Why aren’t doctor’s receptionists more discrete?

[BakedPotatoBeansCheeseColeslaw]

I’m waiting in the doctor's surgery this morning for something routine.

I woman has turned up wailing that she doesn’t feel very well and asking to see a doctor. The receptionist is doing the “triage” with her but it is extremely public. The woman herself is extremely loud but she’s clearly not mentally very well as she has announced to the room that she thinks she is having a nervous breakdown. However the woman on reception is practically shouting the questions.

I know this woman’s name, date of birth, first line of address and what medication she is currently taking. It’s all very embarrassing.

AIBU to think if doctor’s receptionists are going to ask questions about your medical problem, they should do so privately and not to a room full of patients?

HUGE breach of GDPR. You should raise it with the practice manager.
I don't know why we all put up with this treatment - it's awful!

This. Even as a kid when I would go doctors, whilst waiting at reception, I would know everything about the person that is signing into the doctors, name, dob, address, reason for coming and personal questions, as a kid I used to think where is the privacy! Even at the pharmacy when we have to say our whole address out loud before collecting the medication, everyone waiting can hear too! So Yh thanks now they all know where I live, the exact house!

Blame the system, not the receptionist.
Yes, but that doesn't make it ok.

I suppose the priority is triage and not privacy.
Triage should be done privately. And NOT by the (non medically trained) receptionist.

The receptionist asked why I wanted to see the doctor.
And the answer to that is "it's private".

Date of birth is sufficient. In the rare cases where another patient has exactly the same DOB, then find another way of identifying them.

The woman who works in our local pharmacy is a really annoying gatekeeper if you ask to speak to the pharmacist. The pharmacy is inside a big Tesco and it’s always very busy with a big queue of people waiting. I had recently had a UTI and was suffering with vaginal soreness afterward and needed to speak to the pharmacist but the lady insisted on wanting to know why, she was asking me repeatedly in a loud voice so eventually I matched her volume and said “I’ve had a UTI and now I’ve got a very sore vagina!” She got the message after that and put me in a private room with the pharmacist!

If she is having a breakdown how can she moderate her behaviour in severe mental stress you heartless cow.

A notice above the reception desk advising that if you prefer to speak privately please tell us.
There are always unused rooms in our surgery,although that might not always be the case.
Or maybe a paper triage form to hand in?

Yes it always shocks me that they just ask you personal questions in front of people. I had it recently in a pharmacy I had to be really adamant to go in the private consultation room - and even then they left the door open which I went and closed myself.
I also had it in a&e.. who actually refused to close the consultation door when I asked. So I'm almost trying to whisper my problems to protect my privacy. It feels a bit humiliating actually.

I was in hospital being kept in the dark after a 10 hour wait for emergency surgery (this is not a pop at the NHS)

I heard the ward manager behind the curtain talking about me in a lot more detail than anyone else had all day. I said ‘boardwalk behind the blue curtain can hear you could you speak to me please’

the ward manager said ‘I’m not speaking to you, you can’t hear me because you are behind the curtain’ and laughed then came to speak to me

Would someone having a nervous breakdown be fully able to ‘moderate her own behaviour’? Or could she just be thinking she needs to get help and not thinking properly

That isn’t the patient’s problem to solve.

My GP practice has never required patients to tell the receptionist why they want to see the doctor, so I appear to be fortunate. This has always been the case, although it is even less likely now, as we have to contact the practice online (through PATCHS) first, and then may have the problem sorted out by email or phone rather than needing a face to face appointment.

I've heard about less satisfactory procedures in other practices, though; one colleague told me about being present when the receptionist insisted that a patient must explain the reason for seeing the doctor . Poor man was obliged to let the whole room know that he "couldn't get it up". No-one should be forced to divulge very personal information like that.

Everyone who arrives at my surgury already has an appointment with a named doctor or nurse- I live near the centre of London and i have never had a surgury with a sexual health nurse or one that just does bloods, that happens at a poly clinic not your GP- my partner has asthma and whenever he goes to have a review he already has an appointment with the asthma nurse- your point really doesn't hold.

People die of embarrassment due to GP receptionists. Bring on the day they are replaced by robots.

Years ago, my mum was registered with a small practice of just 2 doctors. No appointments, no receptionists. If you wanted to see the doctor, you just tuned up during surgery times and waited your turn. It worked brilliantly, such a calm atmosphere and all the waiting patients knew who was next so no arguments.

Or a polyreceptionist....

Ai will take away their jobs

I don’t understand why such information has to be discussed with the receptionist 🤷‍♀️ I’m in France. When I need to make a rdv with the doctor, I go online and select the date and time I want. The only info I have to give is whether it’s adult / child / gynaecological rdv. When I go to the rdv. I just tell the receptionist which dr I’m meeting and the time of the rdv. Then I wait in the waiting room (separate room) for the dr to call me. The dr deals with everything in the privacy of the consulting room whether it’s follow up rdv, blood tests, letters of referral etc.

At the pharmacy, most have dividers up to make individual cubicles, so there is a measure of privacy. Each customer is served before the next one is dealt with, so there’s no hanging around in the pharmacy until your order is ready - you stay at in your own cubicle until all your business is concluded. But that’s very French, there’s no expectation to speed things up for other customers, they deal with one person at a time.

In my area ALL GP surgeries have a screen to check in, all you need is your date of birth and there are language options, no need to talk to anyone. There are exceptions of course, if you're too early or if you're late you have to see the receptionist

That did not happen …

🤣

Dont most surgeries have a screen you can input your info on arrival?

Well firstly, there is always more than 1 receptionist in my doctors surgery. There are 3 so there goes your first point.

Secondly even if there were just one - why does there have to be a queue so you can hear what the person directly in front of you is saying? that isnt "helping" the sole receptionist either is it? people could queue over to the side or sit in the waiting room so only one person goes and speaks to the receptionist alone at a time with noone directly behind them - there you go- fixed that for you too. Thats an easy solution.

I love it when people try to create problems that are very easily solvable just because they want to appear "right".

If more people complained to the Information commissioners office for breach of data protection ( divulging personal data) then something might be done. At the moment because no one complains,- and we all know NHS is stretched- nothing going to be done about it. The main alternative is to do most triaging and appointments on line on line, or at least over the phone.

Reminds me of when we returned from three years in Australia; went to my previous UK surgery to book a smear test.
In front of a very busy waiting area the receptionist asked very loudly "And are you still having periods?" ...