Doctors receptionist

Really the receptionist should not ask what the problem is, let alone comment on it. I suppose some receptionists have been given on -the- job -training in triage but really this should be done by a nurse -receptionist as even basic triage requires a lot of knowledge.

I have worked for a rather efficient commercial telecommunications firm that was contracted to answer the phone to doctors' patients. There was always a trained nurse on duty in the control room for handling patients' medical enquiries.

I myself was shocked when the receptionist at my own medical centre actually diagnosed me and I complained very specifically to her and to the doctor. I blame the practice managers for this sloppy way of receptionists' working.

I needed to consult the doctor this morning. Phone answered on first ring, receptionist asked if I was happy to tell her the problem, doctor rang back within 30 mins and after checking it wasn’t an emergency was very apologetic that the physio is away this week. Wish everyone had this level of service.

When (if) I phone the doctor's surgery, there's a recorded message to listen to. It says that it's helpful if I tell the receptionist what's wrong with me but, if I prefer not to give them this information, just to tell them I'd rather not say. Simples!

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!!

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. They are bound by the same confidentiality as a Dr. If I was unhappy with a diagnosis from them, I would insist upon speaking to a Dr. However, I think quite often we have an idea of what the problem is so would be happy to concur with the receptionist. Some of the receptionists probably have more experience than a newly qualified GP.

November 2019 I had breathing problems and general malaise - the receptionist put me through to a practice nurse who informed me it was a virus a lot of people have. I couldn't be bothered arguing. 3 days later I was in hospital with pneumonia!!

Some years ago I was fitted with a pacemaker, came home next day. Stitches felt sore, starting to look bit red,so called Dr for appt, or a prescription for antibiotics just in case it got worse over weekend, this being Fri afternoon. She said no appts available, nothing till Monday.
I wasn’t sure, so rang the ward I’d left earlier in the day.
Nurse said “get here NOW” so husband took me (Glenfield, Leics) a 20 minute drive, and dropped me off. (6children back at home to look after!)
Nurse said we rang Consultant, he’s turned his car round, and coming back!!
He said this to me,
“ an infection will track back down the wires from pacemaker straight in to your heart, if you had left this, you would be dead by Monday!!?
He treated it with magic stuff, and said I’ll take you home, no need to fetch husband out! And took me home!
Needless to say, receptionist was “told what for!!!” and treated me with reverential respect ever after! Waiting for fourth pacemaker now ?.
But still here so hurrah, every day is a gift I open every morning ???

We are not allowed to phone our surgery to make an appointment unless it is urgent! We have to fill in an online form and either a doctor or nurse practitioner , usually the latter, will contact you within 48 hours. Haven't been able to have a face to face appointment since last March. My DH who is CEV, rang a couple of weeks ago and the receptionist told him there were no appointments left and to ring the out of hours number, it was 8.15 am !

Our GP receptionists are very good (once you get through to them). My last phone call to GP surgery a few weeks ago was about my shoulder pain, the receptionist asked how long I’d had it which was since November 2020, I hadn’t wanted to bother them with it thinking it would just disappear, which it didn’t. She was so helpful, very concerned and arranged for a doctor to ring me that afternoon and I was booked in for a cortisone injection the following week (rotator cuff problem it turned out to be) I know over the years I have ran into less helpful receptionists who have been quite blunt or redirected me to a walk in centre without finding out what the problem was, but on the whole I can’t complain.

My receptionists here are lovely. I walked in about a month after registering (as we moved to the area) feeling really ill with a chest infection. Asked for an appointment and was told to sit and wait there and then. 20 minutes later I saw the GP. Receptionist said it's Friday and we can't leave you like that all weekend. Very caring lady.

The trouble is that you have to be in to take the return call. We don’t get good reception all the time here so the landline number is the best one to use. I’m waiting in for a return call now. I left a message first thing so they should get back to me by 2pm. Hope it’s still sunny enough for my walk then.

The Doctors surgery I used to attend when I lived in Portslade by Sea had the best idea. If your problem was urgent you could phone for an appointment and you would be given a time and seen at that time, but as an alternative you could go to the surgery and take a numbered ticket and wait for your number to come up on an electronic number machne (just like at the deli counter in Tesco!) If there were only a few number in front of you you would wait, but if there were loads of numbers before your you could go out and do a bit of shopping or get a coffee, or you could decide not to take the ticket offered and to try again later. No receptionists asking questions and no waiting for hours on the phone. It seemed to work very well.

