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Original poster

Bloody Doctor's Receptionists! Rant Alert - sorry

32 replies

WigWamBam · 03/02/2005 16:04

I have just rung to try and get my dd in to see a doctor, she is screaming in pain with her ears, she has had conjunctivitis for three days which is suddenly getting worse ... and the receptionist at the Doctor's told me I would have to wait until WEDNESDAY next week! What are these people on??

I've insisted on seeing someone, and she said I can come at the end of surgery at 5.30 and see if someone will see her, but that they might not! She is 3.75 years old, shrieking in agony ... and they seriously want me to wait until Wednesday!

Perhaps if I get her to scream at the receptionist, they might change their minds!

OP posts:

noddyholder · 03/02/2005 16:05

surely they have to see her?If not take her to a&e she shouldn't have to suffer poor thing

Original poster

WigWamBam · 03/02/2005 16:06

If they won't see her at the surgery I'm taking her to the out of hours service at the hospital. I'm disgusted with their attitude, to be honest.

OP posts:

Amanda3266 · 03/02/2005 16:07

WWB - if you take her and wait they will see her - poor little mite. In any case hasn't the receptionist heard of an emergency appointment. Isn't that what the duty doctor does. Poor thing needs some antibiotic eye ointment

zubb · 03/02/2005 16:07

Do they not have a duty doctor or emergency surgery? They should have some system in place to see people on the same day.

bundle · 03/02/2005 16:08

wwb where do you live?

oatcake · 03/02/2005 16:08

they will see her. the receptionist is all wind.

I'm very fortunate that I've never had a problem at my surgery - once you mention the problem is a child, they pull all the stoppers out.

I think she was having a bad day. Just turn up at 5.30 and shame her.

hope the poor little mite gets her antibiotics which sounds like she will need...

Original poster

WigWamBam · 03/02/2005 16:09

We're in the Midlands. I'm really annoyed. I thought they would see her regardless, but not necessarily. I'm so annoyed.

OP posts:

anorak · 03/02/2005 16:10

I remember seeing Ulrika Jonsson on Room 101 and she wanted to put doctors' receptionist in. The audience agreed and so did we. So many of them are little Hitlers.

May I add that I'm lucky in that mine are lovely. But I've known some of these megalomaniac ones in the past!

Gwenick · 03/02/2005 16:10

just take her up there.......I just mention the words 'bit wheezy' when I want an emergency appointment for DS's - 9/10 they ARE a bit wheezy (have 'seasonal' asthma so when they get colds they get asthmatic - but NEVER at any other time) and they never argue with me

bundle · 03/02/2005 16:13

I was at Moorfields Eye hospital yesterday and they said they get loads of people just pitching up there because of their reputation. If i have a potential emergency I ask to speak to the dr these days so we can decide together if one of my girls needs to see her. receptionists in most practices are happy to do this (my mum is one!) but if you have any complaints write a letter to the practice manager asking what their policy is re: emergencies. we have 08.30am emergency appts every week day for under 5's and they could maybe implement that

Original poster

WigWamBam · 03/02/2005 16:34

They have emergency appointments, but all of the ones tonight are booked and I would have to wait until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning to try and get one for lunchtime or 5pm. It would still have meant leaving her screaming until tomorrow afternoon, and even then I might not have been able to get an appointment. They don't have a special arrangement for children, which I think is a bit odd. I used to be able to say it was for a child and she would be seen, but they don't do it anymore.

OP posts:

open · 03/02/2005 16:38

That's appalling. Just go asap - seriously how could a doctor not see her in that condition?

If I were at the doctor's I wouldn't mind being 'bumped' for someone like your child.

Caligula · 03/02/2005 16:38

That's very odd, that a doctor's surgery doesn't have special arrangements for children, I've never heard of that. You might want to consider changing doctors. Every single one I've ever come across, however rubbish, will always see a child on the same day, even for something minor.

You must remember that the primary function of a doctor's receptionist is to protect the doctor from being bothered by all those awful patients!

lilsmum · 03/02/2005 16:38

www, i would wait till after 6pm then ring emergency docs, they will see you im sure, that is what i would do

hopee dd feels better soon xx

lilsmum · 03/02/2005 16:38

www, i would wait till after 6pm then ring emergency docs, they will see you im sure, that is what i would do

hopee dd feels better soon xx

lilsmum · 03/02/2005 16:38

www, i would wait till after 6pm then ring emergency docs, they will see you im sure, that is what i would do

hopee dd feels better soon xx

bundle · 03/02/2005 16:39

that is odd. do you have an out-of-hours service? ie ring up 2 mins after 6 and get through to them? ours is based in the basement of our local hospital and there's usually only one other person there. plus the pharmacy is on-site for drugs (i assume she'll get antibiotic drops like chloramphenicol if she's not allergic to anything)

lilsmum · 03/02/2005 16:39

ooops sorry, dd decided to press some buttons then!!!

starlover · 03/02/2005 16:40

I was told once that your GP HAS to give you an emergency appointment if you want one, and it should be on the same day. I don't know if this is a legal requirement, but I was led to believe that it is...
So turn up there and wait 'til they see her.

Casmie · 03/02/2005 17:55

When I was in Croydon I was once refused a same day appointment with a suspected chest infection for ds1, so I went to the NHS walk in centre and got the antibiotics prescribed there. Mentioned it to the GP next time I saw him and he was FURIOUS that the receptionist had refused me access to a doctor - told me that all children should be seen same day and in future to ask to speak to a GP first if there was any dispute. I think he read the riot act to the receptionists too.

Here in Worcester we used to have a prescribing nurse - so you could pretty much get seen within 5 mins of arrival for "minor" childhood stuff you weren't sure was important enough to bother a doctor with. If she thought a docs opinion was needed you'd get fasttracked through. Unfortunately, she's now left but did manage to get an appointment to see a doctor today.

Waiting until a week's time is just ludicrous.

SoupDragon · 03/02/2005 18:27

Have to say, my GP practice is great. They try to get you to come one aregular appointment (usually within 2 days) but if you insist (child or adult), you get given an emergency appointment where you turn up and wait from 11am (end of normal surgery) until you get seen.

Can't believe the receptionist try to fob you off WWB. Definitely complain.

Original poster

WigWamBam · 03/02/2005 18:35

Well, we went at 5.30 to wait until after the surgery, and I spoke to the practice manager, who said that some of the receptionists are sticklers for the rules but that I shouldn't have been told that a doctor might not see us. They have emergencies only between 5.30 and 6, no appointments, just turn up and wait, but that as dd is under 5 she would be prioritised - and we were seen within minutes. I've put in a complaint, and hopefully some of the issues will be addressed.

dd has infections in her ears, eyes and chest, and the doctor said if I had waited until tomorrow, her eardrum is so sore and bulging that it would probably have burst.

Caligula, I think you're right; the primary function of a doctor's receptionist is definitely to protect the doctor from being bothered by all those awful patients - luckily, the doctor had a different attitude!

OP posts:

bundle · 03/02/2005 18:37

thank goodness for that. the surgery should brief receptionists on what to do - they shouldn't be making clinical decisions although yes, they should try and "protect" the drs from being bombarded with trivial stuff and direct people towards pharmacies for colds and practice nurses for management of chronic problems that they're skilled in treating.

bundle · 03/02/2005 18:38

(I've had an eardrum burst, it can happen within hours of just having a sore throat and it hurts like b***y)

tamum · 03/02/2005 18:38

God, your poor little dd. Well done for standing up to them.

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