"The same old story"

I was third in a queue at reception. The first was a hard of heaing person in their late 80’s and the staff member immediately started shouting at them through the glass to put their mask on. The staff member didn’t have a mask on.

They spoke quietly, obviously embarrassed and said that they found it difficult to talk with it on but they did and a difficult conversation took place. Apparently, they wanted to book an appointment but then was told several times that they would have to go home and call in. They walked out.

I handed the staff a sick note and told them it was given to me by an employee and was incorrectly completed. The Doctors signature was illegible and I asked which doctor issued it. The sick note committing to me to £500 in sick pay contained 6 words.

They didn’t know but started looking on their computer. A 2nd member of staff got involved. I was then told “this sick note is not you” … “we cant give you this information due to patient confidentiality”

Clearly, they had not listened to a single thing I had said and I started to get frustrated as I was being treated exactly as the first person, as a nuisance.

I made the same point again “this has been given to me by my member of staff so there is no confidentiality issue”

I got the same answer and by now there was a crowd behind the reception desk all telling me about patient confidentiality and telling me to stop shouting. I replied that I had to shout to try and make someone hear.

I told them I had already written in to the senior partner over the previous sick note and wanted to speak to them. I was told “they are not here and out of the country so would not have received my letter. “

I replied “so there is no one in control when this person is away?” I was told yes there is a partner and I asked to speak with them. I was told they were busy with patients and the receptionist then threatened to call the police!!

I told her to go ahead and call the police and sat down.

She then notified the partner and after about ¾ of an hour I spent 5 minutes of calm conversation with the partner. What a contrast, I came out of the surgery relieved that the attitude I had experienced at reception was not endemic.

In summary there appears to be training that the reception staff need and a change to the way people who turn up at reception are viewed.

Unlike business out there like ours who are even more stressed about the effects of Covid, these people have guaranteed jobs and incomes, we don’t and the sooner the senior partner and their receptionists adopts a less confrontational attitude, and both hears as well as listens, the sooner these letters of complaint will stop coming.

To be issuing sick notes, incorrectly completed, with little explanation, that financially commit businesses, when the staff including the issuing doctor don’t understand the obligations they put on other people is an inditement of the person running this practise.