Getting past the receptionist

[Lisacharman]

I have a respiratory arrest and pneumonia 2 weeks ago I am home from hospital and then had to be readmitted 5 daysblater ithen got tested for the dreaded flu but it was just a cold I am on lots of medication at home so I am doing 4 hourly nebuliser symbicort 4 times a day I have atrioventricular inhaler and steroids and montelukast at night I am being reviewed very 2 days by the hospital team via phone and then if things are going downhill like Monday they ask for a review with gp so I phoned up they put me in after a lot of explaining to have a general asthma review with the nurse she came through with mask on as I was coughing but this was mainly due to putting me in a newly painted waiting room which made things worse and eventually after half an hour I finally got through to them how serious things are I am trying to avoid another admission and the hospital has so many poorly people with flu so if I can stay home I can control the environment easier but it is a scary thought when you can’t get past the receptionist at your doctors to get an appointment to keep me out of hospital and are the receptionists medically trained to be refusing appointments for someone who is still very poorly they have said due to needing ventilator it is going to take me 3 months to get some energy back and feel safe in the community with your gp etc it doesn’t make me feel that way right now it feels like a fight each time I call them c

[hypercat54]

Hi I am sorry you have been so ill and are still not better. I understand what you are saying but I very much doubt the receptionists are acting on their own authority and individually deciding who can see a doctor and who can't. They have been given instructions to follow and are just doing their best with them so don't blame them please.

If you need to take it up as an issue either complain to a doctor or to the practise manager. I hope you feel a lot better soon. x

[Lisacharman]

I do understand that and I agree they have to do the job to the guidelines that have been set after the last respiratory arrest the doctor said he would put a flag system so if I called in re asthma I had to be seen and also the hospital had asked for this to happen also so some how it hasn’t got done so I will speak to them once I am well enough to be around other people who are poorly as my immune system isn’t working at the moment so the doctors is the last place I need to be I do have the support of the respiratory nurses at the hospital and they negotiate for me if I get stuck and we have had a lot of new staff on reception it’s very frustrating when I just want to stay at home not be admitted to hospital again it will sort itself out one day

[hypercat54 in reply to Lisacharman]

Yes it must be very frustrating for you and I hope like you do that it will sort itself out soon. x

[emmasue]

You have to learn to be pushy. You can be nice and pleasant but you just need to be persistent. They will eventually pass you on to the doctor just to get you off the phone. 😊 Hope you feel better soon. x

[RSKi]

Sorry to hear you have been so poorly, sounds miserable. It can be an additional stress when you are struggling to get GP support, have you asked to talk to the Practice Manager and explained your situation, also put it in writing to the Practice Manager and Partners (do they put an email address on the website), can you ask your hospital team contact them too. I am incredibly lucky with my own GPs but had to do something similar when I was caring for my mother with her GP....seemed to sort it out really quickly. In defence of the GPs they get a load of people not really needing to see them and it must be a nightmare sorting out whos who. I hope you get this sorted, its hard to fight your own corner when you feel so ill, take care and wishing you a speedy "get back to normal".