Really upset by GP's receptionist attitude

My previous post was about only one receptionist. As far as our vaccines went they were fantastic even contacting us at the end of the day when some were left over as 13 appointments had not shown up or cancelled. Disgraceful that people do that.

cc The best recommendation on the thread. If you don’t like your GP Practice, move to one you do like. We did that some five years ago. I really liked my GP and the Practice was very good, but after they amalgamated with three other Practices (a common occurrence now as there is a national shortage of doctors, particularly GPs) I couldn’t ever get to see my GP, and it was extremely difficult to see a nurse or paramedic. I needed to see someone fairly regularly at that point as I had bad asthma and often needed oral steroids. We made the decision to move practices reluctantly, but it was the right decision. I made an appointment to see the asthma nurse at the new practice without any difficulty, and she recommended a new inhaler which really suits me. My asthma is now very stable and I’ve not taken any oral steroids since. I’ve seen my new GP on a couple of occasions since, but no longer need to see her regularly. There is a national shortage of GPs and practices are under a great deal of pressure. Whilst it’s not acceptable, it may well cause some receptionists to be less than sympathetic. They are at the brunt end of all the irate patients after all. Perhaps we should all be more understanding. But certainly if anyone finds their practice is not meeting their needs, for whatever reason, try changing practices. It worked for us.

She could tell the GP but nothing will happen. E Mailing the Practice manager is probably more effective

I’d speak to the practice manager. One of our receptionist’s sounds as though she is thinking ‘not you again’ when I ring the call centre, sorry doctor’s practice. It’s very off putting to be treated like this by front of house staff.

I am poking my head above the parapet to say this then ducking down again .
I speak As both a health care worker currently in a mass vaccination centre and a patient , the receptionist was wrong to have forgotten you and should have apologised for that, but why did you put Lady in inverted commas? This suggests you were miffed at being forgotten and when you spoke to the lady you were, maybe not quite as polite as you could have been , I wonder what the other side of the story is, if you were a little terse with her she may have responded as she did but I am sure she would be horrified to know this encounter had brought you to tears.
The fact is no GP surgeries or vaccination centres know from week to week or sometimes even day to day which vaccine is available to them so, unfortunately, you will have no choice but to continue to try daily. Have you tried ringing your local centres ? They may be able to fit you in if they have Pfizer.
Good luck

Two things: you can always report poor service to the Practice Manager. Also, add a not-very-rude but strong complaint to a google review. That will work, at least it did for me.

GrandmaTrisha - not sure why you couldn't book your next appointment even though you had chosen to go away because as holidays abroad were banned you must have been in the UK and had the ability to get online somehow or other. Couldn't you have logged on and taken an appointment for 30th April onwards when there were some available surely. Secondly, you did choose to go away and unlike others on here who talk about going to one's caravan etc. as being perfectly within the spirit of lockdown, not sure that 'booking a last minute' deal for a week falls into that category so you made a definite choice to have a holiday and prioritised that over being able to organise your second jab. No value judgement here, just pointing out that it was your choice to jeopardise your second jab and at that time there was lots of publicity about the shortage of Pfizer vaccine and the likelihood that people would be going over the 12 week period. Sure, the receptionist should have informed the physio and apologised for not doing so, but your question about your second jab was answered truthfully. If you feel you were being treated badly you should write to the practice manager. Hope you get your vaccine soon.

EllanVannin

What a shocking attitude. We're all different I know but I'd have come right back at her. There's no need for any receptionist to treat anyone like that and for what it's worth I'd tell the GP when you next see him/ her.

I wouldn’t wait until I next saw the GP; I would be putting in a formal complaint to the practice manager, and if she and the receptionist are one and the same, I would escalate the complaint up the chain

I quite agree lesley60. A Lot of receptionists exceed their authority until something happens, then they deny all knowledge of ever speaking to you . I certainly wouldn't trust doctors advice from a receptionist, unless she was returning a message you passed on for the doctor. It's like Joe public giving unwarranted medical advice.

I phoned my GPS receptionist regarding my covid Jab, it was just a question , but she too was snappy with me, I could hear the frustration in her voice, which told me she was sick of silly covid questions, but she also did her best to be polite so I let it go. In that situation fair enough she tried, but Grandma60s receptionist didn't even try to disguise her temper. Fed up or not she's in the wrong job.

Our receptionists are like the Gestapo. I have not had to contact them about Covid matters and am thankful I didn't.
If you phone with an illness even pre Covid they insist on knowing what is wrong with you, what do they know? How can you show them down the phone?
I appreciate they might be run off their feet but common courtesy should be used at all times and yes the switchboard would be blocked if every vaccinated person phoned them and thanked them. What have they done to deserve the thank you. It's a job like everyone else's not a calling. I am sure we all thank the person who vaccinates us.
Would you phone the receptionist at the opticians for booking an appointment?
I would write to the Practise Manager but mark as suggested for that person only.
I have done this in the past on my mothers' behalf and got a very polite apologetic reply back.

