Foul-mouthed patients scream abuse at GP reception staff

Yahoo

8 hours ago

A Manchester GP practice has reported how reception staff suffered horrific verbal abuse after a technical fault out of their control left phones and computers down for two days.
A major network fault later traced to a 'node' under the pavement outside Piccadilly railway station left Ancoats Urban Village GP Practice without functioning phones or computers last week.
It prompted foul-mouthed abuse from some patients struggling to get appointments, according to the practice.
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In a statement published on its Facebook page, the GP practice admitted: "This week has been really challenging for us. A major network fault left our phones and computers down for two days. We know this was frustrating, and we are truly sorry for the difficulties it caused....
"We also want to share how it felt on our side. Some of our reception team were shouted at and sworn at during this time. They come to work ready to help, but without phones or systems they were just as powerless and frustrated as you. Patient safety is always our top priority and, without systems, sometimes the safest thing is to direct you elsewhere. It is really hard for our reception team to face abuse when all they want to do is help people. They are hardworking, committed, and here to support you.
"We want to thank the many patients who showed patience and kindness while we worked through the outage. It meant a lot to the team and reminded us why we do what we do.
"The good news is that everything is now back up and running. Going forward, we kindly ask that if things go wrong again, please remember there are people on the other end of the phone doing their very best in a tough situation. Your words stay with our team long after the call has ended.
"We have already held learning events after both incidents and our contingency plans worked well. Everyone who needed to be seen was seen, and our patients at the end of their lives were kept safe and supported.
"We expect Monday to be a day of catching up and clearing our backlog of administrative duties. The engineers have made a temporary fix, but a major refit of the network 'node' under Piccadilly Station will take several weeks.
"A little kindness makes a big difference. Please remember, your words matter."