A rant about doctor's receptionists!!!

[DuRezidal]

I had made my first midwife appointment next Wednesday alongside my B12. As as I run my own business of a dressage stud this time of year is absolutely frantic for me so booked well in advance to allow me just to have one trip.

I got a phone call this afternoon to say that there had been an error and I could not have the B12 at the time given due to a member of staff not being available.

They offered me another appointment for the B12 the day before and when I said that would not be possible as I am very busy (hence the early booking) her reply was, "Well it comes down to which is more important, your health or your job!"

Is she living in the real world!!! My health was important hence why I booked so far in advanced! The surgery had made an error therefore they should be trying to accommodate me in the most convenient way possible!

Well they cannot accomanadete you if the person that administers the B12 isn't there ...yes the receptionist should not have been rude and said that, I agree but it can't be helped if noone available to give the jab

The thing is they have nurses who usually do it, but apparently they can't book appointments with them a week in advance.

You sound very difficult.

It's not really an error is it? They made an appointment, circumstances have changed and the person who would have given you your B12 jab isn't there so you can't have it at the time you would like to coincide with your midwife appointment.

I imagine the midwife only does one clinic a week at that surgery and if there is no treatment room clinic at that time they can't really offer you coincidental appointments.

It's nothing to do with not being in the real world, it's about trying to run multiple clinics in a surgery with limited rooms and limited staff and limited appointment availability.

She shouldn't have made a sarky comment, but you have to understand that sometimes there's a difficult balance to be made between work and essential medical appointments. We're all busy.

Haha I am definitely not, I was offering solutions and she just kept saying that they were not an option.

Surely if someone had made an appointment and a nurse was available (which they will be if no appointments can be booked yet with them) she could quite easily have told me to phone in on the day they would be available to book and do that.

But if they're not an option then they're not actually solutions.

It's the NHS, it's stretched, circumstances change and they have to fit everyone. If it's that important then go private.

I get that everyone is busy but I am currently failing down 8 mares and have collections with my stallion for clients. This time of year is impossible and my days start at 5am and finish at around 9pm when foal watch then starts.

What a dick! But midwife if asked nicely should give you B12 😉

This is one of a long list of issues... they originally booked me in this Wednesday, sent me a reminder via text and then phoned me this morning to say I had missed it!

Sorry I should have probably put that originally... the appointment had been changed this morning when they already knew that the person was not in.

Well that different why rebook if person not in that's ridiculous. ..also I manage a administration office in gp surgery our MW would not give a B12 only a nurse xx

I feel your pain OP. On the plus side at least they rang
to let you know.
At my surgery I made an appointment over the phone
only to find from the indifferent receptionist who barely
looked up that they had no record of my appointment - it cost
me £12 in taxi fare to get there. I could have wept. It's not
the 1st time either. It's a common theme among patients
in the waiting room.
There's no attempt to find solutions or even empathise.

There was no need for her to be rude or make flippant comments, that's definitely out of order. I'd guess that based on the tone of your post you weren't very pleasant with her either.

However, it's not her problem nor her fault that you are so very busy, nor is it her fault that her staffing has changed beyond her control which means she must try to move your appointment. Do you have any idea what it's like trying to accommodate the schedules of 20-40 individual patients at one time, who all believe that they are the axis around which the earth revolves? Let me tell you, it's difficult.

I'm a medical receptionist, and I work fucking hard to keep everything running smoothly and to keep my doctors, nurses and patients happy. But the world isn't perfect, I'm not perfect, doctors and nurses get sick or have sick children like normal people do. Sometimes it all goes pear-shaped and all I can do is damage control. Cut that poor woman some slack.

I was actually very polite with her until her comment, I worked in recruitment previously so I have plenty experience dealing with people :-)

I simply kept suggesting alternatives, but she was simply not very helpful to be quite honest and then when she made that comment i actually told her that there was no need for sarcasm and it was it appreciated.

B12 is very important for my immune system and as a result of how low my levels are I need the injection every 8 weeks. So I am now going a week over (which never helps) because of what has happened. It is why I book my b12 appointments so far in advanced. I even offered to do the injection myself as it is only IM.

Midwife is a nurse with extra training, can certainly give injections

I never said she couldn't SIB I said they don't in my surgery

I'd ask the midwife very nicely if she can give you the vitB12. As a RN/ RM she'll certainly have the capability - all depends on the attitude sometimes. Give her a ring on the midwifery number they gave you at booking and explain. Yeah it sucks that they messed up but that's humanity sometimes. You could always offer to 'pop in' next time you're in town as it's not a massive long appointment slot needed - 5 mins with the practice nurse would do it.

Op, you're coming across as patronising here, are you sure you didn't come across that way to receptionist.

Things change, noone has a crystal ball, receptionist offered the alternatives they could. They're not miracle workers

I'm not sure how I have come across as patronising? I have merely stated the facts.

This is just the start of it tbh. Its a pain trying to fit being pregnant into an already full life but later in your pregnancy the appointments come thick and fast and you will just have to make time, there's nothing else for it.

Haha I remember that all too well... I unfortunately had some late pregnancy issues in my previous pregnancy so had weekly scans from 29 weeks.

Things quieten down after July so hopefully will all fit in.