12/08/2025
Once again today we have had a patient shout at one of our receptionists and cause upset amongst the team because their demands were not immediately met. This is is another case of many in recent weeks and is becoming an almost daily occurrence. People take their frustrations out on our receptionists and if they do not get what they want immediately will often shout and threaten and be generally unpleasant for all involved and this is utterly unacceptable. Our reception team are there to help you and work incredibly hard at their jobs. Some have been doing it for years but some are new and are still learning the ropes but every single one of them is there to help our patients and tries their absolute hardest to meet the needs of everyone.
We appreciate that when you are unwell, you may be anxious and keen to speak to a GP who knows you. But we run an appointment system and it needs to be fair to everybody and it needs to be safe also. You cannot walk in and demand to speak to a clinician there and then. They are busy and have long lists of other patients to see who also need their full attention.
We also do not have infinite appointments and whilst we always try our hardest to maintain continuity where we can, it is not always possible or will require a long wait for you to see a clinician of your choosing. The fact that you may have to wait is NOT our receptionists’ fault so please do not take it out on them. They are trying their absolute hardest to be fair and get everyone seen who needs to be seen.
They act on the instructions of the GPs, in particular the Partners, who have designed our current triage system carefully and who work incredibly hard to ensure it is fair and accessible to everyone. You may feel you have a close relationship with a particular GP but that is not an excuse to behave badly and demand to see them, or point blank refuse to see another GP if yours is not available, whilst shouting at the person who is trying to help you. If it is a truly urgent issue, you will be dealt with by the duty Doctor who is on call that day.
Aggression, threats and intimidation is absolutely unacceptable in any situation let alone in a GP surgery and will not be tolerated. We have removed threatening and aggressive patients in the past and we will not hesitate to do it again.
Please think before you lash out and take your frustration out on someone who is simply doing their job.
If you have a formal complaint then please put it in writing to the Practice Manager.