GP Receptionist giving medical advice - is this good practice ?

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So, recently, this happened to my 79yr old grandmother....

She was sent a letter to call her GP after blood tests. The receptionist took her details etc, log passed to her GP.
The receptionist called my grandmother back and gave her medical advice and also advised a change in her medication

We are concerned whether this is considered standard practise.

We don't even necessarily agree with the change in medication. My grandmother has a multitude of ailments and this particular change in medication relates to a fairly serious condition of which she has spent at least 20 years perfecting the medication balance to control her symptoms.

Are receptionists considered medical professionals with correct certification to be able to provide medical advice and issue a change in medication ?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Is it not more likely that the receptionist was simply conveying a message from the doctor? So the doctor will have made recommendations and changes to medication based on the test results, and that is just then passed on by the receptionist, she won’t have just made it up herself.

Wasn't the receptionist just relaying back advice and the medication change from the GP? That's what our receptionists do. Nothing wrong with that.
If you don't agree with the meds change then make a GP appt to discuss.

Are receptionists considered medical professionals with correct certification to be able to provide medical advice and issue a change in medication ?

You are going to have to find that out from your grandmother's particular practice.

Are you sure she wasn't just relaying information from the GP? Or might it have been a practice nurse, not a receptionist? If not- then your grandmother should get the doctor to ring her to clarify.

I really don't think that the receptionist was giving advice. The receptionist will just have been passing on info from a health professional.

I agree that she will have just been relating information. You found phone the practice and check

Of course the receptionist was conveying advice from a medical professional.

I agree with PP that the receptionist was probably passing info on, BUT it should be made clear that this is the case. Or, was it definitely the receptionist who called and not a nurse or other qualified practitioner?

Hope grandma is okay x

That's what I would assume. I have had the same but the doctor had already texted me.

A receptionist won’t have access rights to change medication, I expect she was relating a message. However I’d say it’s not great practice to change anything without the opportunity to speak to a HCP. Is she sure it was a receptionist she spoke to?

Was she passing a message on from the GP?

Agree with above.
A receptionist would have to be spectacularly stupid and negligent to dispense medical advice off her own bat.
However, frequently they communicate the advice given to them by the doctor.

Okay, thank you all for your comments.

I should have clarified it was a reduction in medication, so not issued a new prescription which of course would have come from the GP.

I just never heard of it being done this way.

If it's something reasonably simple where a dosage is calibrated by a blood result this wouldn't be unreasonable. Obviously not a good idea for something complex.

Someone on here posted a thread about how they were fired as a doctor's receptionist for making medical recommendations. I would check it out with the practice manager.

I used to work as a doctors receptionist and used to relay messages re dosage changes for patients quite often. If they had any questions or concerns, of course I’d book them in to speak to the GP, but most were happy to change as advised and save some time! It was much quicker to speak to me than to try and make an appointment for a chat with the doctor.

She’ll have been passing on information, not dispensing advice 😂

A GP receptionist would not take it upon themselves to advise a reduction in medication.

If you want to speak to the practice manager you might suggest that the receptionist needs to make it very clear to patients that any such advice is from the dr.

I understand she is highly unlikely to be making it up - it was more of a question IF they can do just that , pass on such information and adjust medication from a GP. It's just something I've never come across before

It's just time saving so the GP can focus on calls where there are more likely to be extra medical questions that only they could answer.

If it’s the way the practice normally operates, and the GP instructs the receptionist to relay the information, then that’s what they’ll do.
If you or your grandmother have any queries, or a need to clarify any details, then I would ask for a phone appt. to speak to a doctor.

This

You should certainly check back with the practise, a non-medical person advising an elderly person on the phone should always be backed up with written confirmation of the drs instruction (unless they are recording all their phone conversations)

It's common for the admin staff to relay simple messages, saves time for over-worked GPs.

Yes, we really don't have time to personally give each patient every tiny message. The receptionist will have been given the task following the GPs instruction.