Rude gps

[mumma224]

Why are gp receptionists so rude? And why do we just act like that’s standard? Every time I’ve called up recently I’ve been met with some condescending women acting as if me calling up is inconvenient for her. I don’t want to hear nothing about how awful they get treated because to be honest, I don’t feel like being so polite after I am instantly met with rudeness from them. It’s at the point where I get stressed whenever I need to call up.
I get the job is stressful yes but retail workers, others in customer facing jobs, we don’t get to treat customers like crap just because we can’t emotionally handle the job and everything that comes with it.

You are misunderstanding I don't mind them asking for a reason but sometimes they take it in their hands to go way beyond their remit.
I think possibly some people haven't experienced these kinds of receptionists and so don't realize that they are out there. . I have also defended rerceptionists on this thread and I am well aware that there are plenty of good ones

Because I only have this problem with GP receptionists?😂 not receptions as a whole.

Only had a couple of exchanges with difficult receptionists and, usually after the fact, I tend to realise that I was being a bit brusque or had unrealistic expectations of what they could offer me. Mostly I find they are really helpful and if I just preface a moaning call (waited in the queue for 48 mins last week) with ‘this really isn’t directed at you but I am soooo frustrated and would appreciate your help’, it usually smooths things over.

At least you can call your surgery and speak to a receptionist. All calls to my doctors surgery, which is on the East Sussex coast (as am I) go to a call centre in Manchester. It is impossible to speak to anyone at the surgery.

Maybe you are the issue.

IME They are generally assertive in their gatekeeping but that will be what the practice has told them to do. They work for the practice and it isn’t a customer service job. Your retail analogy is perhaps why the interaction goes wrong. They won’t apply the customer is always right principle.

ours are lovely / you are wrong to generalise

Ours have been pretty good over the few years. I've told them I didn't want an appointment with a GP, I just wanted referrals and they've done that twice. Once with an existing condition they had on my file and once with wanting a hearing test.

More recently I had a problem with my back and the receptionist got the doctor to ring and he prescribed for me without seeing me. She rang back to confirm I'd spoken to him too - I was impressed.

I've had some rubbish ones too and overheard some proper nasty shouting from one at someone who was a couple of minutes late. Which annoyed me as the GP I was waiting for was 40 minutes behind.

Our GP surgery has stats and many posters around the walls.
For every 50 appointments 7 don't turn up.
For every 50 appointment time slots available there are 289 requests.

Blood tests do not require a doctor.
Screening does not require a doctor.
Diabetes clinic does not require a doctors appointment.
You can self refer to NHS physio.
Tooth and mouth issues require a dentist.
We have no equipment to take foreign bodies out of eyes... see your optician.
Sexual health and contraception are dealt with at clinic x
Your pharmacist can deal with these 7 conditions... And advise on many others.

I'm guessing the receptionists are fed up of telling people that if they don't indicate the general issue, they need to mention all the above!

Oh come on OP, surely you know they have to ask more details so that they can make sure you get the right sort of appointment. There are signs all over my GP surgery reminding people of this. Has your surgery not moved over to online booking? Just be aware, if they have, you need to give the details of what’s wrong.

Ehhh they have this reputation for a reason. There must also be reasons why they’re always pissed, though, so most of us have some sympathy. Having to deal with unpleasant people over the phone is horrible and probably sets them in a bad mood.

Same!

Eats shoots leaves.

It’s a stressful job they usually do burn out, it’s min wage, they get a lot of abuse, not even occasionally - most of the day. I don’t think it’s as easy to say just go get a new job when it’s min wage…really? GP receptionist hours often suits people who can’t work in retail. Retail hours are really shit. You can’t compare retail with healthcare AT ALL because someone being a bit rude about a trolley or some bread is not the same as someone screaming at you about their unwell elderly parent, the context is completely different, it’s not emotive and deeply personal in Aldi is it? Patients are afraid they might die and get abusive and threads like this perpetuate how it’s acceptable to speak to GP receptionists badly because they deserve it.

The most I have spoken to are just quite firm and have clear boundaries and limitations of their role - they are not there to ask you if you had a lovely Holiday, it’s not the hairdressers. Just tell them what you need and get the info. Plus people speak to them as if they are mini GP’s and expect them to know everything when they do not, and blame them for things they don’t do.

This! My mum used to be a gp receptionist. She didn't originally apply for this, but for an admin role at a GP's processing referrals, test results etc. But the receptionist left and she was told she had to go on reception whilst they were recruiting.
You literally couldn't meet a more mild mannered polite person as my mum, but she got horrendous abuse. Yes they act as a gatekeeper to the GP, as the GP is their boss and thsts what they were told to do. If someone came late, she would send an instant message to GP 'Mr Smith has arrived late, I can see a cancellation at 3.30, can I ask him to come back then'. GP would say no and she would get an earful blaming her when it wasn't her decision.

