Really upset by GP's receptionist attitude

Receptionists in any organisation absolutely should not be rude. However, we are all adults and if someone is rude to us we can either 1) tell them their attitude is unacceptable 2) complain to the organisation about them 3) write anonymously on an Internet forum or 4) ignore it, and be the better person. Number four is what I would choose.
Doctor’s Receptionists take a great deal of stick from irate patients who want whatever they want and they want it now. Unfortunately some of them develop a thick skin, or maybe they arrive in the job with a thick skin already. They shouldn’t be rude but some are, so it’s a case of get over it. There are more important things in life to get excited about. Mistakes are another matter, and patients are right to insist that mistakes are rectified. A mistake such as happened to the OP was a very unfortunate oversight, but not life threatening. The Receptionist should have apologised and that should have been the end of it. She didn’t apologise, but without hearing her tone of voice, it hard to know how rude she was or wasn’t. The words themselves didn’t sound rude. The OP emailed and had the situation put right. That should be the end of the matter. We all have to accept life isn’t perfect and stuff happens. GP practices have been stretched to bursting point over the last year and all staff are stressed. Just be nice. Don’t look for problems. Ignore people who can’t be nice, and tolerate people in the the NHS who are stressed. They’ve had a more stressful year than most Gransnetters.

I thought it was part of the job description to a) diagnose over the phone with no medical training and b) be rude to patients!
I have no doubt she has had numerous people ringing up and being rude to her, but that is no excuse - and very unprofessional of her.
You could always complain to the practice manager about the way she spoke to you, but don't hold your breath for any apology!

Yes write or speak to Practice Manager. My chum is one and she/ he will reply or should within 10 days, its just not acceptable. If everyone ignores the bad attitude will just carry.

One of the doctors I worked for said to me once, you do realise you’re just here to take the blame.

There is no excuse for rudeness ever! We have a very rude receptionist and I reported her, so have others, but there are also nice ones too, 9/10 the rude one is the one that operates the phones more than the others,

Practice managers can be ‘she ’ #everydaysexism ?

Speak to the practice manager. He needs to know about "attitude" in his staff. That's what he's paid for. Doctors, in my working experience, hide behind their managers & do nothing about that kind of issue.

I once encountered a vile dental surgery receptionist. She was sacked so when I asked about her the dentist told me about her attitude issues. I then felt able to describe my troubles with her too. .The dentist said he wished I had told him at the time it'd happened. Those kinds of receptionists should be retrained or sacked. Dreadful people.

Entitled Maddy how? I just have basic professional standards. So you are wrong there.

Maddy I never said you personally I said people.
I am tired now of people who are having a bad day using it as excuse to be rude.
I especially dislike it when people are working, they are paid to work, and be professional about it.
I have gone into work with problems, and as soon as I am in work I behave professionally as I am paid to do a job.
Doctors receptionists have a reputation for this unfortunately because of the few and that's unfortunate, but clearly Granny encountered one like this.
The front line in our GP surgery are good, but their is always one. I complained about her ,, I spoke to the acting manager, and got what I wanted which should have been done in the 1st place.
I can have a bad mood or a headache day, and I know I am not perfect, but at work you stay professional. Granny should not have experienced this and she should have had a apology.

rafichagran

Maddyone The receptionist having a bad day is no excuse to be dismissive. She is doing a job, you leave your problems, and the bad mood your at the door.
I am sick of people who think they are entitled to have a bad day at work and take it out on other people.
Glad you seem to have a good outcome Granny.

Sorry you’re sick of me, you sound like a very entitled person. I said nothing wrong to the OP at all. And I congratulated her on the good result, which she obtained politely and without aggression.

I think the worst gp receptionist my family has encountered was one at a surgery my daughter attended when she was at university. She went in to book an appointment and the receptionist said
" is this for morning after pill ? You can get those direct from chemist "
Loudly spoken in an open reception area.
"No it's problems following surgery I had for ovarian tumour "
Stunned silence, appointment arranged.
If I had lived locally I would have gone for her probably physically and verbally !!

nanna8

The practice we go to has several receptionists. One of them is quite rude and offhand ( the others are all very lovely polite people) . I find that I avoid the rude one like the plague and would rather queue up longer to get one of the decent ones. Nice when I copped the rude one she did not put my notes through to my GP so I had to wait a long time. Then she accused me of being late for the appointment. She never backed down,either but the GP must have known what she was like and he apologised profusely for keeping me waiting so long. How do these people keep their jobs ?

