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Doctors surgeries receptionists

Dtp1979

Is it standard practice for these people to ask private questions over the phone as if they’re done kind of medical professional?

I rang today to speak to my doctor about a private medical issue and she basically kept asking questions until I had to tell her what it was about.

a few friends have said it’s the same carry on in other surgeries. Why do these people need to know?

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cezanne

if they ask you what you have always say something concerning your poops like i have raging bloody diarrhea, i have to wear a nappy please get me the doctor or **** all over the surgery ! they soon barf and get the appointment !

Flinty997

I'm not sure a Dr Office is going to squeamish about sick people. It's kinda what they are there for.

Biker68

Who can I complain to about the poor service from GP clinic?. I also experienced intrusive questions from reception and tricked into paying for a service I taught was part of my GP consultation..Also how can I find out if receptionist is looking at my personal and medical history?Snooping. HIQA were of no help.Anyone know.

Mrs OBumble

In the first instance, the practise manager (if there is one) then the clinic owner.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120363722#Comment_120363722

Complain to the Clinic owner/Principal, or if you have a complaint about the standard of care, the Medical Council.

Medical Secretaries follow Clinic policy set by the GPs when asking about why the appointment is needed, this allows the Clinic to asses the degree of urgency, if you don’t want to give, they most likely just give you the next available routine appointment, which could be a month later.

In relation to the “snooping”, bear in mind there are likely thousands of patients/files in clinic, the staff really aren’t interested in yours, unless you have reason to think a particular person has. Again, you could discuss this with your GP/clinic owner. Patient confidentiality is sacrosanct, breaches would never be tolerated, staff are under no illusions about that. But you would need some basis for making an allegation of wrongdoing beyond “I think someone is accessing my file for anything other than by necessity” or “I was tricked into paying for something I thought was free”. Very few things in life are free and many services that are carried out in addition to the consultation/discussion come with a charge.

Gael23

I left my GP a few months back because of this. It’s not for an administrator to decide if you need to see the doctor or not. I have a long term Illness and I know when I don’t feel well

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120377688#Comment_120377688

The GP is deciding, the administrator/Receptionist is just following the GP’s triage instruction.

skallywag

Every time I go to my GP the lady I deal with at the front desk will ask me what the issue is. I have no issue at all telling her, as it gets me the most appropriate treatment in the most timely manner. She will also then prioritize my need, also taking into account the others who she has in front of her at the time.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120367529#Comment_120367529

So you are admitting that some GPs instruct admin staff to be highly & relentlessly intrusive in questioning even in cases where there is the possibility of someone being raped. If this is the present attitude of primary care doctors medical care is well & truly fücked. It is nothing short of disgraceful that a GP should think this is even remotely acceptable. Such matters should be approached with delicacy and consideration and not risk further traumatising people. If a person states the matter is extremely delicate and requires fairly prompt attention, this should be duly noted and not result in rude interrogation.

Fortunately I haven’t encountered this personally, but I chanced to be paying for my GP visit at the reception desk when a phone call came through and was answered by the receptionist. The phone was taken on loudspeaker as I paid by card, I heard patient’s name, address, date of birth, their intimate medical complaint and that of their child. The patient was a person in my neighbourhood, other patients waiting could hear it. Nothing short of disgraceful and highly unprofessional. A GP who thinks this is ok should not quite frankly be in practise.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378269#Comment_120378269

Thats not the case in every practice. If I ring my GP practice today its the receptionist that decides there and then whether I need an appointment or not - the GP is not even spoke to. There is 0 chance of getting an appointment in my practice if you are sick today which is a ridiculous situation. Now I know this is down to volume of appointments and lack of GPS. It seems now that GPS are only seeing people that are not in need of immediate care which is mind boggling. I would go as far as saying I no longer have a proper GP service which is very worrying. For someone who is sick today giving them an appointment for next week is useless. The receptionists usual advice is to go to A & E - I was told this when my elderly mother had an ear infection that just needed an antibiotics prescription.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378308#Comment_120378308

So did you switch GPs?

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378328#Comment_120378328

Generally the receptionist is following pre agreed protocol agreed by the GPs. They check with the GP if required.

Yes they aren't medically trained. Which is why the default is if you feel you need urgent attention you go to the A&E.

There are too few GPs for the demand. You can't have GPs answering phones. They will ring back with a phone consult where required.

You've also got the option of swiftcare clinics and similar and DDoc out of hours support.

walterking

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120363722#Comment_120363722

Get over it.

You seem to be harping on here and another thread.

The receptionist really doesn't give a damn. They are simply doing their job. You are not as important as you may think you are and frankly probably forgotten about a minute later. On a normal day the "receptionist" is looking at about 50 files - possibly more.

