County Durham GP Practice Urges Patients to Treat Reception Staff with Respect

A County Durham GP practice has appealed for patience and respectful behaviour following an increase in incidents of abuse directed at its reception team.

Sacriston Surgery said staff should be able to carry out their work without facing hostility from patients. Receptionists are often the first point of contact for people seeking medical help, but they do not make clinical decisions about treatment or determine the overall availability of appointments.

The practice explains that its reception staff are trained in care navigation and may ask patients for brief details about their needs. This is intended to help direct people to the most appropriate clinician or local service, rather than to prevent them from seeing a healthcare professional.

Patients remain entitled to raise concerns about access, communication or the care they receive. Sacriston Surgery provides formal routes for feedback and complaints, with its management team available to investigate problems. However, frustration with services does not justify threatening, intimidating or abusive conduct towards individual members of staff.

The appeal comes amid wider concern about violence and abuse across general practice. Recent research involving clinical and non-clinical employees found that such behaviour can leave staff feeling unsafe, contribute to employees leaving their jobs and reduce the capacity of services to care for patients.

Sacriston Medical Centre is currently rated good by the Care Quality Commission. Its latest assessment found that most patients were positive about the service, with 79% of respondents describing their overall experience as good.

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