GP surgery issues plea after foul-mouthed patients hurl abuse at reception staff

A GP surgery has revealed the shocking verbal abuse its reception staff endured after a technical glitch, beyond their control, left phones and computers out of action for two days.

The significant network fault, later traced to a 'node' beneath the pavement outside Piccadilly railway station, rendered Ancoats Urban Village GP Practice in Manchester without working phones or computers last week.

This led to some patients struggling to secure appointments, hurling abusive language at the practice's staff, according to the surgery.

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In a heartfelt statement shared on its Facebook page, the GP practice went into further details about the incident and the impact on its staff, reports the Manchester Evening News.

A spokesperson confessed: "This week has been really challenging for us. A major network fault left our phones and computers down for two days. We know this was frustrating, and we are truly sorry for the difficulties it caused....

"We also want to share how it felt on our side. Some of our reception team were shouted at and sworn at during this time. They come to work ready to help, but without phones or systems they were just as powerless and frustrated as you. Patient safety is always our top priority and, without systems, sometimes the safest thing is to direct you elsewhere. It is really hard for our reception team to face abuse when all they want to do is help people. They are hardworking, committed, and here to support you.

"We want to thank the many patients who showed patience and kindness while we worked through the outage. It meant a lot to the team and reminded us why we do what we do.

"The good news is that everything is now back up and running. Going forward, we kindly ask that if things go wrong again, please remember there are people on the other end of the phone doing their very best in a tough situation. Your words stay with our team long after the call has ended.

"We have already held learning events after both incidents and our contingency plans worked well. Everyone who needed to be seen was seen, and our patients at the end of their lives were kept safe and supported.

"We expect Monday to be a day of catching up and clearing our backlog of administrative duties. The engineers have made a temporary fix, but a major refit of the network "node" under Piccadilly Station will take several weeks. A little kindness makes a big difference. Please remember, your words matter."