To dress up for doctor’s appointments?

It's not about being petty it's about respect. As a patient you already feel vulnerable, your life in the hands of the doctors. Calling you by your first name while they go by Dr so and so is infantalising and it sets the tone for an imbalanced and patronising interaction it all adds to making the patient feel insignificant and harder to advocate for themselves. It's about dignity and treating adults as adults. The fake overfamiliar 'we're just one big family' first name basis that some clinics and surgeries 'pride' themselves over often vanishes at the slightest challenge by the patient to the doctor. Set the tone as you mean to go on and respect should be afforded to patients too. @RosesAndHellebores shouldn't need to school them, it should be basic manners.

Yes, the difference in life expectancies between the most and least deprived UK population groups is scary (20 years for women), as if the expectation on how many years on average each set is likely to live in poor health.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/apr/25/growing-gap-in-healthy-life-expectancy-between-poorest-and-richest-in-england

It’s a bit more nuanced than that, according to this article summarising a 2003 government study, which says more affluent patients get more GP time (10 minutes vs 8 on average), and are more 40% more likely to get a heart bypass —

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/nov/07/uk.health

but also says poorer people actually go to the GP far less often, go later in the course of an illness, are more likely to present at A and E, and are far less likely to attend preventative appointments.

This one is an international meta-study, which is about the ‘social gradient’ in doctor-patient interactions, and has interesting things to say about communication styles and more educated parents volunteering more information, but less educated patients getting more examination.

People in deprived areas DO have shorter lifespans though. That's common knowledge

They assumed I didn't work - as did the GP practice nurse last week when she booked the yearly you're bound to have diabetes from the biscuits and pies (that I don't eat) appointment - umm, no, I still can't come to these because I'm working, no matter how many times you say they can only be done between 1 and 3pm.

I always shower before seeing the doctor, unless I'm too ill. I certainly don't dress up, but I look well groomed, as I always do when going out.

So school them to address you according to your station.

Some people really do get their knickers in a twist over nothing. Reductive indeed

My early 20’s dd was having issues and not being treated seriously. When I went with her, things started happening.
I think the youth are also in the category of being easily dismissed too.

It's my experience that the Dr will often, and usually say, "hello Roses, I am Dr Jones". It's such a reductive practice.

Or I arrive at reception, "what's your name". "Mrs Roses Hellebores". "Go and sit down Roses". Sometimes I ask innocently "oh please could you remind me who I am here to see". It's never Kate, John or Simran, always Dr Smith, Dr Jones or Dr Khan. Noting, I always say please and thank you - words which seem to escaped anyone who works for the NHS.

This sort of thing has never happened to me. I have never felt less listened to because I don't wear 'work clothes'. I have never worn smart work clothes.
GPs ask what you do (as part of them getting a full picture of the person in front of them). It's a shame you've been met with less than professional doctors.

Aren't they just called doctor most of the time? Or the doctor. I can't remember calling a Dr anything if I'm honest. In an appointment with them I don't need to use their name or title. I say hello and sit down for the appointment.
If you'd rather the Dr called you Mrs or Ms xyz then just ask them.

You're reason is slightly different i think .. you don't want them to think you're not a good mum (not those words exactly just my interpretation of what you said) and the ops idea is you get better care if the doctors think you've got money/are in a higher class. Gosh ppl in deprived areas must be dying in their droves.

As a well spoken, well presented person it never fails to amaze me that my GPs (and many other doctors) think they can call me Roses whilst expecting me to call them Dr (or sometimes Mr) Super-Superior. Nurses do it too, "hello Roses, you're here to see Dr Super-Superior".

When HCP's afford patients the same level of respect and courtesy doctors feel they should command, all patients may have a better crack at receiving optimal care.

I don't care how important a Dr thinks they are. If he or she thinks I am going to afford them the respect and courtesy of their title, they may use mine. That goes whether I arrive in my gardening clothes or a cashmere Jersey and pearls. There is almost always a little blush when I say "oh, I didn't catch your first name", "or you may call me Mrs Hellebores".

The profession contains too many arrogant arses but they may stop treating the patients ingrates quite so reductively when the NHS stops being free at the point of delivery. I don't get the same level of nonsense from professions for whose services I pay directly.

You have a lot of control over how others behave towards you. This includes clothes, voice, facial expressions, eye contact and body language etc. It is the opposite of people pleasing, it is getting what you want out of people and making them please you.

A lot that visit the GP go because of a something that needs looking at but doesn't make them feel ill, I went recently for a suspect skin cancer, DH goes for blood pressure or asthma, so there is no need to go dirty or scruffy because you are not feeling well and can't be bothered to dress properly. In fact you should consider more how you dress so it is easy to look at what is wrong with you.

I rather suspect that my GP takes me seriously because they very rarely ever see me, rather than because of what I am wearing. I have never in my whole life not been taken seriously by a doctor, and I just wear whatever I am wearing at the time when I go to the appointment.

But they will ask do you work and what is your job at that point if it's a fancy job they will offer more even if you were in a primark tee.
They will see the address on the screen and hear the accent. They can ascertain socio economics from more than clothes.
And if the patient is fat, none of it matters they will always be told to go away and lose weight which is absolutely true buuuuut as well as weight loss they might still need other help or tests.

Because if I limped in wearing jeans and a primark t-shirt, they'd say 'it's just one of those things with getting older/have you considered you're depressed/you need to keep yourself busy at home and walk to the shops occasionally/have you heard of something called fibromyalgia?' - but when I limped in wearing work stuff 'oh, we need to investigate further - you have psoriatic arthritis, have physio and some incredibly expensive biologic medication.

I'm not sure you need to go to quite the length the OP does, but being clean and having clean clothes on should be a minimum.

It is amazing how they somehow manage to avoid badly cut suits, ill fitting dresses and synthetic fabrics without giving a monkeys. They must have wafted into the right shops and tailors on a cloud of their own carelessness.

I have found this to be true too, OP.

Oh this is so very true!! I have countless examples. It’s just human nature.

I agree OP. As awful as it is

Because they get treated better and that’s been borne out by experience? It’s the difference between being treated as a malingerer vs someone who’s genuinely ill.

I think it's a sign of self esteem issues.

'if I dress smart, the doctor will like me more'

A people pleasing tactic.

I think people who do this need to explore why they think this.