Should a gp receptionist ask you your personal business
"then the receptionist should be able to ask for the reason the person needs an urgent appointment in order to be able to determine whether it’s possible"
I get what you're saying, but it still comes down to a medically untrained person making a judgement call on whether a request for an urgent appointment is warranted or not. That type of judgement call should not be left in the hands of (medically untrained) administrators, and they should never make a patient feel embarrassed or anxious by pressing them to disclose more details then the patient is willing to offer, in order to secure an appointment.
A receptionist who is good at their job, should be able to find a balance.
You could also suggest that the practice set up an email address solely for appointment requests.
That's what mine does. It's very handy as I could be waiting ages to even get through if ringing.
Not that you should have to, but I’d just make something up tbh to avoid the grilling. Ear infection or something rather bland but that needs urgent attention.
Surely if the receptionist is taking details they’re confirming these with the doctor? That’s what mine does anyway. They ask what the complaint is & will either give you an appointment for it or if they’re not sure how serious/urgent it is consult with the doctor and call you back.
If they didn’t use some method of triage there simply wouldn’t be a hope of seeing your doctor.
It’s not prioritising appointments based upon medical need, it’s deciding whether or not an appointment can be made on the basis of GPs availability.
If, as the OP described, they were having to call 40 times before they got through to one of four receptionists in a surgery of six GPs, then the receptionist should be able to ask for the reason the person needs an urgent appointment in order to be able to determine whether it’s possible, or just say to the person, as the receptionist in this case appears to have done - they can’t guarantee they will see the GP they want, and they aren’t going to make an urgent appointment either.
but after he attempted to take his life and due to the stress of it she got genital herpes a gift from him.
I'm confused.
Exactly.
a splitting headache could be multiples of medical conditions from a migraine to a brain aneurysm.
A receptionist isn't qualified to decide what constitutes a medical emergency and shouldn't be tasked with prioritising appointments based on their opinion of medical need. Sure I could do that, I'm as qualified in medicine as a receptionist is.
If they were qualified to make these calls they wouldn't be answering the phone.
I get that it’s none of the receptionists business why anyone would be looking to make an appointment with their GP, and that’s generally what happens in my experience anyway, but I’m saying in circumstances where someone is looking for an urgent appointment with a GP of their preference, then it’s not unreasonable for the receptionist to want more information as to why the person needs an urgent appointment. Nobody gets an urgent appointment just because they expect they’re entitled to one, and it’s the job of the receptionists to organise their GP’s appointments.
I’m not saying it’s a case of being empathetic towards whoever they deem worthy either, like I said earlier - the receptionists in my own GPs surgery are battleaxes, but lovely, and that’s the way they are with everyone. I’d be paranoid if I thought I was the only person who, when I called to make an appointment, I got the feeling they were inches away from saying “Oh, it’s you 😒”. They’re like that with everyone.
Rational people know when they need an emergency appointment. The GP can talk to anyone who abuses it.
A receptionist is not qualified to decide what does and doesn't constitute an emergency, if they were someone else would be answering the phone and your consultation would be with them.
suggesting that the receptionist might be more empathetic and compassionate in accordance with the OP’s expectations if they understood the circumstances a bit better.
It's none of the receptionist's business, they just need to schedule the appointment, they are only required to be courteous with everyone and not just be empathetic towards whomever they deem worthy.
None of their bloody business!
Sounds like your adult daughter handled the situation much better than you did. I suggest you should let her handle her own medical needs from now on.
In my surgery I see my GP 90% of the time. I never specify… “ hi,my name is ****** ********, I would like an appointment with my GP, Dr ******* ***** for Friday afternoon please “… It makes sense unless the GP is booked up or on holidays or down with the flu or whatever…. But the odd time, twice where I’ve arrived to see other GPs I’ve never been told on booking that my GP isn’t available.. no biggie there as both docs are superb but as a professional courtesy if my GP is known to be not available I’d expect to be informed by the receptionist.
I've never been asked by a receptionist what was wrong with me when ringing to make a GP appointment up until a couple of weeks ago. I was shocked to be honest but I politely and firmly told her that it was not her place to ask that of me and I'd like an appointment at earliest convenience please.
Honestly, from her reaction it was something she wasn't entirely comfortable asking either. I've been going to this practice / GP since her father used to see me as a child which wasn't yesterday.
The op was not refused an appointment, he/she was refused an appointment at a time which suited her daughter.
What answer would you expect from the IMC? If you phone your GP and ask for an appointment, they will give you the first one available, which could be weeks away. If you want one urgently, then you have to say why you should be given one sooner than other patients. You think the IMC would have a problem with that?
I’m not suggesting that receptionists should be determining which people get prioritised over others based upon medical need, I mean that GPs have other people to see too and the receptionists have to organise their GPs appointments. GP surgeries have finite resources and can’t immediately see every person who wants to be seen urgently by the GP who they want to see, or give people an appointment which fits with their schedule every time.
They might be more amenable if they understand the actual situation. I can understand the urgency of the situation outlined in the context of the opening post, but without it I wouldn’t see the situation as being any more urgent than any of the other people who call the surgery and want an urgent appointment with the GP they want.
How would you differentiate between those who need urgent appointments, and those who don’t? GP clinics have thousands of patients, without some indication of the medical issue, patients would be seen in the order they contact their clinic. Would that work for you?
The doctor registered on my medical card isn't the doctor I see most often. The doctor I see most often isn't an option for a medical card GP. If I don't specify which doctor I get, or say I don't mind, then I could see anyone of the doctors in the practice and they all have access to the same system of records. Even consultants (I see several a year) ask which GP to address their report to.
For some receptionists, it feels to me, that they enjoy the power.
