A RECEPTIONIST at a Greenock doctors’ surgery has been disciplined after making an insensitive comment about a teenager with depression.

The member of staff was overheard by people at the Regent Medical Practice within Greenock Health Centre speaking to a doctor and making fun of a request by a parent to see a doctor about her 14-year-old son’s possible depression.

One horrified patient, who was waiting within the centre at the time, contacted the Telegraph after being appalled by what she had heard.

The Greenock mum, who has been diagnosed with a mental health issue herself, does not want to be named for fear of discrimination at the surgery.

She said: “I was sickened by what I heard. It was cruel.
“A receptionist took a call, then came off the phone laughing at the fact that a 14-year-old was coming to see a doctor about depression.

“She had a laugh at this and said ‘why not try getting them out more and taking their Playstations off them?’
“This is a disgusting attitude for those who are supposed to be health care professionals.

“I have a mental health issue myself and so do two of my children. She was trivialising a serious issue by treating it as a joke.

“I thought if they saying that about someone else what are they saying about me?

“She was effectively saying that a teenager shouldn’t have depression or if they do it’s in some way the fault of their parents.”

The mum says that the youngsters are under more peer pressure than she was when she a teenager.

She said: “Nowadays kids are under a lot more pressure, especially through platforms like social media.

“You don’t know what a young person is going through and to mock them in this way is totally wrong.”

She later called back to complain to the practice manager and was told the matter had already been raised and dealt with.

She said: “What makes it worse was the practice manager explained that the receptionist was speaking to a doctor at the time.

“In that case the doctor should have rectified her attitude on the spot.”

John Ross, practice manager, said: “The practice was made aware of a member of staff making an inappropriate comment and that member of staff is being dealt with through our disciplinary process.

“We do not condone any inappropriate behaviour from staff or patients and would like to apologise to anyone who overheard this remark.”