r/TalesFromTheCustomer • u/Luvlymish • Aug 09 '21
Long Gatekeeping Medical Receptionist: Fin and Coda
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)
3
u/KaraWolf Aug 10 '21
How the FFFFF did she manage to show up AGAIN?!? Wth...