People complaining about NHS appointments on a Sunday

I have a clinical job and work Sundays in an outpatient setting. It’s great, patients are more relaxed and rarely late because they don’t have the same transport issues. Many of our patients attend church but come before or after and are all dressed up. I’ve no idea of the bookings staff get complaints from people who don’t want to come in on a weekend mind!

I don't think thats entirely fair. If you've been waiting months (years) for an appointment, then it's perfectly reasonable to be happy to wait a few more days to get one that's convenient for you. No need to be rude about it though.

Or you could be voluntarily doing overtime (which isn't contracted) and you get paid for doing something. But you do have the option of saying 'no I'm unavailable'.

Complaining it's a Sunday?

You either take the appointment or you get put at the bottom of the waiting list.

What is more important than the hospital appointment? Genuinely.

Can you give us an example of a rude response?

Are you ‘giving up your weekend’ or are you just working on a Saturday? The first implies you’re working voluntarily, the second that you get paid.

I'm willing to accept pretty much every appointment I'm offered, and have had evening and weekend appointments before, but I don't drive and public transport where I am is very infrequent at those times, especially on a Sunday.
I've even ended up booking a hotel near the hospital one time so that I could attend a CT scan.

So not everyone will be able to make a Sunday appointment for perfectly valid reasons, bit there's no reason to be rude about it.

I love Sunday appointments. I have had Ophthalmology and endoscopy appointments on Sundays, which have been brilliant because it meant DH didn’t have to take time off work to take me. Parking is easier at the hospita on a Sunday morning than a weekday morning, too.

Most people are initially resistant to change (of any sort) and may have come across a little off or just didn't realise that Sunday appointments are now a thing. Bring it on and bring down the waiting lists.

It would be really difficult for me as a lone parent, I'd have no straightforward childcare options. But I wouldn't moan to the person on the phone.

Regular wards and A&E are staffed for 24/7 operation, or that is the theory. Clinics are staffed according to the availability of appropriate clinicians, i.e. surgical outpatients will be on monday & wednesday because the surgeons will be doing scheduled operations on tuesday and thursday. If you want longer hours for clinics you need more (often expensive) staff.

Nonsense. There are a whole host of reasons why people couldn't accommodate weekend appointments.

They might have no childcare outside of school/nursery hours, or be a non-driver who lives somewhere like I do, where public transport is next to non-existent in the evenings and at weekends and a taxi punitively expensive.

A taxi home from A&E one evening cost me £36 4 years ago, and would be dearer now. Weekend rates are even higher and the cost of getting there and back on a weekend for a non-driver would be huge.

Well done to your trust, I’ve never understood why weekend appointments were not a matter of course. My lovely sister needed a scan for her hip, she was seen so quickly on a Sunday.

Calling someone today with an appointment tomorrow probably will be difficult for some people.

Single parents - who will take the kids as they aren't in school?

People who care for elderly relatives tend to have their weekends already mapped out for them with taking elderly Mum shopping, cleaning houses and doing laundry for their parents and in-laws etc.

If you called me today with an appointment for tomorrow that would mean my elderly relatives would be without some of their medication for a week as they rely on me to collect prescriptions on a Saturday and deliver them on Sunday along with all their grocery shopping. I then have to hang around in their house whilst waiting on 2 loads a washing completing before finally getting home, sorting out my house and then the full-time working week starts again.

Hi, OP -

Transport is the only genuine issue I can think of. Can you clarify whether that is the problem, or work the hospital’s transport provision into the conversation early?

I think Jesus would appreciate the work you and your colleagues are doing, and excuse any lapses in the observance of the Sabbath for medical care.

Absolutely no excuse for the rudeness. My family are grateful patients.

I wouldn't mind a Sunday appointment, but I guess it depends on people's individual circumstances. For example, where my dad lives there is no public transport on Sundays so it would be impossible if you needed to use that to get to a hospital.

£15 each way in a taxi for me if on a Sunday or after 8pm on a weekday.
Or if rostered in at work, its an absolute pain to get cover on a Sunday - or Saturday, especially near xmas or with less than 2 weeks notice.

I can see why people might be a bit miffed, life is no longer 9 to 5, but transport, childcare etc hasn't caught up yet

Our local hospital seems to do MRI and CT scans all weekend. I've had a weekend scan apt before.