Dear diary, for that is what this blog is - an occasional diary for me. Today has been a sod of a day. 80+ folk in the triage slots for 30 appointments there abouts. I am exhausted by the demands the nit picking and the all round barrage that is triage and duty days at the health center. I generally like triage - as there are a lot of folk I can help quickly or get an appropriate appointment for. But today sucked. Very few appointments and high demand.
What are my colleagues all doing and why are we stuck with the promise of contacting all patients - when with the demand is way out stripping the docs ability to provide. I feel I am being harmed through this and the fire fighting is demoralizing - no head way and only abuse as a rewards for trying t your hardest.
Today one of our most experienced lovely receptionists had a torrent of angry groundless anger flung at her. The git then complained to the board and they had a go at her too. So groundless was this gits complaint that he spontaneously phoned and appologised. But the harm had been done - both with his shitty actions against a lovely lady who works for the public good and by the members of the health board undermining my friends confidence in herself and her superiors with their high handed support of the complainant.
We get 80-150 contacts a day demanding attention to their results and discussion about them, about meds, about family members, needing appointments as we have 2 docs to field this demand. 1 is triage and 1 is duty, so sometimes duty calls one away. The docs also have to support the nurses and will be called away from the monstrous waiting list of callers to see just one case. Or the receptionist will but-in with pharmacy updates, hospital colleague calls or even just to nag on behalf of some waiting patient - NO I will NOT speak to them right now, I tired 30mins ago and now it is another persons turn for me to try.
Well thats me fed up and tired. No lunch, 3 urinations no break. More tomorrow with duty doc Monday. I can't escape this is my life. One day the demand will be too much for even the superhuman effort we routinely get asked to make and something clinically indefensible will happen - with the only defense being i could not get time to attend to this problem!!!
About Me
- 60N
- Wife of an IT guru and mother of 1 daughter and 4 boys. I am employed as a GP associate in Spalding. I have few hobbies as I am working all the time or as a mother. I enjoy making products form things I have grown or scrumpped.
1 comment:
It seems that no matter what changes are made to the appointments system, the demands and expectations of the practice population are above and beyond what the practice itself can cope with. As to the board roasting this poor lass without even an investigation, well that stinks and is indefensible. LHC is lucky to have the staff and doctors it does.
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