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?

Now they are doing the online forms it’s more private as fridge is on the form not in the go but at A and E I had a sprained, bleeding knee, triage was in front of the whole waiting room no curtain and she said let me see your knee. Of course I had no trousers that pulled up as went straight from accident and everyone would have seen my underwear so that was embarrassing!

I doubt that a man cares about your bladder and urinary tract.

I'm so sorry that you had such a dreadful experience. Talk about insensitive - that was disgraceful behaviour, you should definitely report it.

Because British patients don’t get to select the person they are seeing. We don’t generally have our own GP, own gyno etc. We belong to a practice and they decide who is suitable for the issue at hand. Now, most GPs have online triage where you put it all into a form. I’m not sure why everyone is making appointments in person on this thread as I haven’t ever done that in 20 years. Nor have I made a phone appt but that varies by practice. But yeah, the triage team decides who you see not yourself.

Since childhood all I’ve done when I arrive at the GP is tell them my name and DOB. Now it’s even a touchscreen.

Good grief, how many times does this have to be said - noone is saying they "care". We are saying its a breach of GDPR. Either have GDPR rules or dont but it should be consistent. Some of us want our private stuff kept private and that is our legal fucking right.

I dont give a toss about your personal medical GP notes but I bet you arent going to send them to me (a complete stranger) to have a good old read of your private stuff are you?

🙄

If a patient decides to come into the surgery to discuss their issues at reception they are fully aware that anyone can hear. A patient can ask to discuss something in a private space but may need to wait until a) a room is available or b) another member of staff comes along.

If its private - ring!

It isnt a breach of GDPR if the patient chooses to come into a public waiting area and speak to a receptionist about their issues. They know its a public space - they chose to discuss their issues.

If two members of staff are talking about a patient in front of other patients - thats a breach of GDPR.

Good for you. You do not have to tell a doctors receptionist what your issue is, it isn't a legal requirement they can enforce. Well done to you

Accept she doesn’t sound mentally capable to make those decisions at the moment.

They are just body parts.

Yes I think there are better ways of doing things.
When they call you to discuss results or book a follow-up. They could say ‘morning this is the doctors surgery could you please confirm your name and DOB so that I can tell you your results.
My nans in hospital and if I ask questions they ask who I am etc but then discuss her medical issues with my mum in front of all the strangers on the ward.
As you’ve said OP, it isn’t discreet and it isn’t really acceptable, if I go to A&E I also have to discuss with a receptionist what the issue is, in front of a room full of people! I took my DD in 5 years ago in an absolute urgent state, handed her a letter from the doctors which stated what was wrong and that it was urgent, she didn’t either bother to read it and made me, a distressed parent explain the issue (which at the time I didn’t understand myself), the receptionist clearly didn’t have a clue either as put us in line to be seen in the order we’d arrived, whilst my DD was experiencing a life threatening condition the other kids were climbing over furniture and running around… clearly no that poorly.. and we sat listening to the receptionist telling the others how she’d had her hair cut recently and wasn’t happy with it… thankfully my best friend called the children’s ward and asked if my DD could be seen urgently and one of them called down to triage who came out and grabbed us… otherwise I dread to think how long we would have waited in that room… or if my DD would have even made it - her condition really was time critical !!
anyway I’ve spent many a time stood in either a doctors or pharmacy questioning why I’m giving out my name, DOB & address so publicly!
and while I’m fine telling the receptionist I have a UTI or need a HRT review etc… there are certain things I wouldn’t want to discuss openly. I believe our surgery has a room which is available on request.
But yes I also think some receptionists overstep… I phoned up once and asked to see a doctor as my DD had a rash across her stomach. The receptionist (who likely has no medical training) started saying it could be measles or mumps (can’t remember which) sent me into a panic!!! She was talking about putting us in an isolation room rather than the main waiting room…. THEN she asked if DD was up on her MMR vaccines, which she was, and then she said “oh you’re safe then!”… i was pretty annoyed…. The first thing she should’ve asked, or even looked up on the screen in front of her was whether my DD had her vaccines up to date!! Rather than distress a parent who was already worried enough to be calling the GP..

maybe they need to introduce a system where you collect a sheet, fill out your personal info and what you need and hand it to receptionist ..

Of course he doesn't care. That is obvious.

The issue is talking about private medical details in a public place. I do not want some Tom, Dick or Harry knowing about what I want to see the doctor about.

Everybody deserves to be treated with dignity when it comes to their medical problems.

I think there could be a better system. It would be better if they could go to a closed room/cubicle, similar to how most pharmacies now do, to discuss personal information. My GP takes some inquiries in a separate office, more when you're discussing admin or test results than booking an appointment. I've been asked to step outside and ring them when they once wanted to discuss things, as they don't like to discuss at the counter.
Most people at mine use the tablet check-in, so I would imagine the receptionist could go into a separate room briefly if they needed to, as we don't have the long queues we used to have.

The one at my practice is often broken, you walk in and try to use it, then have to go back out and queue to tell the receptionist you have arrived for your appointment.

If they're 'just body parts', why don't GPs conduct consultations in the waiting room?

And your bank details? - theyre just numbers!

Geez are people really this dense 🙄

Sury the care quality commission check that staff cannot be overhead at the front desk, that there is a room for a more private conversation and that personal information is kept as limited as possible in public areas? It was a thing when I was a practice manager in Dorset.

Not really comparable. Nobody is listening out for your medical details to steal your spleen.

So because you dont care about your "body parts" noone else should be allowed to?

everyone has to be exactly like you?

What an awful world that would be

Are you often very paranoid that people are listening closely to your medical ailments?

Our surgery has the touch screen to let them know you've arrived - you tap month of birth then day then first letter of your surname and that seems to be enough to have you recognised and signed in. I suppose if there's someone else on the surgery's patient list with the same details they'd pop up with another identifier.

The problem is when you have to ask about something at reception. They always ask for d.o.b. and if someone's lurking behind me I ask for some paper to write it down. You'd think they'd keep a pen and pad there for this. I've learnt not to go to the doctor's without my last script so I can just present that and has everything they need to know including NHS number. The pharmacy I tend to just say my street name but not the number and they seem happy enough with that.

She wouldn't be thinking rationally if she is indeed having a nervous breakdown.
She should get some privacy bless her.

I wrote the same post 6 months ago. Plus I don’t want to tell someone not medically qualified my personal information.

Great idea. I would not think you were nuts at all (I'm a GP receptionist).

It would be ideal to have booths for everyone. While able to check in on a screen it is indeed embarrassing when you need to talk to a receptionist privately.

It's not "paranoid" to want your medical information to remain private.

If you genuinely think that's paranoia, it's worth asking why medical records are subject to strict legal protections under GDPR in the first place.

And if you really believe those protections are excessive, perhaps you should take that up with the Information Commissioner's Office and suggest they scrap the legislation because it's all just "paranoia." I am sure they will take you seriously.