Should GPs’ receptionists vet their patients?

I APPLAUD Dr Max Pemberton’s criticism of the idea receptionists should screen patients for an appointment with a doctor (Mail). I can’t think of a more reckless scheme and am pleased this would never be allowed in the practice where I work. Yes, many people waste their doctor’s time with unnecessary appointments. However, it’s not, and never should be, a receptionist’s job to decide who should or shouldn’t see a doctor. On more than one occasion in the past when a patient has voluntarily mentioned their problem to me — then said maybe they shouldn’t waste the doctor’s time — I’ve suggested they should be seen, the problem was found to be important, further investigations were required, and on two occasions the situation became life-threatening.

JuDith MacBeth, Reading, Berks. YOUR article ‘March of the GP receptionist’ (Mail) made me laugh. Some time ago, I rang to make an appointment to see my doctor. The receptionist said there were no appointments that day, nor the next nor all that week as the doctor was retiring and all her patients wanted to say goodbye. Hope it wasn’t serious.

B. WilliaMs, liverpool. A BETTER idea would be to have a trained nurse in a private room doing triage. So, you sit in a queue (as in the good old days) and wait your turn to see the nurse, who spends a minute or so assessing your needs and gives you a chitty for the receptionist if you need the GP. She could get though probably 30 to 40 patients in an hour.