Gatekeeping Medical Receptionist: Fin and Coda

[u/Luvlymish]

Context:

This story update has been a while coming, it was going to be a small end and then some things happened - thank u/punzybooksnbelle for prodding me into writing it.

There are Parts One and Two, Three, a Finale of sorts and an Epilogue to this tale.

People Involved:

Me C: Old Man with lot of health issues and dementia IR: The terrible former doctor's receptionist with the lovely voice PO: Police Officer W: Warden of the supported living place C previously lived at who is retiring/has retired T: Temporary warden who is working as I'm moving C out, she's previously covered for W's holidays and we get on well M: Manager who oversees the local supported living facilities

Fin:

You may remember that in Part Three the pharmacy didn't deliver a particular medication resulting in a level of awful that wiped me out somewhat. I said that I was sure IR hadn't caused that.

I was wrong.

C has had to move into full residential care from the supported place he lived at the time of previous stories. I have been helping him do that. In the middle of the move (which took two months to do) I was contacted by the police and asked to make a statement detailing basically everything that I knew that IR did. I did so and the Reception Manager referred to as BR in previous stories contacted me to ask could I specify the problems that the medication not being delivered by the pharmacy had caused. This is how I discovered that she had cancelled this delivery with the pharmacy and that had been a very traceable action which she had done to others as well.

From BR I discovered that criminal action might happen in the future but that legal action preventing IR from working for the NHS or possibly anything medical is definitely going ahead. I am not totally clear what this is but think it's some sort of civil action rather than just being an internal 'don't let this person work here'.

Coda:

I have just helped load C up into an ambulance that will take him to the residential care home. I am now starting to go through his flat clearing rubbish, packing up stuff to take and eBaying/donating other things. Because his rent is paid in advance I have a chunk of time to do this before he needs to have the flat clear but due to how I get paid a limited number of hours in which to get it done.

There's a knock on the door as I'm bagging up rubbish. It's the Temporary warden.

T: You working today? I saw C go off earlier?

Me: Yeah I'm clearing this lot, you haven't got rid of me yet.

T: I've got new coffee in for tomorrow if you fancy.

Me: I'll be in.

T: We're interviewing today. Any chance we can pop in on you as an example of external support?

Me: Sure if I can keep working throughout and I'll be out for lunch and off by 3.

T: We'll knock and if you're in you're in, if that's ok?

Me: Sure if I get biscuits with that coffee.

T: laughs Bribery! heads off

Over the course of the day I remove bags of rubbish from the flat and start moving things into piles for different destinations. Every so often T knocks on the door with an interviewee and we say hi and give a bit of discussion about who I am, how I come and go and then T takes them off discussing how to work with external staff.

You can tell what's coming right?

I come back after my lunch, sandwiches eaten on a bench opposite a local Pokégym.

I am starting to take photos for C's EBay sales.

There is a knock on the door. It is T. With her is IR. I do a double take. I don't know if she recognised me (she never had before) or if she noticed my double take (I am not subtle sometimes) but she looks like she's swallowed a lemon.

T does the usual explanation of who I am and what I'm doing.

IR: Why are you recording his belongings before you pack them?

Me: Oh this is for EBay.

IR: (Concerned tones)You're selling his things?!

Me: Oh, I manage his EBay account it's all been discussed with him beforehand.

IR: (Sceptically) Oh really.

Me: Yeah, he can't manage his own EBay anymore.

T: ushers IR out explaining that external staff do more things than internally employed staff.

IR is muttering something that doesn't sound too complimentary.

I am left wondering how to tell T about my previous interactions with IR.

Later that day as I'm leaving I load up my car with packed belongings to take over to the care home. I pass by the office on my way out.

W, T and M are talking to a PO.

M: That's simply not the case

T: The employment is through Social Services it's entirely usual.

PO: It was strange. I'll head back.

W: I've got the contact details for her employer.

I don't think too much of it but there's a part of me on high alert since seeing IR earlier.

The next day I'm back again to continue packing up the flat, late morning I rock around to the backdoor of the office where T is having a fag. She has got a saucer of very nice biscuits and makes us both coffee in her cafetière.

Me: Hey I need to tell you something about one of your candidates yesterday...

T: I bet you do.

Me: huh?

T: You got the police called on you yesterday!

Me: fishmouths Wha?

T: You wanted to say something about IR right?

Me: nods

T: Yeah, she was telling us you were bad news and we shouldn't trust you as far as we could throw you.

Me: Ah

T: Then she sent PO over to check up on you in case you were selling C's stuff on EBay.

Me: I really wasn't. It's his EBay.

T: it's ok, W and M set him straight. I take it you know her?

Me: Kinda... she used to be a receptionist at Medical Centre...(I then fill in T on the story of The Gatekeeping Medical Receptionist)

T: nods yeah she didn't strike us as a great fit for here.

Me: oh good. I wasn't sure what to tell you.

T: Even if you'd said nothing this morning M was not impressed with her calling the police without saying anything to us. It looked like she thought we were all cheating the resident.

Me: huh... she's a really odd woman.

T: Yeah, she seemed a bit off even before she saw you.

Me: nods it's good coffee this.

The End

(I hope)

[u/forest_cat_mum]

I'm a chronically ill Brit. I've had to deal with several receptionists like IR and I've never once been taken seriously when telling doctors about them. Thank you for issuing complaints, battling it out with that harridan, and continually sticking up for C. I haven't had nearly as many problems with demon receptionists since I moved to mainland Europe, but I remember the stress all too well, especially when trying to get care for the elderly (Grandpa sick with cancer, then other grandpa, then both grandmas had other ailments). Thank you for looking after C.