Jacsta
28-05-14, 11:19
So I'm writing this thread whilst feeling really frustrated, upset and angry...but what I have to say needs to be said..
GP surgeries really need to buck up their ideas
I have been with my current practise since I moved in with my husband 5 years ago, it's a small surgery with only 1 GP and 1 practice nurse. I recently had to have some blood tests which aren't standard and were a special request...these had to be taken at my GP surgery, which was fine, the practice nurse took the blood and sent the form.
4 weeks later (I have been out of the country on holiday), I try and ring to get the results....we all know that when we ring the surgery its the receptionist that answers...now you would think that a receptionist would be trained in customer service at the very least...she was rude (as usual), tutted and sighed whilst looking on the computer...and then just says that they cant give me the results and I need to ring someone else....when challenged the answer was the same and that was the end of that.
So this morning I get up and I ring these other people....and they were lovely and very helpful....just like you would expect a worker in healthcare would be when an anxious patient rings up for some pretty make or break blood test results. She understandably didn't have access to the results either, but kindly offered to ring my GP surgery on my behalf to get them.
The snotty receptionist yet again put up a wall to her and tried to make out that I didn't even have the blood test at the surgery!...After another 2 phone calls from her (one to my practice nurse and another to the blood lab) I have the results and thankfully they were negative.
You would think I was happy at these results (I'm sure I will be eventually) but to be honest I'm traumatised. By the time she read the results out, I was in tears out of frustration and worry because surely if the results are that blocked they must be bad?
I would have thought that a GP surgery...that deal with vulnerable people everyday would have more tact. My records show that I suffer from anxiety and depression...but even if it didn't....surely patients can be treated with more compassion than rude impolite receptionists?
Receptionists are part of the face of the nhs, they are a first point of call for a lot of people...surely more resources should be put into training them to live up to that responsibility...I suspect if they were more helpful, patients wouldn't end up going to A & E unnecessarily.
Communication isn't a lot to ask for...
This isn't the first incident with this surgery, and due to illness of me and other half there hasn't been the opening to change surgery as we would have to start again...but I think the time has now come to change surgery and see if the next is any improvement....one can only hope...
Thanks for reading, sorry it isn't a happy topic
GP surgeries really need to buck up their ideas
I have been with my current practise since I moved in with my husband 5 years ago, it's a small surgery with only 1 GP and 1 practice nurse. I recently had to have some blood tests which aren't standard and were a special request...these had to be taken at my GP surgery, which was fine, the practice nurse took the blood and sent the form.
4 weeks later (I have been out of the country on holiday), I try and ring to get the results....we all know that when we ring the surgery its the receptionist that answers...now you would think that a receptionist would be trained in customer service at the very least...she was rude (as usual), tutted and sighed whilst looking on the computer...and then just says that they cant give me the results and I need to ring someone else....when challenged the answer was the same and that was the end of that.
So this morning I get up and I ring these other people....and they were lovely and very helpful....just like you would expect a worker in healthcare would be when an anxious patient rings up for some pretty make or break blood test results. She understandably didn't have access to the results either, but kindly offered to ring my GP surgery on my behalf to get them.
The snotty receptionist yet again put up a wall to her and tried to make out that I didn't even have the blood test at the surgery!...After another 2 phone calls from her (one to my practice nurse and another to the blood lab) I have the results and thankfully they were negative.
You would think I was happy at these results (I'm sure I will be eventually) but to be honest I'm traumatised. By the time she read the results out, I was in tears out of frustration and worry because surely if the results are that blocked they must be bad?
I would have thought that a GP surgery...that deal with vulnerable people everyday would have more tact. My records show that I suffer from anxiety and depression...but even if it didn't....surely patients can be treated with more compassion than rude impolite receptionists?
Receptionists are part of the face of the nhs, they are a first point of call for a lot of people...surely more resources should be put into training them to live up to that responsibility...I suspect if they were more helpful, patients wouldn't end up going to A & E unnecessarily.
Communication isn't a lot to ask for...
This isn't the first incident with this surgery, and due to illness of me and other half there hasn't been the opening to change surgery as we would have to start again...but I think the time has now come to change surgery and see if the next is any improvement....one can only hope...
Thanks for reading, sorry it isn't a happy topic