those people.