People complaining about NHS appointments on a Sunday

OP YANBU and I completely feel your pain.

I sometimes help with booking surgery dates if the team are short and it’s unbelievable the grief you get from people who have been waiting 2+ years for a surgery date but all of a sudden can’t do the date you are offering because they either A have plans or B aren’t sure if they are mentally ready for the surgery! They then kick off because you can’t fit them in around their expected timeline 🤦🏻‍♀️ I wish I could say yes ok I’ll tell the theatre team and the anaesthesiologists to come in next Wednesday at 11 because that suits you better!!

Oooh, some folk just love to moan! Like many others, I LOVE a Sunday appointment, because the roads are quiet, and the hospital is (usually) quiet. Also, I can go to the big retail park near the hospital (that has about 12 huge stores that I don't have in my little market town,) and then have a walk along the river.

I wonder if some of it is because some people who have to work on Sundays may find it harder to get time off work on a sunday than another day due to the shortage of people able/willing to work on sundays, i.e. if they work in retail or hospitality.

Or maybe it's because they don't drive and need public transport to get to hospital and in many areas, the buses/trains on a Sunday are crap, especially trains which don't even start until around 11am in our area and then only run every 2 hours!, plus sparse/poor buses etc on Sundays. Before they finally scrapped the service, the buses from our village that went as far as our city's hospital only ran Monday to Friday, presumably on the assumption few needed to go to the hospital at weekends!

Sometimes there are reasons that aren't quite so obvious.

My department is 24/7 hours for acute patients and 8-8pm 7 days across 4 sites a week for outpatients. We are rotored to work to cover 24/7. The only 2 days we don’t have outpatient appointments is Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Most people a grateful for weekend and evening appointments but we do get some who complain about a Saturday or Sunday appointment. Because we have worked this way for a number of years we have next to no waiting list. If you get referred on say Monday, depending on complexity, it’s likely we can see you the same week and if not definitely the week after. Although we explain that our quick wait is due to appointment availability we still have people complain that it has worried them to get an appointment so soon.

Again hospital transport has been mentioned which is generally only available to a small cohort of patients who meet certain somewhat strict criteria.

I love a Sunday appointment.

I'm.habing lots of scans and wonderful tests and I'm a "oooh Sunday? Brilliant".

It's always quieter.
Never have to wait long
Can park easily
It just feels calmer

Nor is slagging off your patients online. Why are you taking it so personally? It's not about you.

We all pay for the NHS and it is not cheap. Saying that people should put up with shit care or go private is unethical and unprofessional.

Yeah, Sunday clinics are fine in principle. They just need to come with awareness that some of the things people may need in order to attend an appointment are less/not available that day. Public transport is one of those things, but it's also going to be tougher for many people with elder or childcare responsibilities and minimal support. There's much more likely to be a day centre open during the week.

I don’t think anyone has said that clinics should not run on a Sunday, more that Sundays can be challenging for some people especially around transport.

Well then you’ll fill the slots available very easily, won’t you?

What’s your real agenda here?

You are taking this out of context - someone saying that patients should go private.

'A hospital'.

You surely don't think they've all got the same percentage of car v public transport v walkers?

I wasn’t responding to those circumstance's, or you. I was responding to a poster stating that people should go private.

As I said previously there is something really wrong when so many people are now being abusive as well as and rude. Report to your manager.

It’s fine if you drive or can get a lift but Sunday bus services are iffy in a lot of areas making Sunday appointments more difficult for some.

If anyone has ever watched the comings and goings at a hospital the numbers of patients arriving by public transport is minimal

That's a really good point about public transport!

I would love a Sunday appointment! So much easier than juggling around work.

But I think if someone rang and offered a Sunday appointment I would be quite taken back

I also guess that when the kids were little then as a single mum with no family near the reality was week day appointments were pretty essential

I would be incredulous if offered a Sunday appointment.

If I relied on public transport I might be horrified though.

When I was working full time I would have loved a Sunday appointment! I’m currently undergoing tests/treatment for a few different conditions and feel really guIlty when I get sent a first thing in the morning appointment as I know they are preferred for workers who then don’t have to request as much time off work.

you can’t please some people, but I think the majority of 9-5 workers would be extremely happy with a weekend appointment.

She’s only calling them to offer an appointment……..if people have preferences of location then they’re stated at referral and then the referral goes to the hospital where they want to go.

Public transport where I am is poor/nonexistent on a Sunday so could be an issue for some.

As a PP says, childcare can also be an issue.

I wouldn't have anyone to take young DC many weekends. I'm married but DH works away. I'm happy to pay for babysitters but also hard to come by here.