People complaining about NHS appointments on a Sunday

How very dare a NHS staff member take a break. Wise up

I wonder about this. Sometimes when I queue at the GP receptionist I cannot help but overhear the person speaking with them. And sometimes this person seems rather particular, to say the least.

Prioritise your health and our health service, FGS!

I have a car so Sunday appointments would be fine.

As long as the clinic are reasonable if people can't make it - there are no buses here on a Sunday and a taxi to the hospital would be about £70 each way - it's a damn good idea and people shouldn't be rude about it.

Can’t really be bothered about the appointment then. There are always ways around it.

How soon is the clinic?

People are not used to healthcare being available on a Saturday, let alone on a Sunday. We have got used to being given plenty of notice for appointments historically and I can imagine that people who have been waiting for a very long time and then are offered an appt at relatively short notice that they can’t easily attend may well react in perhaps a less than ideal way.

You have mentioned hospital transport, but in reality not many meet the criteria to use it. Transport costs may be prohibitive on a Sunday and public transport may be non existent or few and far between (is dire on evenings and Sundays in some areas including mine). That again may result in a less than desirable response due to disappointment.

An appt after dark may be problematic for older people especially (although younger people may also be affected) due to the darkness and the time i.e. transport issues, sight issues if driving in the dark, family not being able to take them due to childcare issues, not feeling safe being out after dark.

An appt coming up before Christmas may mean missing out on a planned gathering with family who have not been seen since last year etc or not being able to attend the appt. That may be the only social gathering that the person has over the festive period.

Given so many people appear to be being rude, there is something contributing to that, so it’s either some of the above or perhaps how/when the call is being made.

DS has two years in a row got an appointment on 23rd December.

Tbh I think he keeps getting them because no one else will take them! He seems to have bumped up the list (we were expecting it to be a much longer wait).

I was thrilled with mine! I had one MRI on a Friday night at 6:30 so could do it after work and one on a Sunday at 8:30 which was brilliant as loads of parking and was one of the first
on the scanner so no waiting around

If I'm honest, I was disappointed at a 7:30am Saturday appointment for my daughter.

Obviously I didn't say anything about it and it's better than no appointment, but I felt sorry for my daughter. Bring prodded with a lot of needles, cannulas etc really isn't fun when you're a kid, but then to use up your weekend for it rather than a day off school makes it even worse.

It is what it is though, and whatever is needed to get through their case load.

I've had weekend appointments and I'm really grateful, DH doesn't have to book time off work to take me. I think it's a brilliant idea.

Our health centre has run it's vaccine clinics at the weekend for ages. It is obviously very regimented as you get appointments at times like 11.27 am.

DH most happy that his appt is on a Sunday. Makes life a lot easier.

I’d love an appointment on a weekend! Makes it so much easier than having to get time off work and cover etc.

Also some of the public transport is rubbish on a Sunday. It’s not all to annoy you.

Transport being unavailable or costing half the week's food budget.
Childcare being unavailable.
Elderly care responsibilities that cannot just be dropped.
Work shifts that cannot be rearranged at short notice.

I'm sure there are other things that just get in the way too, and would be a lot easier (and cheaper) to get around if not on a weekend, at short notice.
No excuse to be rude.
I'm sure a Sunday appointment would be great for many, but don't think it should be assumed that everyone can go.

Anything to rant anout the patients eh. Well I’ve had a Sunday appointment booked 3 times and clinician has not turned up 3 times. If I did that I’d be dna’d and discharged.

I’m religious.

I also have a back issue. if i had a Sunday appointment, Jesus can wait to be honest.

My BIL works for nhs booking appointments for minor surgeries. Some have been on waiting list for 4/5 years and there’s been a special clinic (not weekend) in another hospital set up to deal with the backlog. The amount of people give him grief because it’s not their local hospital - how will they get there? Will the trust pay for their taxi etc? It’s 4 miles from the other hospital but people just expect things to be on their doorstep.

We do weekends at my work and tbf most people are grateful but we do get pushback. It’s even more annoying when they’ve had a phone call from our very lovely and accommodating booker and agreed to come and then turn up absolutely raging because Sunday doesn’t work for them and they start telling you about their complicated journey the way people used to when we had that ashcloud and everyone was grounded. We run 13 hours a day, 7 days a week - they can come at another time but they have to tell us. There isn’t anything wrong with saying “I work Sundays” or “I don’t have childcare/transport” that day but they accept it and then act like we have threatened them into it. Pre-covid people were pretty normal on the whole but the rudeness and complaints we get now about petty, ridiculous things are off the chart. SIL is a secondary school teacher and she says the same.

Im Catholic so tbf idk much about other flavours of Christianity but there is a Mass in the hospital at 7am and through the diocese there are staggered Mass times so it’s relatively straightforward to get to a different church for a different Mass. I used to do it all the time when the kids were younger and had clubs, matches, competitions etc. The Saturday vigil is sometimes and absolute Godsend. You can even put feelers out to get a lift of someone of transport is an issue. Plus it’s not hard to say “I’m sorry, do to my religious obligation I can’t attend on Sundays. Is it possible to make an appointment for a different day?”