Medical Receptionist

My GP is in Derby too. It’s the best one in Derbyshire apparently.
The advise about olive oil was a good one - I would presume that she had been told to provide this information.
It wouldn’t bother me at all.

It’s probably because she’d seen people turn up to have their ears syringed and no one (probably their doctor) had told them that they needed to put olive oil in their ears prior to having it done.

Sounds like she was just trying to be helpful. I don’t bthink it would happen where I go, they would ring through and ask the GP at the time

On the local news recently they were interviewing a GP receptionist but she was described as a Healthcare Pathway administrator. I think the general advice comes up on the computer screen when they look up the type of appointment.

The receptionists at our surgery are called Care Navigators.

Receptionists are just yhsy.shouldn't give advice
I rang my surgery to ask to speak to a Dr as I was very worried about my son.for various resdons.
He has a history of having mini strokes and was saying very strange things which didn't seem right.confused
The receptionist I spoke to told me if I was worried to talk to my friends
I was very annoyed and asked her to make me a telephone appointment with a Dr
.A few days later I rang again.spoke to a different receptionist who said there was no appointment made.and got a Dr to ring me the same day.
My son had a stroke later that week and was bluelighted to Hospital
I complained to the surgery head and was apologised to.the letter said she was only trying to help.but lessons had been learned

Sounds reasonable to me - no doubt he/she is instructed to do this by the doctors.

It's not medical advice as such, just instructions to facilitate the treatment.

I would imagine she had been advised to tell you those things
I don’t think that is anything to get upset over

The receptionists at my doctors are lovely I recently told one I was very impressed and think they are all lovely
Her answer “I think I m going to cry, no one ever says anything nice about us, I m now going to tell all the others what you ve said’

I was one, and the only advice that I was allowed to give was paracetamol and plenty of fluids for a cold. Anything else had to be referred to a doctor or a nurse.

Riverwalk

Sounds reasonable to me - no doubt he/she is instructed to do this by the doctors.

It's not medical advice as such, just instructions to facilitate the treatment.

This, spot on.

BlueBelle I always thank the receptionists too.
In fact I’ve just rang them for an appointment and she said how busy they were because half of the doctors were off sick.
A few weeks ago this happened to the GP surgery that I used to go to.
It was trashed by an angry patient
www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1715771/gp-surgery-waiting-room-Wilson-Street-Surgery-derby/amp

I can understand you being taken aback Caleo but I agree that she’s likely to have been asked to give this message to patients. The problem is that very little attention is given to how the message will be delivered. Had she said something like “the doctors have asked us to tell all patients etc” it would have given her message more authority and avoided annoying people.

Fannycornforth Disgusting, I hope they took that person off their list.

I recently had a telephone appointment with my doctor, a lovely lady and told her how much I appreciated what she did and she said " your going to make me cry now"

No wonder doctors don't have time to give real essential advice when it is required!

Our GP surgery advises two weeks of using oil, before an appointment can be made.
It's the protocol, not a receptionist given unsolicited advice.

It's quite possible that some receptionists are asked to give these very commonly known pieces of advice.

As maybee says, some docs – including mine some years ago – gave the same olive oil in the ears advice. I actually prefer sodium bicarbonate eardrops but the principle is the same. Why waste a doc's time with small stuff like this when there aren't enough GPs?

Receptionists are part of the team. I doubt they would give such advice without being asked to by the team leaders.

Strange that I should read this heading because I had a run in with a receptionist yesterday. The surgery and chemists between them had lost 2 of my prescriptions and I was told to pick the 3rd one up from the surgery for it not to get lost. You guessed, they had lost the 3rd one. I got a lecture from the receptionist about Covid, staff illness, the state of the world until I showed her the text I had received. When she read it she rearranged for the GP on duty to write me a new one. I stood over the GP's shoulder and told her exactly what I wanted. Finally, after ten days I got what I needed. It beggars belief. Rant over.

You told the GP exactly what you wanted? Really?

Our practice no longer does ear syringing - we have to pay for it privately.

The team at my GP Surgery has made mistakes with my prescriptions. When I discover this at the pharmacy where my scripts are sent, I then phone the surgery, explain what seems to have happened (or ask, whichever's appropriate) and it is sorted out.

Recently I repeated a repeat prescription request because they'd mistaken what I asked for for something else that starts with the same letter and which I also get on repeat. The receptionist team leader rang me at home because she didn't understand what the problem was. I explained and she corrected the mistake. I thanked her for taking the trouble.

I wouldn't expect any advice from a receptionist who has had no medical training whatsoever, you or I could do the job.
I do suspect that some practise are suggesting this to cut down on workload, hence the change in the receptionist's titles.

GPs around here don’t do ear syringing any more - you have to pay privately and they invariably tell you that you must use olive oil drops for at least 5 days beforehand.

The worst receptionist I ever encountered once asked at the top of her voice across a crowded waiting room, ‘What’s it about?’ To which I replied, I’ll discuss that with the doctor, thank you.’ Ages ago now - I knew her slightly - she was just obnoxious and unbelievably nosy.

Ditto my intensely private mother was once highly embarrassed by a receptionist asking out loud across the waiting area - ‘Is it about your waterworks, dear?’ 😱

Our GP surgery have started ear syringing or similar now, they had stopped during Covid.

We only knew because when DH had a hearing test at Specsavers and was told he had wax, they suggested he had it done at surgery. Otherwise would not have known. Specsavers would have done it, but they said as it was free at doctor’s, have it done there.

A 1 minute appointment with nurse telling him he needed to put olive oil in, which we knew he would have to, then back for syringing weeks later.

If the advice is actually from a doctor or nurse the receptionist is fully entitled to pass it on.

It would be better if she said something like "The nurse advises that you do such and such." then there would be no doubt that it is medical advice given by a medical professional.