Receptionists shouldn’t diagnose, I agree, and patients have every right not to disclose information if they do choose.
However the receptionist should ask for details of the problem to ensure that the problem is dealt with appropriately and safely.There may be GPs or nurse specialists that can help with particular issues, or specialist clinics running on particular days. A receptionist who knows what you are calling about can book an appropriate or timely appointment and avoid wasted ones.
Similarly some patients refuse to say or try to diagnose themselves. An example is a patient, who did not wish to disclose his chest pain to a receptionist but was abusive to her, and drove from Somerset to the Midlands for an appointment later that afternoon. Transpired he was having a heart attack - goodness knows what would have happened had he collapsed at the wheel endangering himself and others. The receptionist would have advised 999 immediately as she had been trained.
This was an actual incident.

As a retired doctors receptionist of thirty plus years, I can tell you that we were instructed by the GPs to say ‘can you give me some idea what the problem is?’. This is obviously so that we can prioritise appointments. Someone having chest pains will be seen more urgently than someone with an ingrowing toenail! However, the receptionist was very wrong to say ‘oh it will just be so and so!’

When you ring my doctors, there is a recorded message from one of them saying that they have instructed the receptionist to ask what your problem is so that you can be directed to the appropriate doctor.

The receptionists at my GP surgery on the whole are really lovely and helpful. I think they have been asked to find out what the problem is-I am naughty- with my background I go into medical speak so a doctor usually contacts me.

The phone system has been upgraded but I would like to know if I am 3rd or 203rd in the queue! That I think is being addressed.

Luckily I have ordered my repeat prescripion drugs online for years so I have not had a problem there.

Well, when my father practised medicine, my mother always asked for details of what the person phoning believed was wrong. So did I, when I was old enough to take the phone.

We needed to know so Daddy had an idea how serious it was or might be and knew whether he had to go there straight away, or could take the visit in the course of his planned round.

Alone in the house for five minutes at the age of fifteen, I was so sure the symptoms were dangerous that I sent for an ambulance off my own bat. Mercifully, they thought they were speaking to my mother and sent an ambulance immediately, as it was an emergency.

But we never told a patient that it was probably something unimportant - as we knew we were not trained to judge that.

Pantglas2

You’re complaining in the wrong place! The doctors need telling because they’re the ones who tell the receptionists to ask those questions!

Did you not read the post properly Pantglas2?? TrendyNannie6 is aware the Receptionist may ask what the problem is before she speaks to the Doctor. But no Doctors Receptionist is trained to diagnose the problem!!

Our doctors receptionists are now called Care Navigators ! When you phone a recording of a doctor gives you a big spiel about things you have no need of , then eventually tells you that a care navigator will now deal with your problem . I hate calling them .

Our surgery calls it "triaging"

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’.

The only question I have ever been asked is whether it is an ongoing problem or a new problem. I haven’t spoken to the surgery for at least 12 months though so things may have changed.

I thought it was part of the job description to be able to do that !
They ask for details to be able to judge just how soon you need to be seen, rather than book someone in for the next day , for a minor problem and then pick up the next call from someone that needs to be seen fairly urgently and not having any appointments for several weeks.
I would quite like to be a doctors receptionist - one job where it appears you have carte blanche to be rude to people - after many years in customer service where you are expected to be polite to everyone, no matter how rude the customer, being able to say what you think , would be heaven!!

After a lot of instructions of where to go instead of getting an appointment with a GP one finally gets through to a receptionist who then asks all sorts of questions before actually getting an appointment with a GP but usually it is with the Practice Nurse.

Have given up on my doctors. Don't even get to speak to the doctors nowadays just the several trainees they seem to have in post. One of these spoke very poor English, I couldn't understand him and vice versa, another trainee told me I needed an urgent referral to a cancer specialist and then phoned again later in the day to say he'd spoken to a senior doc who said all was normal. Months later and after having to wait 2/3 weeks for each phone appt I still have the same problem and am waiting for a time when maybe I can book to actually see a doctor.