Going to see the Doctor for most, used to be just turning up and joining a queue of about 2 hours and catching about 15 other germs whilst doing it.
But, the powers to be came up with a pretty good idea and made seeing your Doctor by appointment only.

For a while this seemed quite acceptable. You’d phone in the morning and be there in the afternoon or latest, the following day. But as time went on, two, three or four days seemed quite acceptable.

Let me take you through the example of my phone call to the Surgery this morning (Monday).

First the recorded message greets you with three options. Luckily Appointments is the first one so I don’t get around to throwing the phone accross the Siiting Room.
After a few seconds a Lady answers, “Hello, I’d like to make an appointment to see the Doctor please” I say with a cheerful voice.

“What do you need to see him for ?”. At this point I was annoyed because I hadn’t looked up some extremely rare disease on the Internet and give that as the reason. I also toyed with the idea of saying it’s none of her business. But like the true Gentleman I am, I went on.

Yes, a Physiotherapist has told me I have “Supra……”. Before I even finished the word she came back with “Pain in the Shoulder, how can the Doctor help you”.

Blimey! That got me going a bit. I said “Arrange for me to have an X-Ray perhaps”. “Right, well the Doctor could see you tomorrow week”.
I said I had to work that day and for the following six. Then by some quirk of coincidence “OK, I can book you in for Friday morning at 9.30am”. Now why didn’t that mention that vacancy in the first place and being 9.30am, it would seem I’d be only the second person in there!

So rant over. What I would like to know is why a Receptionist with no medical training other than a First Aid Course maybe, be given the authority to ask personal questions about your health and make a decision as to if you should even see a Doctor or not?

One theory which goes through my mind is that, if the Doctor knows who’s coming to see him, or her, about what, they can have a quick read up on it the night before!

I’m certain there are very many Receptionists out there who, even through some of the hassle they have to take, have the courtesy to act in an understanding way and show at least some concern about your Welfare. I guess to many though, we’re just another File in all those noisy Cabinets and nothing more.

The call ended with “Goodbye”, no thank you, just “Goodbye”.

I’m 60 years old and haven’t been to the Doctor for about three years and before that, for about four, so I’m not exactly a vast financial overhead for the System.
I must really try not to be a nuisance when I start to lose the rest of the health I have and promise not to take up someone’s valuable time for such a stupid thing as wanting to move without pain, having the comfortable life that I and many others should have.

My closing comment would be, “If you dislike a job that much – don’t do it” !