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Getting to see a Dr or nurse.

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Andrew

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Getting to see a Dr or nurse. When I have rung my Dr, I have had the feeling that the receptionist is a fully trained practitioner of the Spanish inquisition, she has no intention of making any appointment that she can avoid, she seems to think that she knows more than the dr---- after a run in with her, where I insisted that she had no reason to know why I wanted to see the Dr on this occasion, she made a formal complaint about me and insisted on seeing a councillor!!! I ended up having to make a formal complaint about her aptitude towards patients!! Which has been upheld, she has received a warning.
 
Tsk! Sometimes receptionists can overstep the mark. Well done for sticking ti your guns - good to hear you got a result from your complaint! 🙂
 
This is a bug bear of mine ... god it drives me insane .... remind them that when they have completed medical school, and recieved the relevent certificates, that they should stick to the job in which they are paid fo and that is to make appointments, not medical consultations ... :D .... I have used this approach several times and now have no problems getting an appointment .... however ... the next thing that needs addressing is getting Nathan's prescription right ... 😡

Heidi
xx🙂
 
Used to have one many years ago who wanted to know why you wanted an appointment. I eventually said, it's a personal matter and she just made it anyway.

I then wondered why she bothered asking, other than being nosy 🙄

It is wrong of them and well done for making the complaint.🙂

Rob
 
god im so lucky in my gps i just ring up there and then and have no problems getting one. in fact i know most of the receptnists as i have to see my gp twice a week. i have in fact in the past rung up last minute in floods of tears and they always find a way for me to see dr r i suposse it helps in that they know ihave mental health issues. im very lucky indeed
 
It depends who I get when I ring up one of them who knows me by first name which I dont mind is never a problem, but theres another older lady who I call dragon who is so abrupt and rude, it i an emergency,etc etc I get the Spanuish inqusition before i even get the appointment lol.
 
i've just had this with my GPs reception...asking me why i wanted to see the nurse even though she knew it was for some blood results..i think she was hoping to give me them over the phone, but i insisted on seeing the nurse, after all this is my 1st Hba since dx...i thought they would waqnt to see me!!:confused:
 
Sometimes its a question of them not thinking of the best words. I think they sometimes ask what the problem is to see if you need an urgent appointment.

I called once and asked for an appointment with one of the female Dr in the next couple of days. They were all on holiday or full. They asked if it was for a lump or something similar and said I would be seen that day. I did but I saw one of the male Drs with a chaperone.

The thing about saying is it an emergency is that if it was an absolute emergency you would go to A&E. It may be urgent but I doubt there are many people who say no its not when asked the question.

Didn't Northerner write a poem on Receptionists.
 
Hate having to call the GP, or even answer a call when they call me to say they have my blood results back. Not sure what it is, guess it's partly in my mind that while I "usually" trust a doctor, I don't trust my details with a receptionist even if they have them all there sitting on a screen in front of them. Guess it's the patient confidentiality thing you have with the doctor, you don't have with a walk in receptionist (not trying to annoy any receptionists out there, but guess I am slightly prejudiced against trusting receptionists sorry).
 
I actually live very near Andrew, so do know the probably surgery he's talking about..


The problem though, is the doctors expect their receptionist to act as mini triarge system, sorting out the ones who phone requesting a doctors appointment when they need to see the nurse (surprising how many of do that) and ensuring that patients who medical needs have an higher medical priority such as throat infections, or medical condition such as Gail's have the quickest access to the doctor as possible, while those seeking advice for holiday vaccinations or permament birth control etc are seen but these can wait another day or actual a week if needs be..

But some receptionists take this duty a tad far or totally lack the communitcation skills that avoids the patient feeling that just faced the spanish inquestion over it!

The worst we had was at Les's old surgery..

Les had what we thought was flu (it was doing the rounds at the time) so TLC over the weekend etc. On the Sunday night he realised that nope it wasn't flu but a UTI as when he went off to the loo his urine stank high heaven with blood in it, and his kidneys were starting to protest😱

The phone call went like this on the monday morning

Les, I have an UTI so I need to see the doctor this morning please.

