"Extremely rude and unprofessional receptionists. "

This morning I had an horrific experience with the extremely rude and unprofessional reception team at Guide Bridge medical practice.

I have been a patient here for many years and in the past have wrote many appreciative emails in regards to my experiences with the practice. Debbie who used to work on the reception team led a friendly and helpful team but since she has left and the replacements have come in I’ve had nothing but bad experiences.

I will list my grievances -

1. You can never get through on the phone, ever. You can be in que position number 1 for 40 minutes. When I’ve been into the surgery the ladies are sat watching the red light flash and not answering the phone while holding unprofessional conversations between themselves.

2. They don’t allow any patients into the waiting area even if it is empty. There are elderly, young and vulnerable patients being left to wait on the street in all weathers for their doctor or nurse to come and get them from outside. It is my understanding the waiting room can accommodate up to 3 people socially distanced. The reception ladies let no one in.

3. They ask for sensitive and confidential information over the intercom - this morning I went to the practice to pick up a sample bottle for my husband. After giving his details over the intercom (on the street) so they could look up his notes on the system the reception lady then proceeded to ask me what it was for - expecting me to go into details over the intercom while stood in the street. I then told them I wasn’t comfortable giving that information over the intercom so they buzzed me in to an empty waiting room. Why wasn’t I buzzed in anyway if the waiting room was empty? All the while there was an elderly lady stood outside in the hot sun waiting for her appointment.

Once inside I was met with three hostile ladies behind the reception desk. One told me ‘she hadn’t a clue why I was there as they have new doctors who don’t write up notes and she didn’t know what she was expected to do’. I then explained the reason for the sample bottle request meanwhile they’re all talking over each other and muttering about how the new doctors don’t give the right information and I was feeling very uncomfortable and also made to feel a hindrance. Eventually I was given the sample bottle.

I then asked whether the course of b12 injections had been booked to which again I was met with hostility (how dare I make another request was the way I felt) the lady said ‘no another thing the doctor hasn’t done’

I would suggest reiterating the rules to the reception staff of allowing people in the waiting room as leaving people outside in the extreme heat as they were today can only have a negative health impact. I would also suggest some training in empathy and basic customer service.

I have never come across such unprofessional behaviour and for it to happen in a GP surgery where people are at their most vulnerable makes it more shocking.