Time off for Doctors/hospital appointments?

[ChatterMonkey]

How does your work deal with time off for doctors or hospital appointments?

Do you get paid time off for these, or do you have to use annual leave for it?

My employer asks you to use annual leave, or if not wanting to, will allow the time off but as unpaid leave. Which i thought was pretty standard. But a colleague is kicking off about the company's 'shitty' policy for medical appointments, and apparently expects paid time off for this, outside of his holiday days.

Whats standard for this sort of thing?

We get "reasonable" time off - paid. This means if it's possible you are expected to book it at the start or end of the day. If its a one off hospital thing - no problem go whenever they tell you. Regular appointments - not disability related, you are asked to please make up the time if it takes more than an hour out your day.

We can just flex our time so take it as a long lunch break, or start late and finish late etc.
But this is policy for anything really, medical appointments, hair cut, exercise class, as long as you don't take the piss.

Never had an issue with last employer. But then again if im ill enough to see a gp they knew is was important as im one of those who hates going!
I used to just say I have gp that day. I can swap a day or be late /leave early.

Now i work for dh so no problem at all

Interesting that the majority of people have access to flexi hours for this sort of thing.

This wouldnt be possible in our industry as its all appointments based at client sites, planned by our planning department (similar to eg, a carpet fitter) so no real option to 'make time back' and taking the morning/afternoon isnt always possible if its a full day site visit booked.

People arent forced to use annual leave, its just a lot of people would prefer to do that rather than lose a days pay.

For a big standard GP appointment, you just take the time and work it back within a month. If it's less than a hour, most people tend to just work through their lunch.

If it's a hospital/consultant appointment (which you don't choose the time of), we get it as paid leave.

I have a very nice employer though!

I'm meant to try to get appointments outside of working hours and/or make time up. I'm pt so not really an issue - they are pretty flexible if i need short notice leave for family reasons too, I just make it up

I’ve had to take annual leave. The exception was when I needed to be seen immediately ( possibly life threatening) then I just went. Medical appointments etc I make during my own time.

@IamSlave

My drs is open until 8pm 3x a week, not had issues getting an appointment. The 5.30-8 appointments are reserved for those working or studying rather than their "frequent flyers" who mostly are lonely my gp thinks, they have just employed a social worker/counsellor position to help alleviate this

We are told to get an appointment outwith working hours.
In reality I work 8- 6 Monday to Friday.
Due to my job if there's nobody to cover then you cant go. Its hard to even phone or econsult as cant have phone with me. Ive got conditions I know need attention but I'm always told "no"
Annual leave has to be booked 6 weeks in advance and no sick pay.

@gogohmm you are extremely lucky we are down south and absolutely all of our services are completely stretched

I have a chronic condition that requires 6 monthly checks and spells of much more frequent appointments when adjustments are made - it's a min of 3 hours out of the day due to travel but I'd never book it off as leave or need to take it unpaid, just let my line manager know and be as diligent as possible - usually I'd count one of those as a 'lost lunch hour' and not take the full break that day. I don't expect to have to take holiday or lose out on pay for something that I have no input in deciding if it's part of my life or not, and I also don't really expect to have to make it up outside of work time when other parts of my life are going on. (I think I've become more resistant to that as I've got older, not particularly rewarded at work after years of giving it my all - so now I just give it what it needs).

Wherever I've worked the policy and what happens in practice can often be two different things. The policy can be quite stringent, but in practice informal agreements allow people to take time out as needed.

Annual leave or flex the time.

For the people I manage they get the time off with minimal questions asked.

However, without exception they work really hard and would make an effort to make the time back (or offer to and I tell them not to worry).