As for being "tricked" in an extra service, Blood pressure monitors are not free. How you could assume that is ridiculous. Did you have the inability to ask a simple question "is there a cost involved with this"

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378308#Comment_120378308

I am stating that GPs give instruction to their staff on how patients are triaged. Surely you don’t think receptionists decide this for themselves.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378375#Comment_120378375

The situation with my elderly mum ( who is over 80) - all she needed was a prescription for an antibiotic. She didnt even need to see a GP really the symptoms could be explained over the phone - if I got to speak to the GP it would have been dealt with but receptionist said no. Instead I had to bring her to A & E and sit for hours through their inefficient system just to get a prescription for an antibiotic for her. Thats beyond nuts to me and shouldnt have happened ( I spoke to GP afterwards and he agreed that she should have been dealt with by the GP practice) . It was completely the receptionists fault.

I have no problem whatsoever telling a receptionist the symptoms in detail - the problem I have is the receptionist deciding on whether you get to see a GP. They are not trained medical professionals so how can they judge. Some receptionists are helpful and others are programmed to say no and dont care!

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378328#Comment_120378328

The Receptionist is not deciding, the GP is by instructing him/her on how to triage patients.

Two patients phone, both feel they need an urgent appointment, one actually does, one does not, how does the GP (not the receptionist) decide on who needs to be seen more urgently?

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378451#Comment_120378451

If there are no GPs available. You go somewhere else.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378470#Comment_120378470

Is that good enough for you - Its not for me. You think sending an 80+ year old woman to sit in A & E was ok when all the receptionist had to do was get a GP to speak to us for a minute on the phone or get a GP to write a prescription. Thats not a functioning GP system. Whats the future of medical care if this is the way its going to be that you need to go to A & E to get prescribed an antibiotic!

No wonder A & Es are full!

Flinty997

The problem is people are rocking up to GP with both trivial issues demanding instant access to a GP but also there are people rocking up with a heart attack or such trying to make an appointment in a few weeks with the GP.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378488#Comment_120378488

GPs have to delegate parts of their job to trained staff, one of which is triage. Your local hospital has a triage service in A&E as well which decides the order patients are seen, you make no mention of that. A&E also as the name suggests, is a service for emergencies, something GPs cannot provide on that scale. It’s an unfortunate situation that GPs are overloaded, but blaming the Receptionist for acting on the GPs instruction is hardly going to make life easier for you.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378488#Comment_120378488

But we don't have a functioning GP system. Why do you think we do. Its been in crisis for years. Should be news to no one.

No GP is going to give a prescription to an sick elderly person without examining them, and seeing what other medicine and conditions they have. Thats Russian Roulette.

Gael23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378269#Comment_120378269

iBut you shouldn’t have to disclose those details to a secretary. I know they have to see letters and prescriptions etc as part of their job but they don’t need to know specific details

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378756#Comment_120378756

The admin staff will be doing all the letters, filling, scheduling, etc.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378657#Comment_120378657

They do regularly give prescriptions out without examining someone. It happened all through COVID aswell. The gp told me afterwards that she should have been dealt with by them but the receptionist didn't think so which was the problem - she didn't see an elderly person in bad pain and needing an antibiotic as worthy of gp time. It's really hard to know what is worthy of an urgent gp appointment in this practice - it's not only me complaining. The government needs to be dealing with GPs issues rapidly or else our healthcare system is going to completely collapse. A and E can't cope with seeing patients that should be dealt with by a gp.

I know gps are under pressure but it's really worrying and frustrating when you need to see a doctor and can't get to see one! It's like we have gone back 100 years in medical care.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378803#Comment_120378803

She told you it was "worthy" of going to A&E urgently, because there was no GP available.

There are other options like swift clinics and DDocs, it was YOU deciding that a GP was the only option. So it was urgent, why didn't you take any of the other options. What are you medical qualifications that you know better?

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378830#Comment_120378830

The gp told me afterwards that they should have seen her - the gp said the receptionist was wrong in not giving her a phone or physical appointment!

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378852#Comment_120378852

That doesn't answer the question I asked. Why did you not go to the alternatives.

Regardless of what the GP said to fob you off the issue remains. There is not enough GPs to answer phones like you want.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378756#Comment_120378756

Unless you want a booking system where it is first call, first serve, and once all appointments are booked, you wait for the next one which could be a month away, then there has to be a method by which a GP can differentiate who needs to be seen more urgently. Again, you seem to be under the assumption that the Receptionist sets policy or makes a decision about the order patents are seen, they don’t, they just put into practice what the GP wants them to do.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378978#Comment_120378978

Everyone knows the receptionist doesnt set policy and has been instructed by their employer to fob off patients. That doesnt make the receptionists in any way qualified to do this though - there lies the problem! They have limited medical knowledge.

In the out of hours GP service patients are triaged over the phone by a qualified nurse. Any time I have used the service they have been very helpful and gave very good advice. Perhaps GPs should have a nurse triaging patients too instead of receptionists.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378351#Comment_120378351

You must be joking, trying to get a new one would be an effort. Presently I get on very well with the original doc in that practice who has known me since my 20s. But that individual who had her & her daughter’s medical history identifiably on loudspeaker (and it was LOUD) are oblivious to everyone, whose business it wasn’t, hearing it. I don’t much like the other GPS in the practice, so when he retires and if nobody else decent comes into the practice I may indeed seek to bring my business elsewhere. In the meantime there’s nothing about me he doesn’t know and he’s sensitive to all the stuff I’ve been through.