1/5 Louise C. 6 months ago on Google
I
have
a
friend
who
has
been
attending
this
practice
every
1-2
weeks
for
almost
3
years.
She
recently
had
to
send
a
few
emails
to
the
practice
about
matters
which
needed
to
be
in
writing.
Today
the
practice
manager
(aka
the
receptionist)
told
my
friend
that
the
email
was
not
for
patient
use
&
patients
were
not
supposed
to
email
the
practice
(!!)
&
told
my
friend
to
try
stop
sending
emails.
Not
only
was
this
a
lie
but
it
rude,
unprofessional
&
patronising.
My
friend
was
shocked
&
in
tears
at
the
way
she
was
treated.
The
receptionist
should
be
ashamed.
My
friend
has
rarely
ever
sent
any
emails
to
the
practice.
The
few
emails
she
has
sent
related
to
her
medical
treatment,
a
message
that
was
not
passed
on
to
her
doc
when
it
should
have
been
&
a
request
to
access
her
medical
records
(which
are
required
to
be
made
in
writing).
The
few
emails
sent
were
put
in
writing
as
they
information
in
them
had
to
be
conveyed
appropriately.
It
transpired
that
the
receptionist
had
unilaterally
decided
to
tell
my
friend
not
to
email
the
practice
without
even
asking
her
GP
or
telling
him.
He
seemed
taken
aback
&
bewildered
&
said
he
would
speak
to
her.
The
practice’s
email
address
is
publicly
available
for
anyone
to
use.
It
is
the
same
email
the
practise
uses
to
email
patients!
Do
they
expect
patients
to
respond
by
telegram?
Surely
receptionists
should
be
aware
that
many
patients
cannot
make
calls
for
medical
reasons
especially
if
they
are
very
sick.
Some
may
not
have
access
to
phones.
How
could
this
person
tell
my
friend
not
to
email
the
practice
without
even
asking
her
GP
first.
Even
worse
is
lying
and
pretending
patient’s
are
not
supposed
to
send
emails
to
the
clinic
when
the
clinic
sends
emails
to
patients.
How
ridiculous
Did
the
receptionist
actually
think
it
was
appropriate
to
do
this?
I
am
a
doctor
&
I
would
sack
her
for
that.
The
practice
claims
to
be
empathic
at
every
encounter.
All
patients
&
any
one
else
can
email
the
practice
when
appropriate
or
necessary.
My
friend
never
sent
unprofessional
or
inappropriate
emails
and
only
sent
a
few
emails
because
the
nature
of
the
contents
was
best
conveyed
in
writing.
A
request
to
access
medical
records
must
be
in
writing.
It
seems
the
receptionist
was
complaining
about
one
single
email
which
no
one
bothered
responding
to
anyway.
Its
not
the
first
time
receptionists
at
this
practice
have
been
rude
and
left
my
friend
upset.
I
would
avoid
talking
to
them
too.
Anyone
who
works
in
a
health
care
setting
has
a
duty
to
treat
patients
with
respect
&
empathy.
Ordering
a
patient
not
to
email
the
practice
or
lying
to
a
patient
is
clearly
a
gross
over
assertion
of
authority
&
I
don’t
think
any
of
the
medical
staff
would
find
it
appropriate.
Or
the
owner
Fortunately,
the
GP
that
my
friend
sees
at
the
practice
said
he
would
inform
the
receptionist
that
my
friend
(his
patient)
is
welcome
to
send
emails
and
confirmed
that
all
patients
are
entitled
to
email
the
practice.
Obviously.
That’s
what
the
email
address
is
for.
I
am
posting
this
as
a
warning.
If
you
don’t
want
to
be
lied
to,
told
not
to
send
emails
to
to
this
practice
even
when
your
doctor
is
happy
to
receive
them
or
treated
like
a
moron
I
suggest
you
do
not
go
here.
Imagine
seeing
a
doctor
almost
every
week
for
3
years
about
serious
health
issues
and
then
being
ordered
not
to
send
emails
because
one
of
your
emails
might
not
have
been
completely
necessary.
According
to
one
receptionist.
What
a
joke.
My
friend
never
complained
if
emails
went
unanswered
or
demanded
they
be
answered
by
a
particular
time.
Admin
staff
should
not
be
interfere
in
communications
between
patients
and
their
doctors
without
speaking
to
the
doctor
first.
That
is
a
doctor’s
role.
A
normal
receptionist
would
not
have
done
this
This
has
left
my
friend
really
upset
and
pretty
shocked.
Thankfully,
the
Doctor
in
question
will
tell
the
receptionist
it
was
inappropriate.
But
beware
if
you
don’t
follow
the
receptionist’s
strict
unilaterally
imposed
demands
“made
up”
rules
you
might
be
dealt
with
in
a
similar
way