Receptionist, sorry all appointments are full, the first available appointment is 3 weeks on Thursday😱

Les, I have a UTI, I'm passing blood an I'm also a T1 diabetic

Recep, Sorry sir has I explained there isn't a doctor available do you want me to book a appointment in 3 weeks time for you

Les, You can book me staight into the morgue as that's were I be if I don't see a doctor today! As I have a UTI, I'm passing blood I'm a T1 diabetic without antibiotics I won't be here next week let alone in 3 weeks to attend a doctors appointment.

Recep, Oh well sir if you are insistent you can come down to the surgery for an emergency appointment, and wait for a doctor to fit you in, I can't tell which doctor you will see.. But it could be absoulety hours before you might be seen..

Les, Thankyou I am prepared to wait..


So he toddles off down to the surgery, books into reception sat down prepared for a long wait, 5 minutes later doc calls him in... Looks at Les's urine sample, checks it, then his tempreture etc.. Prescribes him a very strong course of antibiotics, and sent of urine sample to lab just incase he needed a different antibiotic.. Then reads him the riot act to why hadn't Les sought medical treatment at the weekend when he should have done etc!

Les explains the hassel he had with the receptionist one not so amused doctor, who intended to give the receptionist a tick off indeed
 
Last time a receptionist gave me an inqusition before she'd let me have a doctors appointment I told since she was not a doctor she couldn't say how genuine I was and since I was in pain I was not prepared to wait several days for an appointment I was going to the hospital. I went tot he hospital where I saw a very nice doctor who said I should have gone to my own GP, so I explained about the receptionists, so he gave them a call and he was told he'd have to wait three or four days for an appointment, so he put ina complaint. Next time I went to pick up a repeat prescription this receptionist had been give the push as she wouldn't gie appointments that were available and loads of people had either complained or done the same as me and gone to hospital.
 
I must admit that I almost raised a complaint on my GP, but didn?t quite have to do it.

The appointment booking process is fairly horrific with having to phone each morning (and hold for at least 30 minutes on an 0845) to see if there are any free appointments. There are no ?emergency slots? there are no come in and wait slots and they won?t allow you to book more then 2 weeks ahead (for a Doctor).

They try to push you off to the new walk-in-centre wherever possible (which is fine for me as that is 5 minutes from where I work).

However, since I go diagnosed with Diabetes I?ve actually had a lot less problems ? possibly since I?m normally only trying to see the nurse or the phlebotomist.

Using the key phrase ?the Doctor said I should book an appointment with them? or ?the nurse said I needed an appointment? tends to cut any arguments about whether you needed an appointment or not (although I assume they follow up to see if you are being truthful).
 
My surgery seems to work reasonably well, although like Mark I have the problem of having to call from 8:30 am to try and get an appt. They often aren't answering from 8:30 for a few minutes so that means you get charged for each time you call on repeat dial just to hear their answer machine message 😡

You can, however, book appts with specific doctors more than two weeks in advance, and the have open surgeries a few mornings a week. The receptionists seem a lot friendlier than when I first started going regularly after diagnosis - there seemed to be an assumption at first that I should know all about their procedures when in fact I hadn't been to the docs for about 4 years prior to diagnosis and that was just to see the nurse and get some stitches removed. I really like and respect my GP there, although she isn't the 'GP with Special Interest in Diabetes'. The thing that always strikes me is the number of 'missed' appts every month (usually around 150-200) - people who just didn't bother to turn up or cancel and no doubt one of the reasons why it's hard to get appts in the first place. It would be interesting to know if there are repeat offenders and how they are dealt with. My dentist charges ?25 for an appt that is not attended or cancelled with 24 hours notice.
 
To add insult to injury and even thoe it is quicker if you walk into the surgery the receptionists assume you are well enough to wait a few days...
 
I think they must have me flagged or something on their system. Nowadays, when I call I usually get an appointment almost immediately, the most I've had to wait this year is three days and I'd told them that wasn't for something urgent. If I need to, I can always talk to the duty doctor about whatever it is on the phone which often saves a trip. The receptionists will sometimes ask how urgent it is and does it matter which doctor, but that's usually because there's an epedemic of some kind on the go and they're all flat out. They'll ususally fit me in as quickly as they can. And... I rarely get stuck with Doctor Idiot these days.
 
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