The GPs facilitate it

B9exchange

Forgetting to tell the physio you had arrived was an error and certainly an apology was due. But your conversation with her afterwards is so difficult to judge without hearing the tone of voice, seeing the facial expressions. It seems the information she was giving you was factually correct, with one error. If you use the www.nhs.uk website to book your second vaccine it knows which one you had for the first, and will only offer you appointments for the same type. So you might like to write a perfectly pleasant letter to the practice manager about being forgotten, and being given incorrect advice, but I wouldn't launch into a complaint against the individual. Being labelled a complainer can sometimes count against you in the future.

The one error was a very important one though wasn’t it? Unacceptable completely . I think your post is quite patronising towards Grandma. As you say, you weren’t there to judge - she was. Ime at my former surgery, the receptionists had a great training in being passive aggressive which meant they played little miss innocent if criticised ‘ but I only said....’

Maddyone The receptionist having a bad day is no excuse to be dismissive. She is doing a job, you leave your problems, and the bad mood your at the door.
I am sick of people who think they are entitled to have a bad day at work and take it out on other people.
Glad you seem to have a good outcome Granny.

The practice we go to has several receptionists. One of them is quite rude and offhand ( the others are all very lovely polite people) . I find that I avoid the rude one like the plague and would rather queue up longer to get one of the decent ones. Nice when I copped the rude one she did not put my notes through to my GP so I had to wait a long time. Then she accused me of being late for the appointment. She never backed down,either but the GP must have known what she was like and he apologised profusely for keeping me waiting so long. How do these people keep their jobs ?

Forgetting to tell the physio you had arrived was an error and certainly an apology was due. But your conversation with her afterwards is so difficult to judge without hearing the tone of voice, seeing the facial expressions. It seems the information she was giving you was factually correct, with one error. If you use the www.nhs.uk website to book your second vaccine it knows which one you had for the first, and will only offer you appointments for the same type. So you might like to write a perfectly pleasant letter to the practice manager about being forgotten, and being given incorrect advice, but I wouldn't launch into a complaint against the individual. Being labelled a complainer can sometimes count against you in the future.

The receptionist probably did mot mean to be rude, which she was. She was badly trained. I hope you have more luck with practice manager but don't raise your hopes. If you had burst into tears at the reception desk you might have made your point but the woman would probably have kept right on with her arrogant manners.

Suziewoozie, Please do Tell me what path it is that you that you are trying to lead me down.

Bridgeit

Suziewoozie, you have extrapolated an entirely different interpretation from my comment .

What did you mean then?

Suziewoozie, you have extrapolated an entirely different interpretation from my comment .

Great news. Hope you can relax now. Have a good evening.

Great result GrandmaTrisha. Well done.

Thanks everyone for your help, advice and support. I emailed the surgery this afternoon to explain everything and they have just replied.
They expect a delivery of the Pfizer vaccine next Monday with vaccines being scheduled for Thursday. That’s put my mind at rest. ?

Bridgeit

I also assumed rightly or wrongly that because the OP had been on holiday that she was fairly mobile/ fit.

Oh dear - you can go on holiday whilst not being mobile you know?

You have tried your upmost to get the second vaccination no doubt. Next time you need to go to the surgery remind yourself of the way you were treated. Unless you decide to see the practise manager about this intolerable behaviour.

I was with my DIL when the twins were just out of Neonatal intensive care she had to nip to the Drs for prescriptions for them. The receptionist spoke to her in a totally ignorant off hand manner about prescription being mixed up. The medication was essential for them my DIL was stressed about them needing it and having to go back. She walked out with no meds to take home and in tears. I was sitting in the car I walked in the surgery and told the receptionist who I was. I said I was not happy with the way she had spoken to my DIL . The medication was supposed to be ready and I would not leave until it was sorted.

The practise manager was there and intervened and did get the prescription ready for me to take. There was no apology from the receptionist but she will think again about speaking like that to my DIL again. You don’t have to be rude with jobs worthy people you have to be firm and stand your ground.