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Think its a bit of a waste of a nurse practitioners skills to sort out appointments Would it not be simpler and cheaper to design a proper practice booklet with an idiots guide to who to see for what problem? Receptionists can be trained to direct patients if they are unsure and record an ongoing message for patients on hold on the phone. Quite frankly I think its a bit insulting to assume all patients are f*"kwits If I ring my Gp surgery, and want to see my Gp, I would be most upset if I had to answer loads of highly personnal questions from a nurse less experienced, less qualified, and half my age before being given the decision as to whether she felt my case would merit the attention of my GP. After all, isnt it the diversity that draws us to general practice in the first place so why treat such a diverse group of patients identically? I used to know that if mrs jones rang for an appointment "this week" then i had better get her in damned quick because she would only ring when she was on her last legs and yet Mrs Smith would ring for an appointment everyday to discuss her neighbours dog. Isnt it all about the skills of the receptionsists at talking to the patients and creating a welcoming atmosphere in the waiting room so patients feel safe discussing things with them? My mum did a classic about 10 years ago, She is a retired sister, very old school, very strict and quite scary at times. The receptionist at her gp surgery was a nosey relative of ours. She asked my mum (loudly in the waiting room) why she wanted to see the GP so my mum asked her if she had any medical qualifications, when she said no, my mum said "Oh well deary I will have to make it simple for you then, I have a teeny weeny front bottom problem, would you like me to show you?" She only waited 10 minutes for her appointment. Of course I would never say anything like that....