To dress up for doctor’s appointments?

I don't wear make up and never have.....have never had poor medical care though. As I said though, if behaving in certain ways makes you feel more confident then that's all good.

@PremiumPercentage
it can work the other way too. I mentioned upthread that a consultant tried to start an academic dick-measuring context with me when he realized my background in statistics. But I've had a lot of interaction with psychiatrists (whilst I was supporting the patient), and several of them seem to take my field as a personal challenge. I'm a Research Fellow in Sociology. And I suppose its fair to say that there is some inter-field suspicion between sociologists and psychiatrists - many sociologists would say that the psych professions medicalise structural problems, for example, and reduce political problems to personal pathologies - but its really nothing to do with my actual area. I work in digital cultures.

I think you've misunderstood your own 'evidence' if you think a full face of makeup will make a difference.

It may well affect you and your own confidence, it won't change someone's perception of your class. If only it was that easy!

This thread made me reflect on my practice.
Ex-NHS anaesthetist now overseas. I see patients for pre-assessment clinic and also pre-surgery.

I think I may treat very smartly dressed patients differently. Not necessarily better or worse, but I probably do have a different approach.
I generally try to mirror patients behaviour and codeswitch to build rappour, so it realistically does affect how I speak and act.

I don’t think it affects the care in anyone though.

Shortly before the birth of DD I saw a consultant for an ongoing issue that needs to be monitored in pregnancy. Probably looked quite scruffy and tired. The Dr was awful to me- patronising, dismissive and made a dreadful decision re my medication by refusing to listen to me about my medical history (he had only looked at the current blood test results). During the consultation he asked what I did for work. I said 'barrister.' He did a horrible little smirk, I was briefly riled and wondered why, but that was it.

The following week I had a midwife appointment, and mentioned how awful the consultant had been. She looked up his notes from the consultation to find out who it was. I also mentioned that it was my last day of work before mat leave started. What do you do? She asked. Barrister, I replied. Oh that's funny, she said. That consultant has written in his notes that you're a Barista.

Now, obviously there is absolutely no reason why a barista should be patronised and dismissed any more than a barrister should be. But I have to say as soon as I heard that, I was completely unsurprised. This Dr had heard what I had said, and subconsciously his brain had decided that it was more likely I was a silly girl trying to use an unusual word (in English) for 'work in a coffee shop' and mispronouncing it, than it was that I was in fact a barrister. Entirely in-keeping with the disdain with which he spoke to me, and I've always thought it was likely to do with the way I presented myself that day.

I was in hospital at the weekend and a nurse said almost exactly this to me herself.

She was saying it in the context of people needing to advocate for themselves and if she is struggling to do it with her job how others do it and how people can be judged.

(Nurse had similar medical condition to me herself and we got chatting while she ran tests)

Yes I think it also depends what you've come in for. If it's maybe more unusual I feel like certain people are more likely to be written off as "anxious"

I think people should know it matters, I wouldn't dress differently as I always dress quite nicely, clean hair, and so on, but I think a lot of people don't realise they are disadvantaged when they are inarticulate or unable to advocate for themselves, this counts not just in the NHS, but in housing, in social care, all services are very very stretched, and that's why biases end up counting a little bit and it all adds up.

I agree. I would add being polite to the list. All the people I know who complain about their GP or other health professional are quite confrontational and aggressive in the way they speak, and nothing gets people's backs up more than someone being rude to them. They need to learn to be assertive withut being rude.

However, I do think we are lucky with our GP because they are unfailingly polite to everyone. Last week I took DD in to re-register as she has moved back home. There was an older lady in the queue in front of us who was struggling to understand that she would get a text to confirm her next appointment. This discussion took several minutes. DD presented her application form and ID, was asked if the had the NHS app (yes) and was finished in under a minute. The receptionist was equally polite to both of them.

I'm afraid that there's little doubt that you get better treatment if middle class, polite and articulate and probably not elderly. If you're old, poor, not able to speak up and have no one to advocate for you, particularly on a hospital setting, things are fairly bleak.

