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.

Don’t most people know that?
( Actually I suppose if someone had a tooth abcess and couldn’t get a dentist appointment a GP could prescribe antibiotics and painkillers while the patient waited for the dental appointment and it would avoid them going to A and E in intense pain but I digress)
The receptionist could just say is it for vision or tooth problems if the answer is no then make an appointment?

It is very unlikely that theyre asking for sensitive information that isn’t prompted as part of their protocols.

Very very few practices these days run on a model whereby the receptionist decides what to ask for when people ring up with enquiries. There are generally flowcharts or protocols for them to follow, with defined questions and responses.

Most calls are also recorded. Data protection is taken incredibly seriously. So if sensitive information is being asked for it’s either:

• within their protocols (so they've been told to ask, rather than they as an individual have decided they’re entitled to know)
• them breaching data protection requirements (Theyre requested sensitive information they have no valid purpose to request).

The latter is a serious issue for the practice, which is why they tend to use flow charts and prompt scripts.

They wouldn’t have had an appointment to book you into in order to speak to the GP but are able to send them tasks/messages with some information. It is then up to the GP whether they need to discuss it further with you, as they did on this occasion. Receptionist did exactly the right thing here.
If every patient who “just wanted a quick word with the doctor” was able to be put through or given an appointment, nothing would work!

The point is they acted like I definitely wasn't going to be able to have a discussion but I knew (because my knowledge of my rare condition is infinitely greater than theirs) that the GP would need to chat to correct the note. All sge needed to say was she would pass on my request. She didn't have to promise a call but she was acting outside her knowledge and authority to say the GP "definitely wouldn't" call. It's that bumped up idea of their power and knowledge that some receptionists have that is problematic

The ones at the surgery I go to are lovely. Some of the GPs on the other hand aren't.

In my particular example I needed a skin lesion examined. The GP I saw could do a visual examination but wasn't trained to use the magnifying equipment. So I had to be rebooked with someone else.
Some GPs can insert coils, others can't.
Every GP does core training and then some go on to complete separate training in various specialties in addition to their GP role.

Me too.

I’ve always had a mixture…some are definitely rude for no reason at all though…like you politely ask to make an appointment and they are so snappy and tut etc.
My local Asda has a woman that always works customer service desk and she is legit the rudest person I’ve ever met…to the point that it really makes me want to giggle when I speak to her 😂 I’m always extra extra polite to her to see if it makes a difference but she just cannot be nice back. Im determined to crack her one day!

This is partly the issue I had this morning. I called up for some medical information about my daughter, that I knew they had as I had been given it less than a year prior. They told me they don’t hold them and that I must be lying about being given them before. The second you question their knowledge they turn patronising and condescending, it’s infuriating. Reality is they just can’t be arsed to do their job.

Oh ok. Fair enough. I’d see a gynecologist for a coil and a gp then a dermatologist for skin I suppose. It’s good that that’s available but it does mean GP’s have alot of work .

This is the issue I have with them, it’s uncalled for. I can completely understand a receptionist being rude to someone who is being rude to them, but my experience 85% of the time has been them having attitude and acting like I’m an inconvenience before they even know why I’m calling. And then that attitude and annoyance is even more apparent when they find out what I’m calling for.

You will need to be referred to the specialist via GP so they have to assess whether you meet the referral criteria. I don't think gynea fit coils at all nowadays. Your local sexual clinic might but not always. But the issue is that you can't self-refer to specialty and also there are lengthy waiting lists so GPs are very busy indeed.

I’m in France so would go straight to gynecologist ( need to book a month or two in advance)

The GP staff at my group have been amazing in the last 6 months or so, dealing with 5 requests for a flu jab, prescription requests, immunisation requests, sharps collection etc. it's almost like they listened when I reported the practice group to the care quality commission for one of them having a huffy tantrum last year rather than explain nicely. (I've seen the lady since and she couldn't have been more lovely, personable and smiley)

Most of the receptionists at my surgery are rude. I go to a few different surgeries with my son for occupational appts and often stand there waiting to ask a question or let them know we have arrived while they type something and it takes them a minute or two to even look up. I think that it is rude and it wouldn’t hurt them to say ‘I will be with you in a moment, I’m just doing x.y,z’ they have these automated recordings now about how they will not tolerate abuse etc (quite right) and I believe it makes them feel invincible, I think they consider it abuse when someone quite rightly is annoyed that their prescription wasn’t processed as promised or something along those lines when actually we have every right to be annoyed by that and vocalise that. Like you say, there are plenty of jobs where you have to deal with rude customers and remain polite and professional, I don’t know why they feel they are exempt from that. I think because it is the NHS they believe it’s not a paid service but most of us are paying our taxes and NI so whilst we are lucky to have a NHS it isn’t entirely free. I have complained to the surgery manager before and received an apology about a rude GP so I would complain if they were definitely out of order. As a previous poster said our surgery has 1 star on Google reviews 😂 you’re always going to get people saying that the receptionists are abused but assuming you’re like me - completely polite the we don’t deserve to be treated poorly just because the receptionists are disillusioned.

I understand triaging and I imagine they are trained to triage - great. However, our GP’s never know why you are there despite telling the receptionist 😂

It’s not just receptionists. I had a GP write on my notes a couple of weeks ago that I was ‘paranoid’ about a type of cancer returning when my oncologist has thought it has at least 3 times and is the process of ruling it out again at the moment! I phoned and complained saying this needed to be removed from said notes. The surgery took it seriously enough they made him call me. He genuinely said to me that if he had to remove this he would have to explain why. I think he wanted me to feel sorry and say it wasn’t necessary. Unfortunately for him my response was ‘Well yes I would expect nothing less and maybe you won’t be so insulting again’. (Sorry, absolutely not sorry).

I agree with this 1000%, everything you’ve said. I also believe a lot of the so called abuse wouldn’t happen if they just simply did their job. They don’t provide the services they claim too and people are tired of dealing with the incompetence. I’m like you, I am polite, even when they’re not, I don’t do confrontation. I don’t have this problem with any other service, which is probably why I find it sooo bizarre that we all just seem to turn a blind eye to it.

Ive never had a rude receptionist at my practice.

Wonder if you're at the same one as me! Or if OP is right and it's just the norm. Now everywhere is getting something like Patchs this might change. But there needs to be more change of the whole system. There's so many more people in my area yet fewer doctors than ever here.

And how do you know what their job is?

Given Youre not their boss, or ever seem to have considered applying for the role.

As long as everyone can work out how to use patch especially the elderly.

I think it is one of those things where reputations are such that potentially good receptionists never consider it as a job. Then you add in the way the NHS has been run down over the years, the people who won't take basic steps to help their own health, those whose issues are self inflicted, and it all adds up.

Me neither. Perhaps they won’t or can’t do exactly what OP wants, or she speaks rudely to them.

Agree completely. It’s so depressing