Southampton patients have had their say on how helpful they find reception staff at their GP surgery.

The results of the annual GP Patient Survey have revealed the most and least helpful receptionists in surgeries across the city.

City residents cast their votes in the survey, which received around 760,000 results nationwide.

In the ‘helpful receptionists’ category, Homeless Healthcare Team, Chartwell Green Surgery, and Stoneham Lane Surgery emerged as the top three.

On the other end of the scale, Aldermoor Surgery, Alma Road Surgery and Living Well Partnership were named the bottom three.

The top five rated GP surgeries in the ‘helpful receptionists category’

Homeless Healthcare Team – 95.82%

Chartwell Green Surgery – 94.26%

Stoneham Lane Surgery – 93.62%

Highfield Health – 92.96%

Cheviot Road Surgery – 92.13%

Lowest scoring GP surgeries in the ‘helpful receptionists category’

Aldermoor Surgery – 67.61%

Alma Road Surgery – 68.68%

Living Well Partnership – 69.56%

St Mary’s Surgery – 72.52%

Victor Street Surgery – 73.67%

'Trying to do your best for patients'

Although few surgeries are rated higher than 90 per cent in this category, one former GP surgery receptionist said this is because there is more than meets the eye.

Kirsten Parker was a medical receptionist at a Southampton surgery for 18 months.

READ MORE: Top 10 best and worst Southampton GPs revealed in annual survey – full list

The 49-year-old worked through the Covid-19 pandemic and described the experience as the ‘hardest job’ she has ever had.

Kirsten said: “As a receptionist, you will be a gatekeeper for the doctors, but you are also trying to do your best for the patients.

“There are procedures put in place that receptionists must follow, and as the first point of call for patients, you often become the punching bag, for lack of a better word.

“You are often the person telling a patient ‘no’ and there’s many reasons why receptionists can’t give patients what they want.

“Sometimes it’s because of guidelines, or purely because they cannot do something.

“I often said to patients ‘If I could give you what you want, my job would be so much easier’.”

Kirsten was frequently on the receiving end of unwarranted abuse – from being sworn at to even having used syringes thrown at her.

She said: “One of the most frustrating parts of the job is that you can’t always help, and you end up on the receiving end of quite nasty abuse, through no fault of your own.

“It’s absolutely not the case that receptionists hold the power.

“There’s probably a really high turnover of receptionists because you feel like you are not pleasing anyone, and it’s really hard not being able to help patients in the way you want.”