Waiting room times - how long should you wait?

[Chiavennasca]

I’m currently sat in my dentist waiting room for an appointment at 12.30. It’s 12.34 as I write this. I’m on my lunch break from work.

How late do you think is acceptable? Not just for my situation but for any waiting room appointment scenario - how long would you wait before saying something?

Wait until the dentist is free. It will take as long as it takes. They can’t always control how long it will take to deal with patients. If I was

If I was in a hurry I’d go to the receptionist after about half an hour and ask that the appointment be rescheduled.

i get irritated with long waiting times, not because of the delay (healthcare family and aware of reasons) but because there is never any acknowledgement of the impact on you. It feels sometimes like they are so important, and you have been granted the boon of an appointment so you must just sit and wait until they are ready to see you. And if you cannot wait, you are then in the wrong for having a life and commitments.

This.

I've never heard a terminal patient being consoled and I've heard quite a few diagnoses being given out through the thin hospital curtains. Nobody I know who has been given a diagnosis ever reported being consoled. Nice idea - but in my neck of the woods they might just as well have that timer.

I work in optics and we generally run to time, as people expect it from us. If we run even a little late the complaints roll in. The dentist seems to be more like guidelines. 🤣 You'll will be seen around this time.

Lol you're funny. But I bet you also want them to give you all the time you need. Or would you be happy with them leaving half your mouth untreated because it was worse than anticipated but someone else was waiting.
I take a good book to medical appointments. If someone takes up more of their time than you, be glad you are so healthy.

So you want them to make it clear that you are more important than them? They might not have eaten today to make sure you were only seen 15 rather than 45 minutes late but they should still kowtow and grovel to you? They don't keep you waiting so they can powder their noses, and no, they really don't think your routine check up is more important than the poor person who went before and meant you were waiting. They have a sense of perspective. You don't.

Absolutely the right way to handle it

I am a dentist and I hate running late. There are incidents behind the scenes that make us run late eg equipment, and we can only estimate how long each procedure will take. It is stressful. But yes we do expect you to be on time- the same patients are late EVERY TIME (and then immediately go to the toilet so are even later) and it is frustrating when you try to keep to time.
Don’t arrange an appt when you have to be somewhere else shortly afterwards! If you have to wait, enjoy the peace- read a book, play on your phone or just sit and appreciate being alive. Chill out.

Someone could be having a medical emergency or a treatment has run over because something unpredictable happened! You wait as long as you can, or re arrange your appointment if you can’t wait and hope one of your appointments never has to run over because god forbid YOU have a heart attack or don’t stop bleeding after an extraction. You sound super entitled. The world doesn’t revolve around you! 4mins late and your writing this? Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable

Yes or a new medical history/ big change or the patient reports a death in the family. It’s hard to speed them up without being rude or putting the patient at risk. The patient in that chair at that time is your main priority. I’m sure when you’re in the chair, you would expect that too.

Christ these threads do really get to me. I’m a GP and I’m often 20-30 minutes late, I do apologise but genuinely it’s nearly impossible to run to time. I get 10 minutes including looking at your notes before you come in, calling you from the waiting room , the consultation and writing up notes. For anything other than simple coughs / colds/ uti that’s basically impossible. Nearly everyone has more than 1 issue, or needs an examination which takes time, or it’s something that can’t be wrapped up quickly. It’s just not feasible. I don’t have time to go to the toilet or have a drink so it’s not like I’m wasting peoples time, I just honestly think people need to realise we are trying our best but we pretty much have an impossible task.

Op is on her lunch hour.
My dentist , Dr are both nearly an hour from my work.

I used to be a community midwife and it’s so hard to keep to time. 15 minute slots to read through notes, conduct all the relevant checks and tests, arrange referrals and deal with any problems, answer questions, provide information, document, arrange next appointment. It’s supposed to be a personable service but the time is so pressured.

On top of this are women with language barriers (using an interpreter takes double the time), scared and anxious people, someone with a lot of social problems, women disclosing abuse, complex medical issues, difficult findings on examinations….

Believe me, it’s so hard seeing people arrive on the screen check in and knowing how far behind appointments are.

I used to have a table with pregnancy books and local info, leaflets etc in the hope the time waiting could be spent usefully at least!

Sorry long post!

I can imagine and sympathise but people have jobs, school runs etc. Once I was eventually seen she rushed through everything to the point I felt uncomfortable.

Once this particular midwife went off sick, everything was always on time.

Is OP still there...

As a nurse, comments like these drive me mad! I don’t meant to be harsh but they aren’t keeping you waiting because they are sitting twiddling their thumbs! I think nothing of waiting half an hour at the doctors/dentist after my appointment, they are held up because of peoples expectations and entitlements quite honestly…4 minutes late 😆🤦‍♀️

Unexpected problems and emergencies happen unfortunately...cut them some slack and allow yourself more time

Is it an NHS dentist or Private?

if it’s an NHS dentist I wouldn’t say anything for a while (I’ve waited 40mins past my appointment before, I’m not sure I would say anything even if I was sat for an hour as I know I’m lucky to still have an NHS dentist (who’s also fabulous)
Truth is they could fill my spot 200x over where I live.
I normally book late afternoon appointments or book for when I’m off, to avoid being under pressure.
If it’s a private dentist, then I’d probably wait maybe 15mins tops, but if I’m paying private prices I certainly wouldn’t wait as long as I would for my NHS dentist.

Idk why this popped up in my recommended but...

Surely everyone knows NHS appts are always running late, unless you are late and then they will be on time.

By lunchtime they may be running late, with appointments overrunning and patients arriving late. Can you make an early appointment before work? They should be on time at the beginning of the day. The last time I went to the doctor there was an unconscious patient on the floor in reception and my doctor was attending. Inevitable delay.

What do you think was the difference between midwife 1 who ran late and the next one who didn’t? Ie did you still get info and advice and questions answered? I know midwife 1 didn’t do that either but a reason for running late is for doing those things (if that makes sense?
@AliBaliBee1234