Why does the receptionist need to ask what’s wrong with me?

The reception and administration staff are valued members of the practice team; the GP Partners have asked that they ask patients ‘why they need to be seen’.

Our team work with a protocol designed by our GPs which enables them to put you in with the right person, first time, and this is not always a GP.  It could be self-care, the local Pharmacy, or one of our Practice Team members.

We have a multidisciplinary team here at the surgery with staff other than GPs who can help with a wide range of problems.  Our team are highly skilled and many of them are able to arrange prescriptions, scans and other investigations without the need for a GP appointment.

Please have patience with our staff, they are all dong their best to support you.

The team are also asked to collect brief information from patients to help:
– doctors prioritise appointments and phone calls, especially in this current time of extreme demand
– ensure patients receive the appropriate level of care

All of our team are bound by confidentiality rules:
– Any information given by you is treated strictly confidentially.
– The practice would take any breach of confidentiality very seriously and deal with it accordingly.
– You can ask to speak to the a member of the team in private, away from the reception desk.
– However, if you feel your issue is very private and do not wish to say what this is, then this will be respected and a routine appointment booked for you with a ‘prefers not to say’.  Please be aware that an appointment in the urgent/on-the-day clinic will need a reason for the appointment.