Doctors receptionist

I worked as a GP Receptionist for 15 years and we were never asked to question the patient about their appointment with the GP , if it was for a Nurse we did have to ask as certain nurses did certain things etc
and patients had to be booked in with the correct nurse .
We were asked by the GPs to question the patient wanting a telephone consultation so that they knew to be ready for the consultation. Most patients were happy with the way we did things but we would never ask why they need to see the Dr .

The Receptionists at my Surgery are lovely, they do ask why you want to speak to the Doctor, usual practice is a phone call back & GP will decide if he/she needs to actually see you.

If I don't want to explain what the problem is I say it's personal, never had a problem. I agree a Receptionist isn't qualified to diagnose your medical problems.

I used to go somewhere where the receptionist thought she could diagnose. I have turned up for an appointment - or so I thought - only to be handed a prescription
because she had decided what was wrong and told the doctor!! She was wrong

“Did you not read the post properly Pantglas2??”

Did you not read my first sentence properly, Donna?

Tangerine

I believe receptionists are told by the doctors to ask people what the problem is so I guess they have to do that.

I do agree with the OP that they shouldn't then start to diagnose ailments.

Ours only ask the reason if you are wanting an urgent same day appointment

Why would anyone with appropriate medical training be a receptionist ?
They are asked to filter calls, perhaps alert when it seems urgent. What else are rhey trained and qualified to do? If you are calling to arrange a house call jab, get test results, have a check- up , ok ..the rest is confidential information between you and your doctor. I definitely needs mentioning to the Dr.

I know receptionists are only doing their jobs as instructed by the doctors but l rarely go and really dislike telling an unqualified person what is wrong with me, especially if it is potentially embarrassing. What has happened to confidentiality between the doctor and the patient? Unless it is something that l am sure can be dealt with by a nurse l will tell them that l would rather discuss it with the doctor.

I am a retired Drs receptionist of over 10 years. We were always told to ask the patient what was the problem especially if the patient was requesting an urgent appointment and not a routine one. I would give a time and the answer I got back was sorry he, she, can’t make that time as she is at work ???. We did a survey for a couple of months to see how many appointments were wasted because patients didn’t cancel. This job is so stressful and I wish it was possible for patients to see it from the other side. I loved my job and hold out my hand to receptionists today. They do have a bad reputation from the public which is most times unfair.

Tell the practice manager and that you think it’s a confidentiality issue

Reading this I have seen quite a few posts saying that you now have to fill an online form, to get a diagnosis or see the doctor.
What happens to someone who is not computer literate or is not on line.

Icanhandthemback wrote:

"We now have receptionists who have been trained to ask the appropriate questions (some of them have been paramedics in the past) and I am always happy to give them the information."
Then the receptionist should introduce themself as "Nurse" or "Paramedic" so the patient knows to whom she is speaking.

How I miss being able to book an appointment online to actually see a doctor face to face - no receptionists to go through, no one querying whether you actually need an appointment. I suffer from severe health anxiety, and it makes all the difference to me to get a doctor's reassurance.

At our surgery you have to phone at 8am or 2pm, then be number something in the queue (this week I was no 33 despite having called on the dot of 2). Then speak to a receptionist who asks what the problem is, then refers to a clinical practitioner who decides whether you need a phone appointment or not. Then the receptionist speaks to you again to confirm yes or no. And very often you can't speak to the doctor you want, although they do try to do this. Then sometime later the doctor calls you back; that's the best part as all of the ones I've spoken to have been kind and helpful..

I have a problem getting through our surgery and I was told to use E Connect and upload photos of my condition and then the Doctor would see it and make a prescription. I took about an hour to upload photos as I'm not very tech savvy then went through several pages of questions, the last one being "Are you on immunotherapy treatment and if so which medications. I listed the medication and was immediately cut off with a message saying "Ring 111 immediately"! (Rashes were by then linked to Covid symptoms) How are 111 going to help me with a flare up of a skin condition I have had for 20 years. I just hope I'm never seriously ill because no one who is immunosuppressed will ever get through on our Doctors
E-Connect system.

This makes me so mad! I’ve not yet asked where they completed their GP training but I’m tempted. As for nurse practitioners, one treated me for a urinary infection when my liver was failing as a result of an auto-immune condition triggered by an antibiotic. If I had been admitted to hospital after a bad fall I might well have had acute liver failure. Unsurprisingly I don’t want to see a nurse when I need a doctor!

