The season of goodwill is upon us! The shops online and in the High Streets are buzzing with Christmas fare. There are 3 for 2 and 50% off, etc, enticing us to spend our hard-earned cash. But I have become more savvy over the years. I now make a list and stick to it with self-inflicted discipline to keep myself from going overboard. I learned my lesson the hard way years ago, and now I am one step ahead of the crafty retailers’ advertising. Seriously, write a list. I do mine around the beginning of August (yes, as early as that). And, bit by bit, I find out what the grandkids have their little hearts set on, except George, who is 7 and will chop and change from one week to the next and start putting money aside when I price things up. The older grandkids all want money, so that is easy, and I begin to put money away for them from the beginning of the year; believe me, you don't notice it so much. Around October, I look at my Christmas decoration...
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Yesterday, I accompanied my husband to our local surgery to try and get him a much-needed urgent appointment. He’s diabetic and had been feeling pretty out of sorts over the weekend. It started with one hand tingling like it had pins and needles. Then, he said his wrist felt "heavy"—which, by Sunday, had spread to his upper leg.
Come Monday morning, we headed out bright and early—thankfully it's just a two-minute walk away—because, as anyone who’s ever needed a GP on a Monday knows, it’s practically the Glastonbury queue of the healthcare world. Sure enough, by the time the door opened, about five other patients had lined up behind us.
The door was opened without a smile or a chirpy “Good morning!” (not like the receptionists many moons ago). We followed the receptionist in and were summoned to the desk where the welcome vibe didn’t exactly scream, “We’re here to help!” Honestly, we both felt a bit like we were an inconvenience.
Then came the new triage system. We were told this was supposed to be done online, but she would do it for us! I almost felt humble by this act of kindness! This meant we had to explain my husband’s health concerns at the desk, in full earshot of everyone behind us or sitting in the waiting room. Not the most private of moments. Luckily, it wasn’t something more sensitive—or else it would’ve been mortifying. It really is not a good system at all where privacy is concerned because there is no privacy when there are other people around in a quiet environment like that of a doctor's surgery waiting room!
We also mentioned that we don’t drive, and really needed the appointment to be at that very surgery. We were told we’d get a text with the details shortly. So off we went and waited.
Sure enough, the text came... with an appointment except, it was across town, two bus rides away and a three hour time lapse to and from!
When we got there, we didn’t see a doctor. Instead, we met a Clinical Practitioner. Now, to be fair, they were lovely—warm, friendly, and did their best—but given the symptoms, I really felt my husband should have seen an actual doctor.
So, I’ve now registered him elsewhere. A surgery where, ideally, you go in and—imagine the luxury—you actually see a doctor when you need to.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the surgery we left on Google it has a 1.9-star rating, says it all, really.
We do understand that a doctor's surgery is a very busy environment, and sometimes it must seem like an endless queue of people wanting to book appointments, or have a query. Going back years ago it was not really that different and there was not the technology available to make things easier to cope with. Yet, most of the people behind the reception desk were friendly and helpful (you will always get a few that will not be approachable whatever the environment).
I do think a doctor's receptionist has a difficult job, but a smile does not cost anything or take up any time, and it can make all the difference to how a patient feels about their health centre in general.
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