Doctors receptionist - just sums up the NHS and mental health support

[Astridastro]

First of all I have fibromyalgia and am in constant pain and exhaustion so suffer from anxiety and depression anyway. I’m on 40mg citalopram anyway. I have PTSD from childhood issues so I’m starting from a rough place.

The past week/month has been so hard. Work has been awful I only work 3 days and have been given a shitty role because of this (I used to hide my illness had one day off in : years, great at my job etc) but recently since a new manager had came in the place had gone to shit lots of people leaving, horrid atmosphere and I started to feel sick actually going in in the morning. One of my DC has severe anxiety and OCD and I’ve been so worried about her she hadn’t left the house in almost 2 years and I’ve been fighting for support. Loads of other wee bits going on but it’s hard when your body is exhausted and always in pain everywhere.

I decided to have a break from work this week I had enough.

I phone my GP this morning and of course got the snotty receptionist who said I can self cert for 7 days and to phone back on Monday or if I can worse I can phone back at 1:30pm but I won’t get to see my own GP. This is to someone who has just said they are having a mental health crisis.

I appreciate they are overworked but where is their compassion? They don’t know what kind of state I’m in.

im away to take more meds to try and stave off another migraine then phone mental health about my DC they’ve given an agrophobic person with social anxiety and OCD group sessions about coping with anxiety.

I would phone them back and ask if they are willing to take responsibility for anything they happens to you due to not being given appropriate care.

They are not trained medical professionals and have no right to withhold care. By all means they can ask, and triage, but at the very least you should be offered a telephone consultation with a GP so they can decide the best course of action.

I don’t have the energy to call back it takes everything to make that phonecall as it is with my anxiety I hate phoning nevermind the 15-20 minute wait on-hold.

My head is now pounding due to the stress of this as well. And the receptionist is telling me I should phone HR ! She didn’t ask my name or anything 😡 so angry

I reported a suicidal family member through the gp online system and was texted links to support.

I think that’s unacceptable.

That’s terrible. I was extremely fortunate to find my GP receptionist was excellent when I called in crisis. I apologised as I knew I’d called too late for appointments but I was in crisis…she organised for a GP to call me within 10 minutes.
It’s so hit and miss when you’d got to run the gauntlet of the receptionist. Mine are great and for that I am very thankful.

Most of the time they are shit. It is like gold dust getting a good one .