Action against Whitburn Health Clinic

They have been portrayed as dragons, stuck up, miserable, rude, little Hitlers and the list goes on... but please realise that what they have to deal with on a daily basis is quite challenging to say the least.

From the moment the surgery opens at 8am, they never know what they are going to be faced with - every day is challenging and never the same. They have every walk of life to deal with on the front desk and over the phone.

From the old guy walking in with chest pains who has been up all night but decided to wait till the surgery opens, the alcoholic giving you a hard time and leaching over the counter making lewd comments, drug dependants kicking off if they can’t have what they want i.e. “I want my meds NOW....I cant wait till tomorrow, sort it!”

They get mums in panic because their baby is struggling to breath, walk in patients with cuts, scalds etc, demanding to be seen there and then....the list goes on and on......

They process hundreds of prescriptions per day and make sure the patients get their meds with a 48 hour turn around - and even sooner if patients forget to order in time.

They deal with hundreds of calls hourly (and yes they DO answer the phones - sorry if it’s not straight away, but it’s because they are busy on other calls - not filing their nails).

They are also taking requests for home visits, hospitals ringing, calls for GPs, secretaries, nurses, blood test results, sick notes, ambulances, emergencies etc. etc.

On a final note they NEVER diagnose patients.....when a patient calls in looking for something urgent, the receptionists ask for a brief description of symptoms - this is because the DOCTORS ask them to do this, so the doctors can prioritise their calls, thus ensuring the most urgent cases are dealt with first ............. it is no use expecting the receptions to accept “it is urgent and none of your business” without any other explanation, as the doctors insist on more information before they even consider dealing with the call – this is because, invariably it is not as urgent as the patient thinks or says it is. This is how EVERY GP SURGERY OPERATES.

It is commonly accepted that a GP or A&E receptionist is one of the most difficult jobs in any region in any country. It is not their fault. They should be praised for the good work they do and not pilloried for any perceived shortcomings – think about it – what profession is without fault? None!