I also think if you go in as an accident, or unconscious, or whatever, the heath professionals I've seen have been amazing and kind and don't judge, as I suspect in their area of the NHS they are constantly confronted with less than 'ideal' patients, in dress, manner, alcohol or drug issues and so on.

That said, again, I've heard health professionals be supportive and kind to those with drug problems and specialise in that as they were so concerned, and I've heard judgemental and non-professional talk, and a lack of following of guidelines fairly.

I think people should know it matters, I wouldn't dress differently as I always dress quite nicely, clean hair, and so on, but I think a lot of people don't realise they are disadvantaged when they are inarticulate or unable to advocate for themselves, this counts not just in the NHS, but in housing, in social care, all services are very very stretched, and that's why biases end up counting a little bit and it all adds up.

I always go to advocate for people I know who need an extra hand, whether it be for my children or people we know. I have fought several times for faster/extra NHS or MH services, not always successfully, but other times definitely- I have even been known to go in waving the NICE guidelines if I'm sure of a treatment pathway and I want them/me to be on it.

I once investigated a health issue where about 1 in 10 of the patients should have been on meds in the poorer areas and weren't, whereas all of the patients in the richer areas were- I know it's only 10% but imagine that over the whole country.

I just have a shower, put clean clothes on and brush my teeth and hair.
I'm going to discuss a health concern, not to a fashion show.
I couldn't give a fig what the doctors think of my presentation.
I once had an accident on the street which rendered me unconscious.
I'm pretty sure that the medical team was more concerned with treating me than they were with my period stained knickers and shabby grey washed bra that they ended up cutting off with the rest of my clothes.
They've seen it all before.

I am sorry to hear your experiences

I'm actually flabbergasted at the number of people who have responded to the OP's post by making comments about being clean. That goes without saying - the only time you'd see a doctor when you weren't clean would be if you'd been injured whilst doing manual work or sports. (I'm setting aside issues such as depression here.)

In my first comment on here, I think I wrote of the difference in attitude when I turned up at a surgery wearing casual clothes - jeans. I was still clean!

I'm always clean and in clean clothes when I see a doctor. Nevertheless, the type of clothing has made a difference in some cases.

It goes without saying that the clothing worn has always been accessible for whatever illness or injury I've been seeing about - apart from the time I had to go straight into A&E for a displaced, fractured elbow. Getting my arm out of that sleeve wasn't easy...

"I am polite and well spoken and like to think I come across as intelligent and have never been treated with anything other than respect by any medical professional."

I wish I could say the same. I haven't. I make a point of speaking softly but definitely, this flusters them. I always have all my times, dates, evidence. They don't like this.

I once had something of the opposite experience. Was at a nice birthday event for a friend (so all dressed up with hair and makeup done) when I came down with a very sudden and severe illness. I ended up being referred by NHS24 to attend an out of hours appointment. The doctor asked me to describe my symptoms, after which he said quite dismissively ‘well you certainly look alright.’

(At that point I vomited in his bin, was sent for an abdominal scan, diagnosed with appendicitis and then had emergency surgery).

I have been receiving treatment for over ten years for a serious autoimmune condition and I can totally confirm what the OP says. I dress a bit alternative but have a very RP voice, and I know that when I start speaking often the HCP's attitude will change.
Of course, these days this is countered by the fact that I am an older woman and fat 😕
I remember once being desperately mentally unwell - it was taking me hours to get out of the house as I thought people were reporting on me and staring at me. A terrible time. I got to see a psychiatrist and she just went 'Well, I can see from the way you're dressed you're not depressed'...

I wouldn't dream of putting on make up or changing my handbag to visit a doctor or other healthcare professional. I mean, only people who like handbags would notice what bag you have anyway. I wear appropriate clothing for things like smear tests, injections etc.

When I am not at work I dress casually, but am always clean and well presented. Unlike most mumsnetters I iron my clothes.

I am polite and well spoken and like to think I come across as intelligent and have never been treated with anything other than respect by any medical professional.