who can we complain too?

drussellh

sue their pants off. the receptionist should die of shame for what she did to poor innocent you.

unholyangel

If you wish to complain it should be to the practice manager.

Has anyone considered that perhaps the receptionist never thought about it being abuse at the time, later told someone "you'll never believe that happened" and then THAT person highlighted it was possible abuse and to report it? Then because they do not just have 2 or 3 people in a doctors surgery per day, the receptionist had to provide the names of ALL those who were visiting around that time and have kids?

You talk about posters jumping on the OP.....what about everyone (including the OP) jumping on the receptionist ?

And technically she didnt accuse all the parents. She obviously informed them it was only one parent but that she wasnt sure which one. More to the point she knows which parent did it, just didnt know their name.

Would i mind being inconvenienced if it potentially saved a childs life? Hell no. I've been wrongfully suspected of benefit fraud on the basis of they thought myself and my flatmate were a couple. I had to have them out to the house where they could clearly see we have completely different bedrooms/dont socialise with each other as a couple. Was i irked at having my privacy invaded and accused of something i knew i was innocent of? Yes. But it was fleeting. I also realised that they didnt know we werent a couple and if it helped catch out benefit frauds then overall it was a good thing.

Sometimes it is a necessity for the greater good.

And chances are SS would have wanted to talk to the OP anyway, even though they are not the culprit, they still witnessed what happened.

gregg1

Flyboy152 wrote: »

If it was something that important, as it clearly was, she should have tried better to identify them. Or at least be able eliminate the other people in the waiting room.

Exactly my point.

arcon5

I doubt you can take legal action. Well actually Im sure you can take legal action but I hope you lose if you do

Flyboy152 wrote: »

Why?

Because whether there was a better way around it or not, the receptionist spotted what she thought could be abuse and did the right thing by reporting it. Now social services are investigating the report.
Unless there was malice in there atall, why should the receptionist be subjected to a court case for trying to protect a child?

Flyboy152 wrote: »

And in the meantime accused everybody who was there. That's really the way to go about it, isn't it. Make all the parents think they are being treated like criminals.

Yes, yes it is, the receptionist suspected possible abuse and didn't take necessary steps at the time to get the name of the correct person. So under these circumstances giving SS everybodies name IS the correct way to proceed.

Op says they had a visit by social services, that doesn't mean SS have in anyway accused them of abuse or criminalised them -- that is simply how op feels. SS are simply investigatingthe claim and trying to find the correct parent

A receptionist's life is probably very hectic and she will have so many important and urgent issues to deal with in a typical day -- how each do you think it would be to miss the parent leaving ? Very easy ? How many parents will visit the surgery? Alot!

arcon5

Flyboy152 wrote: »

If it was something that important, as it clearly was, she should have tried better to identify them. Or at least be able eliminate the other people in the waiting room.

gregg1 wrote: »

Exactly my point.

How do you know she didn't?...................

There could have been 20 parents in that day and she could have reported say 3-4 who was in during the hour she spotted the incident. And since op was there during this time she has been unfortunate enough to be one of these whoes name was passed on!

gregg1

unholyangel wrote: »

If you wish to complain it should be to the practice manager.

Has anyone considered that perhaps the receptionist never thought about it being abuse at the time, later told someone "you'll never believe that happened" and then THAT person highlighted it was possible abuse and to report it? Then because they do not just have 2 or 3 people in a doctors surgery per day, the receptionist had to provide the names of ALL those who were visiting around that time and have kids?

You talk about posters jumping on the OP.....what about everyone (including the OP) jumping on the receptionist ?

And technically she didnt accuse all the parents. She obviously informed them it was only one parent but that she wasnt sure which one. More to the point she knows which parent did it, just didnt know their name.

Would i mind being inconvenienced if it potentially saved a childs life? Hell no. I've been wrongfully suspected of benefit fraud on the basis of they thought myself and my flatmate were a couple. I had to have them out to the house where they could clearly see we have completely different bedrooms/dont socialise with each other as a couple. Was i irked at having my privacy invaded and accused of something i knew i was innocent of? Yes. But it was fleeting. I also realised that they didnt know we werent a couple and if it helped catch out benefit frauds then overall it was a good thing.

Sometimes it is a necessity for the greater good.

And chances are SS would have wanted to talk to the OP anyway, even though they are not the culprit, they still witnessed what happened.

Based on the receptionist not identifying the person, they were not interviewed as potential witnesses but as potential offenders. That is a huge difference and this family could very possibly now go on SS's files as a family they have visited and who were at one point a family of interest. I am afraid SS do not have a very good record for doing the right thing.

Cases such as this need to be handled extremely carefully and it is not the way to go rushing in like bulls in a china shop putting everyone within spitting distance under suspicion. It does no-one any good and can very often only serve to prejudice a case against the real culprits if SS are seen to be charging in without being sure of their facts. They have done this enough times in the past to have learnt their lesson I would have thought.

Also, in our doctors there is CCTV on the waiting room - I thought most doctors had this these days. Surely that would have helped in proper identification.

gregg1

arcon5 wrote: »

How do you know she didn't?...................

There could have been 20 parents in that day and she could have reported say 3-4 who was in during the hour she spotted the incident. And since op was there during this time she has been unfortunate enough to be one of these whoes name was passed on!

Well if she did, she did not do a very good job of it did she?

I think "unfortunate" is an understatement. The SS only need the slightest whiff of a potential accusation these days to have that family placed on their radar indefinitely (guilty or not - doesn't seem to matter). Thats rather a high price to pay for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

crazyguy

Another clear case of I want a fee lunch britain !

arcon5

gregg1 wrote: »

Well if she did, she did not do a very good job of it did she?

I think "unfortunate" is an understatement. The SS only need the slightest whiff of a potential accusation these days to have that family placed on their radar indefinitely (guilty or not - doesn't seem to matter). Thats rather a high price to pay for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Why? We don't know how many parents with children visited the surgery and how many names was given out.

Unless op comes back and says she is being treated unfairly, harassed or having some form of action taken as a result of this you can't class her as a victim. So far all we know is SS have visited her once. I can completely understand why op would be annoyed by this, but don't udnerstand why she would consider any form of legal action, being a parent herself I would have thought she would be happy for SS to contact all that was there in order to find the person they are looking for, rather than sitting on the fence and doing nothing at all.

jamespir

hold on your telling me a recepsionist called social services cause a child was misbehaving ....omg jobsworth or what


just write to the doctors and complain you dont need to sue youve not lost anything in the process thats gonna affect ypu or your kids life