Once, on requesting a meeting with the practice manager after the receptionist enquired as to what was wrong with “us”, ie me, that morning followed by repeated requests for exact details of my ailment, like the op it was something personal & not the business of those in the waiting area who could hear the shrill voice of the receptionist, the pm told me all the staff, including the doctors, were a little intimidated by that particular receptionist & so to oil the wheels, complaining patients were advised to play the game.
So for me the game is replying that, like the receptionist, my medical degree is incomplete but if she’d like to pay half the consultation fee & come see the doctor with me, we could both learn something. I’m sure both she & I are thrilled that the last time I was in the surgery was 2018.
I was more thinking along the lines of the person’s preference in the case of the OP for example to be seen by a woman GP, and I know women are referred to other GPs for services their own GP doesn’t provide.
I wasn’t suggesting anyone is asked to diagnose themselves, or be diagnosed by the receptionist, or subject to an interrogation by the receptionist, I was suggesting that the receptionist might be more empathetic and compassionate in accordance with the OP’s expectations if they understood the circumstances a bit better. Otherwise, their professionalism in accordance with the theory could come off a bit cold to people who aren’t familiar with the idea that’s how things should be handled.
From what my thinking was and from what I’ve read now on the citizens information site, you are registered with a GP… NOT a practice.
if I was taken to A&E tonight with XYZ problem, the onus is on the consultant to send a copy of the reports to my GP… not the surgery.
Exactly. If you go to A&E, you get triaged by a nurse, not a receptionist.
What about with no medical card?
Not only are they not qualified, they are not registered and face no consequences if they get it wrong.
If GPs want their patients vetted, they should be hiring nurses eg ones who aren't physically able for full time hands on work but are still registered, for that. At least they could face a consequence if they mess up.
The practice I attend has 4 GPs and two nurses. I go more regularly than I'd like due to ongoing issues, medication changes, etc. I ring the reception, say "hi, it's Ave Sodalis here, can I make an evening appointment?" They say "sure, do you have a preference of doctor?". I say "yes, if I could get Dr. Blah Blah please, that would be great". They say "Yup, we can do X at Y time, or we could go later on in the evening on Z". I say "Great I'll take Z, thank you".
That's it, the end. Nobody else knows what I'm there for, the only time a receptionist gets a glimpse of my medical history is when I ring for a repeat prescription to be sent to the chemist, or I bring in a sample. Occasionally, you might have to go as far as saying you need to book bloods or some specific test. Otherwise, I don't get asked why I'm there, and I don't even mind sharing. You get offered the next appointment available, or the next one that suits. If you say it's urgent, they squeeze you in. There is no interrogation and no need for one.
No person is registered with a practice, they are registered with and assigned a specific GP….
if I ring tomorrow and ask for an appointment on Thursday with Dr. Kevin my GP… questions and answers which I think are reasonable..
morning or afternoon ? ———— “afternoon please”
What type of appointment ? ———— “my yearly checkup / I need xyz issue checked out”
no further comments or questions are necessary.
here is a sample medical card, showing the section for what GP the holder is assigned to, everyone is assigned a GP.
If any gobshîte started asking me medical questions or debating if I should go to a&e, the local church, the local morgue or a holiday to Turkey… id offer them one more opportunity to make the appointment and should they not be forthcoming with a date and time I’d just report them to the IMC.
called, appointment was refused to be made, spoke with xyx and provided the following….
They’re not medical professionals, but they’re not mind-readers either, and they have to be able to prioritise and direct people to the right resources, which may mean they don’t always get an immediate appointment with the GP they want.
This is where I disagree. Receptionists should not be deciding which patients have priority, and especially not on medical need. They are not qualified to do so.
I know someone who ended up in hospital with pneumonia after a receptionist decided they weren't priority for a GP appointment for over a week.
If a surgery has specialisms then surely it's sufficient to say which one you require then? No one should be asked to explain their symptoms to a receptionist who can neither treat nor diagnose.
In the OP the request was to book an appointment with the GP the OP's daughter was a patient of. Yet, the receptionist wanted to know the reason for the visit. It's none of the receptionist's business and patients need to let their GP's know this.
In future if I'm asked I'm going to say I found a lump in my breast and I'll explain to the doctor that I am not going to discuss my private medical information with a receptionist and am happy to pay another GP €60 for a few minutes of their time if that will be a requirement going forward.
you're right i.e. they are all general practitioners now. however, in my local, one of the GPS speciality was respiratory care, another was womens reproductive systems, etc. and is called out as such on their website. so it may be a thing to direct to the most appropriate Dr. in the case of a last minute /more urgent bookng
A GP is a general practitioner, none of them are specialists.
All the receptionist needs to ask is your name, clarify your address if you share a name with another patient and your GP's name. If your GP is on leave they should check you're happy to see another GP in the practice or a locum.
They should not ask you to diagnose yourself or to detail your symptoms or reason for requesting an appointment bar asking if it's urgent. They are not medical professionals and are not qualified to make clinical assessments or deem whether you're worthy of seeing a GP or not. Doctor patient confidentiality does not include the receptionist.
It's healthcare, if a person is sick or concerned about a symptom they shouldn't have to successfully complete an interrogation before seeing their GP.
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://wd.vanillicon.com/v2/d5a8197d7274f92eab37915a6d9f12a1.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://wa.vanillicon.com/v2/ac24e4e8dbd15466c93a4c42455a319a.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://w9.vanillicon.com/v2/925678a10b2fdb0546d802550390a10f.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://w8.vanillicon.com/v2/892f365931e5cb4ba5c9d4ce2c7da299.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://wa.vanillicon.com/v2/a46418388544fe9f8f6352b57fb2f921.svg)