I'm also a health professional. In my clinic yesterday I had 5 out of 15 arrive late. The letter clearly states that wont be seen if arrives more than 10 mins late, I had patients shouting at our receptionist when they arrived over 45 mins late and told couldn't be seen. If people call to inform us we try to juggle things around if possible and see another patient early and see the late one in next slot, but if they don't let us know, we can't even try to see them.

As a HCP I have experienced so much abuse. I get people are anxious and vunerable, and I have had a few apologise at next appt for their prior behaviour. But there are some who repeatedly behave badly and a couple we have had to ban from our premises for being physically aggressive.

I saw are comment regarding if patient 1 is rude then it OK to be rude back, but not for any of this to influence patient 2. We try not to, but we are human. Can you say that you have never let one interaction affect the next one?

I also think I have a different threshold for the meaning of rude. If I call up and get a functional person to talk to, that’s all I am asking for. If someone starts calling me a cunt down the phone for no reason, that's ‘rude’ but their tone of voice has no bearing on me. I know I’m not being rude (energy matches energy a lot of the time) so I keep my cool and ask what I need, say thanks and go. I wouldn’t say being firm and functional giving out info is rude in any way so what action would you like practice managers to take?

GP receptionists aren’t providing customer service. They’re funnelling people to the appropriate care, and the resources are very finite.
And being direct (and blunt) is more efficient than giving people what they want, rather than what they need .
Of course there are always accounts of people who knew better than the receptionist’s triage process and were mardy sods (who then had a knock on effect that impacted on another 14 people) but were ‘proved right’ / but I bet the other times they were difficult at the receptionist the receptionist would have been right to turn them away.

The last two gp practises I have signed up to the receptionists have been really nice (though abrupt/stressed when busy) but I have had a few like you are talking about. I've had quite a few who speak in a stern tone and act like everyone who calls is a hypochondriac so you have to convince them to let you see the doctor and when they do give you an appointment they tell you in a cross tone how they had to squeeze you in and how it has really put them out! It's like the power of being an appointment gatekeeper has gone to their heads!

I had one who was outright unprofessional and rude - eye rolls when I went to the desk and "oh it's you again" in a condescending tone. On one occasion she told the doctor I was waiting, did her customary eye roll and sniggered. I changed gp after that as I felt the whole exchange was unprofessional, bordering on misconduct and made me feel very uncomfortable - to this day I do not know if the gp was talking about patients to her receptionist. New gp and receptionists were all lovely and put me on to the relevant specialists who sorted my issues!

I’ve recently moved from an excellent practice to another and both have had amazing and brilliant staff across the board.

Two things spring to mind. Firstly the ethos of the whole practice. If the management is positive, proactive and looks after the staff then the whole atmosphere is different and more positive.

Secondly you may find that using a practice that books appointments via an online form suits you better. Ours is excellent and assesses and triages the forms straight away ( I believe one of the GPs is responsible for this each morning).

So it’s very possible to find charming and helpful staff but sounds as if you’ve been unlucky or would suit a different system.

Maybe you could have put that in your title instead of slating the doctors

They aren't all rude, usually if the surgery is in a rough and stressful area (lots of anti social behaviours) you will find an abrupt and stern receptionist because the nice ones the patients will walk allover her and because the surgery manager hires ones who are rude and encourage them to be bolshy if thats how you spell it.. they are like a cushioning buffer to absorb the conflict and manage patients expectations so that when you finally see the GP you're worn down ans grateful to any civility.

The receptionists at my surgery are all lovely and helpful. So it’s not all.

And your title says GPs. Are you having a go at them too?

So why is it called "rude GPs" and not "rude GP receptionists?"

Ours are absolutely lovely and go out of their way to help.

I became a gp receptionist specifically because of the high pay and the uniform. I find I’m like Mary Poppins after a 10 hour shift of listening to impossible to answer questions and scrabbling around for appointments.

To be fair most patients are lovely, but the mental load is hard. I’ve regularly cried after a long shift.

At my last practice, a lot of the reception staff were rude and to be honest it felt sometimes like they were deliberately making things difficult. They also attempted to triage before actual triaging which I felt was out of order. At my new (more than five years!) practice it could not be more different. They are kind, helpful and honestly go out of their way to make things easier, even during Covid when things were naturally more stressful.

The problem with ours unfortunately is their level of spoken/understanding English is awful. You have to repeat yourself constantly and I've had a few wrong prescriptions. It does make them sound rude at times.