To NOT expect doctors receptionist to tell me to come back an hour later as the doctor could not see both my children at the same time?

[notnice]

My doctors have a new phone system which you book appointments through. I booked an appointment for DD2 and then tried to book an appointment for DD1 at the same time - the booking system was playing up. I tried to ring and speak to someone but the phone line was constantly engaged and I needed to make the appointment I had booked. DD2 has a chest infection and is being sick and DD1 has an ear infection. I turned up at the doctors and explained that they both needed to be seen, receptionist told me I'd have to bring DD1 back an hour later which would mean dragging them both home and then out again. I said that the doctor would need to see them both as there is no way I was coming back - she said he could only do this if appointmant available which it was'nt - I said that he WOULD be seeing them both. I am pregnant too BTW. When I went into to see the doctor - he said it was no problem too see them both and was very nice as always. AIBU? I feel bad now even though the receptionist was in the wrong.

no she wasn't in the wrong, but the Doctor was nice to break the rules for you

They have a set time for each person's appointment

If you turned up at 4pm and everything was running an hour late you would be more sympathetic to the receptionist's way of doing things

Speaking as a receptionist, she is probably forbidden from booking appointments for two patients in one.

The doctor was probably nice about it when you got there because it was a done deal and they couldn't exactly be harsh.

The receptionist was probably doing her job, we have strict rules to follow and can get into trouble for not following them I'm afraid!!

I can pretty much guarantee that if you insisted and said they WOULD be seen, that the doctor would not have been too happy when informed!! YABU

So It is ok to expect someone with a vomiting child to come back later with both children in tow? I did everything I could to make 2 appointmnets.

she did the right thing, maybe she could have spoken to the doctor though to see if he could squeeze two in. or she could have looked to see if they were running over or not.

either way, they both got seen.

i did think it rather a faff when i went to the docs with dd, her for eczema cream (takes all of 1 minute) and me for a sick note following erpc (took all of 2 minutes), but we had to book 2 appointments for that, only took one slot theough really.

From now on if I can't get 2 appointmnets together I will be booking one and taking them both!

Daft system but good that the GP was fine about it. Yes, the receptionist was probably only following rules but it is ridiculous, especially as their phone system made it impossible for you to book a double appointment.

If you can be bothered, I'd write to the practice manager explaining what happened and suggesting they look into their phone/booking arrangements. Phone shouldn't be constantly engaged - practices CAN sort this out if they want to.

Were they using an 084 telephone number as well, to add insult to injury?

I actually am often left waiting as the doctor is running behind - sometimes that can't be helped. I don't think the doctor will mind that I insisted in being seen at all - infact I did inform him that his receptionist expected me to come back an hour later.

The booking system sounds like a bit of a PITA but the receptionist was right.

You need an appointment for each person or even each ailment as this allows the dr to allocate the necessary amount of time to attend to you, without making other patients wait past their scheduled time or without rushing you.

But that is why the dr is usually running late because people make one appointment and decide to discuss 2 or more ailments they have when there is only time to discuss one.

edam,

I think I will write to the practise manager - lovley doctors, mostly nice receptionists - just the odd one with a 'not great' manner in dealing with people and a rubbish booking system - which if it worked I could get used to!

Not an 084 no - thank goodness.

Its not the receptionists faultthat the system is inflexible. If you're not happy with the booking system then talk to the practice manager. Its a shame there weren't 2 appointments available togetehr but if the receptionist had said it was fine to put both kids in the same slot then she'd have got a bollocking for it as the Dr would have been annoyed. Fair enough he did it for you but thats his choice and Drs can do that - but the receptionist isn't allowed to make thsoe decisions.

Don't think she was in the wrong at all.

I undertsand that ideally the doctor only has time to see one patient in one slot BUT I did everything i could to get 2 appointments so it really was a special case.

I did ask AIBU and am shocked at the responses. Hope none of you lot have a vomiting child and another sick child while pregnant and find yourself in this predicament. I'm off to ring the practise manager.

What a stupid system if a family can't be seen together. Would the doctor have just ignored the other sick kid & said see you again in an hour?

Don't ask AIBU if you aren't prepared for people to disagree with you.

I don't think anyone was rude, just stating the facts.

However I would tell them about the problems with the booking system.

The receptionist was right. If she broke a rule for you then she should break a rule for everyone. Chaos.

The dr was nice to see both your DCs. I have found that generally the more senior someone is the more flexible they are. I saw the head GP at my practice last week, we had booked two appointments in a row (could you not have tried to speak to someone initally if you needed two appointments?), and he got a lot of things sorted out for me - DCs medication, my medication, my review date, my flu and pneumo jab. Much more efficient for the GP practice as a whole, DS and me!

However my GP practice has an automatic check-in system, and one time I was waiting and waiting and waiting - it turned out their system hadn't registered that I had checked in, and they tried to make me re-book (you're allowed to be ten minutes late) till it showed on one of their systems that I had actually checked-in ten minutes early!

I find that if there is anything even slightly out of the usual it is better to speak to someone...

falcon she was rude actually.

I mean the MNs who answered your question.

She's doing whats shes told to do and would probably get a good telling off it she did as you asked. Always ask the organ grinder.....

mm - I did try and speak to someone - was constantly engaged. I did'nt try this first as I rang early to try and get an appointmnet as earl as possible so that DD1 did'nt miss more school than needs be.

The receptionist needs to use commonsense. If someone has two sick kids they need to be seen together. yanbu

lovebeing - agree will be bypassing the receptionists from now on and going straight to docs.

random - thank you.