I have first hand experience of how poor a receptionist can be when dealing with patients. Just over eight months ago on a Sunday I had a rectal bleed, was very sick and breathless, my wife wanted me to go to A & E but I said give it a little time. As long as I was lying down I felt more comfortable and no more feeling sick although my breathing had improved it wasn't what it should be. I decided I would wait until the morning and phone the surgery for an appointment. In the morning I really struggled having a shower as my breathing worsened when I moved around.
I phoned the surgery and gave the receptionist all the details, she offered me a phone appointment. I explained when I moved even just to the bathroom I felt very breathless and she said that is all I can do at the moment. So a rectal bleed, being sick and breathless only merited a phone appointment. When the doctor rang me I explained the symptoms and she said I will book you in for the following Tuesday so 8 days away. Meantime I was asked to pop to the surgery and give a blood sample. I struggled to the surgery and a nurse took some blood then said did the receptionist not give you a stool sample bag to which I said no. I didn't have my blood pressure taken or my heart rate checked just sent on my way.
I struggled for another week until I saw my doctor, he could see I was breathless, had low blood pressure and a fast heart rate. He prescribed strong antibiotics. 3 days past and I just felt worse so I took myself off to A & E and just manged to reach the receptionist desk before almost collapsing, they took me to through to the emergency room immediately. My sats were 52 pulse 132, they carried out x-rays and scans and the result was a pulmonary embolism, a clot had formed in the bridge of the main artery to my lungs. Later the consultant saw me and was aghast at how long it took me to come to A & E and especially that the surgery didn't direct me to A & E immediately when I described the symptoms. He said I was very lucky to have lasted so long giving me only a 25% chance of surviving with the clot in the position it was. I was in hospital for another week and then on a course of injections and tablets for the next 6 months.
Whilst I appreciate that receptionists are confronted with minor complaints and they perhaps feel they only want doctors to see real emergencies, so a rectal bleed, breathlessness and being very sick obviously isn't an emergency as far as my surgery's receptionist is concerned but worse the doctor who took a phone appointment wasn't that concerned either.