Hadn’t been ...

I recently hurt my foot in the bus door very near my GP's surgery. It was bleeding profusely and very painful. I asked the receptionist there if someone could help me, twice. eventually someone came out took off my shoe and sock in the crowded waiting room, and stuck a plaster on it, no disinfectant or cleanser. I eventually I went across the road to the chemist; A sales girl showed me the shelf where I could find and buy what I needed. More plasters and pain. I went to bed and the next day I realised I had broken a toe. Where is one supposed to go nowadays for simple first aid ??

grannybuy

I told the receptionist that the podiatrist told me to have a test
to find out what was causing my toe nail fungal infection. She said not to buy an over the counter remedy. The receptionist said to " just buy something, that's what I do. " I asked the pharmacist at my local Boots to recommend something, and she told me to see my doctor!!

I've found Vicks Vapour Rub to be excellent at getting rid of toenail fungal infections. Fungi hate Vapour Rub! True! Slather it on the affected nail(s) overnight for a week or two, wearing an old sock to keep the sheets clean, and bingo.

Do give it a try. Btw, I'm not a doctors receptionist

BBJS Surely simple first aid is best done at home with advice from a pharmacy?

Aepgirl

If I telephone for an appointment and am asked what’s wrong with me, I always say ‘it’s personal and between me and my doctor’.

My sister used to say that these receptionists were ‘failed brain surgeons’.

But why do you want to make their jobs harder, and possibly hurt your care by not sharing what’s wrong ? Ie how can they triage you?

As for your sisters comment, how unkind!!

I have just retired from being a medical administrator / receptionist at a GP surgery after 12 years. We would NEVER offer a diagnosis despite having some clinical experience. However we were told to ask for a brief idea of the problem to see who best the patient saw, as we knew which nurses / Drs specialised in certain areas, and the receptionists got outstanding with CQC! I must admit some receptionists give the good ones a bad name!?

The receptionists in our practice are fantastic - and only ask questions to arrange the correct type of appointment, or to help with general queries. I've never had a receptionist try to diagnose a problem - for those of you who have I suggest you make a complaint to the practice manager.

Our GP receptionists always ask what problem am I ringing about. I once had to say I had a sore spot just inside my vagina. The receptionist sounded quite huffy and offended by this, exclaiming “Well we HAVE to ask!” Seems she didn’t like my answer! ?

Our GP practice uses the askmyGP system. I think it’s brilliant and am currently working with my doctor to bring my blood pressure down. I send him a week’s worth of BP readings (I have a BP monitor from Lloyds Chemists) via the internet and he will then ring me. Sometimes he’ll ask me to ring the surgery to make an appointment for a blood test for kidney function and when I do the receptionists are lovely.

As an aside, the only ‘medical’ sort of receptionist I crossed swords with was when my dog had a heart attack and died and I telephoned the vet’s surgery to arrange to take his body in for cremation. I explained over the phone what had happened and the receptionist asked what the dog’s name was. I told her and she said “Well, what’s the matter with him then?” to which I answered “He’s dead, that’s what’s the matter with him!” She obviously hadn’t listened to a word I’d said initially!

I did tell my vet about it when next I saw her and she knew immediately which receptionist it was!

Moral of the story here is that we should be mentioning these encounters with either the doctor or the practice manager.

I have not tried for a while to get an appointment although I have a number of athritis signs and symptons ( common in my family).
My husband recently got cream prescribed by the doctor over the phone and my daughter managed to get a nurse practitioner to look at my grandson's painful knee. But the nurse said to just rest it as he had obviously hurt it. Nine years old budding tennis star and he was in a lot of pain.
It was not until my daughter went to a private sports injury clinic that it was diagnosed as torn inner ligament , and the appropriate treatment was prescribed / advised.
We zoomed into a church service recently and a fellow member / also a GP, said that GPs will not be going back to the old way of seeing patients at the practice.!!!
She said it rather too gleefully for my liking.
Maybe it is because I am an ex supply teacher ( last taught 20-3-20 and not sure if I will go back) and that I know how utterly hard, even more than usual, my colleagues have been working for the past year with no protection, that I am feeling peeved or maybe it is because I don't really know now, how to do the doctor visiting thing, but I think GPs are getting off lightly.

I feel really sad for people with mental health issues. I am sure many are slipping through the net as they may find it difficult discussing their problems with a receptionist