"Trying to get GP appointment"

I have been having slight chest discomfort/pain. I wanted to see my gp .. actually any gp. Unfortunately i have to go through the secretary before that's a possibility. Why should i have to disclose my personal medical information to someone that is not a trained medical professional? I am unsure that non-medical staff will be able to triage patients effectively. Being that this person may also be someone that is familiar with people in your local area, what safeguards are in place that my information is being kept private?

I was told that no appointments were available. That the system doesn't book far enough ahead so i need to phone back in a weeks time for an appointment that presumably wont be for another 4 weeks. This is actual insanity. I was then advised to phone an ambulance. My discomfort is not serious enough to waste the time of ambulance staff who i can only imagine would be utterly perplexed why they are attending a call like this. In my opinion this system of using reception staff to gatekeep speaking to your doctor is completely unfit for purpose. There is no space for nuance, either you're at immediate risk and must phone an ambulance, or you're not and can therefore apparently wait 4-6 weeks for a phone call from your GP.