What an ignorant, rude woman! So sorry to hear about your upsetting experience. It is people like her that give doctors’ receptionists a bad name! I hope you manage to get your second jab soon. As others have said, it might be a good idea to report her unfriendly and unprofessional attitude to the Practice Manager or whoever is “in charge” (hopefully it is not HER). Good luck x

You really do need to report this woman to the practice manager. Too many people put up with this kind of behaviour without saying anything. This woman isn’t doing her job correctly and notwithstanding the vaccine issue, the fact she left you standing outside and made you late for your physio appointment is grounds enough for complaint. Everyone makes mistakes but for her to just glare at you when she should have been apologising tells me the kind of person she is. Please take this higher.

No excuse for rudeness, but behind the scenes vaccine delivery has been very erratic. We have just had to reschedule a three day pfizer clinic as it was decided to deliver the vaccine three days early. Consequently patients were texted to contact the surgery and the waitlist on the appointment line was over 30. Funnily enough as we are emerging from lockdown, there have been quite a few resignations of frontline admin staff.

The receptionist was rude and unprofessional, so you are fully entitled to complain about her attitude.

It is part of her job to be polite and to explain why there may be delays.

If you were not specifically told that being away would mean forfeiting your place in the queue, someone ought to be able to tell you how you go about making a new appointment.

Complain about this treatment. It may not help matters, but if people just put up with rude and unreasonable behaviour it won't change.

We have one receptionist like this (to everyone) at our G.P practice- she's been right mardy over the nearly 9 years we have been going there and she did indeed forget to mark me in once for my appt, (before covid, so i was actually sat in smallish waiting room, she could see who was there!) I sat & waited whilst everyone who came in after me went in, then out- so i went to window to mention this- they'd not marked me there so I'd waited over an hour for beggar all! She said I'd have to rebook, and i had no other choice but to do so- even though i struggle with walking, but i told her straight it had better not happen again- it never did but she's always been 'a cow'- I thought she had retired, as she was missing for months & a new younger lady started work there- but i think she's back, maybe to help out with all the extra work with covid! I too rang about when 2nd vacs were going to be booked and asked if youngest son could at least have it urgent as he's been shielding and then put in a small room alone back at college, but needs to join rest of class really- she said no, but 'she understands' but still no..Later in day i got a text from surgery to say we were all 3 invited to book 2nd jab (none in actual G.P surgery but loads available next wk at clinic round the corner, where we had it first anyway.I think that may have been when the nicer reception lady came on duty in afternoon!?

Maybe she was snowed under with other patients. You have applied you didn’t like the way she spoke to you, but how did you come across when you spoke to her. Also not her fault or your GPS surgery that you chose to go away. Knowing that your jab was due. I think all Nhs workers have had a pretty hard year worked off their feet. Maybe take a step back and think others and not just yourself. You are not the only patient there have. And they world doesn’t revolve around you.I’m more than grateful for having my jabs.

I'm afraid I don't allow people like that to make me so angry that it upsets the rest of my day. If its something local like your GP surgery where you will be going back again I wouldn't complain, I would buy a cheap bunch of daffs or pick some from my garden or a box of quality street and take them back to the lady. If you say to her I wanted to say "thank you for all the work you are doing" or "you seem to be having a bad day so I wanted to cheer you up" you wrong foot her.
People like that enjoy an argument and don't quite know how to deal with someone who is being personally nice to them. It leaves me feeling I got the better of them in my way and also I've found I get more polite treatment in the future.
You never know she could have been having a really bad day.

Funnily enough as we are emerging from lockdown, there have been quite a few resignations of front line admin staff.

I wonder why?

Trouble is it may be that the lady who GrandmaTrisha is complaining about actually IS the practice manager- or if not, probably is 'pally' with the practice manager if they've both been working there a long time- so that could be difficult to do- also if she gets reprimanded for it then it might make her even worse with the patient who'se complained! Its very difficult. I would have advised to deal with her there & then, (as i did when it happened to me) But on other hand they don't know when they are getting which vaccine in (nicer receptionist explained this when i rang a month ago just in case as they said there was a shortage) but she had no need to be rude to you at all.Best to try nip these things in the bud though.?

Well said Natasha.

The Practice Manager will apologise but she/he will nor reprimand the receptionist.

I had my second vaccine two weeks ago not at the surgery but at our council offices which had been turned into a hub. Fantastically efficient and helpful, in and out in about 7 minutes.

We have some dismissive receptionists at our surgery but we have a few lovely ones that go out of their way to help and those I always thank and say how nice they’ve been whilst on the phone to them, they are delighted I have done so. I have been known to say to the unpleasant receptionist “there is no need to be rude to me” They have been very taken aback but hopefully will think more next time with someone else.

Both times I had a text link to go online and book an appt myself. I think there are lots of different systems operating round the country which doesn’t help. I had the AstraZeneca, I do think the lower temperature for storage may mean it is more available.

We are all grateful for it NannaShirlz- but some folk are just 'like this' to everyone, like the older receptionist at my G.P surgery! And it shouldn't be allowed.And it doesn't mean GrandmaTrisha can't have a winge to us on here about it either! All the NHS have been doing a great job, but most of them have done it politely as well!?

As has been said before - write to or ask to speak to the Practice Manager. This is a disgraceful attitude on the part of the receptionist. Yes I know they have had a lot of disruption but there are plenty of kind, considerate and professional receptionists coping with all sorts of difficult situations every day
It is not your fault, do not let it get to you, this lady is possibly in the wrong job and her employers need to 'have a word' with some additional training thrown in