to think 8.20am is a stupid time for a hospital appointment?

[faintpinkline]

I'm pregnant and have been told I need consultant led care because of my history. I've received the appointment letter for 8.20 on a Monday morning. I already have one child who needs to get to school and dp won't be there as he works away during the week. Obviously at 8.20 I'll be dealing with getting dd to school. Also I don't drive and the hospital is miles away - even if I could get there I'd need to leave about 6.45am to get there by bus so getting child care for Dd would be nearly impossible

I phone the hospital, explained the situation and they said that's fine we'll send you a new appointment. I've just received one for 8.20 on the Tuesday morning - strangely the same situation applies. I phoned again and was told "most women prefer early appointments and the consultant can not change the appointment again to suit you". I told them DP was back on Thursday night so I could do Friday morning as a possibility only to be told that the consultant only works Monday to Wednesday. I asked to be transferred to a different consultant which is apparently not possible either.

Sorry for such a long post just really upset and I don't want anyone knowing I'm pregnant yet either so hard to ask friends for help.

I can see why this is very frustrating for you, I think it is very difficult for the NHS to please most people. Appointment times like that would have been ideal for me. Instead of appointments at noon which may be on time or may run 90 minutes late, somewhat wiping out my working day. However, IME a fair chunk (not all) of people who run the admin side of the appointments couldn't give a wet slap for how inconvenient things can be for patients - it wouldn't have killed them to try to give you a later appointment. Also I'm sorry to hear about your previous still birth - all the best for this pregnancy.

I can see both sides here (NHS worker for many years).

That appointment time is very inconvenient for you due to transport issues, never mind child care (to the poster who suggested patient transport, I doubt OP would qualify and even if she did, in this area she would have to be ready for them to pick her up from 6.30 so no better!) and it is a shame they did not listen to you about this when you asked to rearrange, you might as well have kept the original appointment.

On the other hand, as a worker, 8.20 is a brilliant time to have an appointment, minimum disruption to the working day.

The consultant will have other clinics, ward round, theatre lists if they are a surgeon, research, teaching, etc., many many other things to do besides outpatient appointments. Also there are finite resources for clinics, only so many consulting rooms, waiting areas and support staff (nurses, HCAs, admin staff) to go round ALL the consultants and their patients.

YABU to think it's a stupid time for "a" hospital appointment but YANBU to find it inconvenient.

I agree that some admin staff can be rude and unhelpful, but as a teenager I worked p/t in outpatients and clinics are almost always really overbooked, there is no flexibility in what you can offer.
It's hard to tell whether the miserable staff started off that way or if they've just been ground down by pleasing hardly anyone most of the time...someone once told me she would kill herself because I couldn't bring her appointment forward a week and that it would be my fault! Also used to get sworn at most days - fun times :)

Although the hospital knows about your medical history, the admin staff when booking the appointment won't be aware, they will request your notes for the clinic nearer the time.

It is a bit silly to offer the same time on a different day, if women prefer earlier appointments then it would be better offered to them. If it is an open clinic with everyone told to arrive at 8.20, the just turn up when you can and be prepared to wait and be the last person seen. I would check that it is definitely run like this though, I'm sure that's a less common way of doing things.

YANBU - although in general I used to beg the earliest appointments as they're less likely to be running late and you'll be in and out more quickly - however I can see with your situation its massively inconvenient. I'd give the PALS service at the hospital a call and explain things and maybe they can come up with a solution.

YANBU if the consultant the consultant can fit you in at another time. I would phone again to ask them politely, if they don't budge, mention to them you will speak to PALS. I'm sure that will make them change the time.

No it's not the case that they 'must' have appointments at other times. Consultants don't just do clinics. They have surgical lists and ward rounds, teaching and other leadership commitments. It's very possible that the OP is being squeezed in to an already pressured list. She has said she can attend the appointment. Yes doing so will involve childcare and travel expenses - so do many things in life!

How old is your dd? My ds is 5.6 and very nosy but I took him to the initial appointment with the gp and also to the dating scan where it was discovered that I'd had a missed miscarriage. He didn't suspect a thing, despite seeing an ultrasound scan on cbeebies a few times recently. I would take her and bring something to distract her like a new book, colouring etc. I have taken ds1 out of school when appointments for ds2 or ds3 have clashed with the school run and the school have been fine with it.

No Northernlurker I've said I may be able to attend the appointment if the school have a space in before school care service.

I know that logically IABU to think its a stupid time but am just so easily upset by anything and everything at the moment I'm making no sense in my own head let alone anyone elses

Oh, I feel your frustration. The same time on a different day would have made me really mad!! And then to say they can't 'change it again'!!! FFS.

Things like this really get on my nerves. My DH had to claim JSA for a short period a couple of years ago, and in order to claim he had to go at an allocated weekly time. They gave him a time that clashed with the school run and refused to change it. Apparently because he was claiming JSA he had no right to be picky as he had to prove that he would be available for work...yes, but if he'd had a job we could have paid a childminder at that time...as it was we were living on my wage which simply wasn't enough. We had to beg favours from family and friends every week...I wonder what the school's reaction would have been if we'd taken DS in late? The sheer narrow-mindedness of these people astounds me.

I agree with what rooksby says......
Surely it's best to see the consultant quickly so they can best manage your pregnancy and have you under their care, i've had consultant led care for both my pregnancies, with my first I was having fortnightly appointments whilst working.

Reception/Admin staff brilliant usually gave me the appointment times I wanted but this is not always possible, clinics are very busy and get booked up in advance but I would always take the appointment time given as I knew any delay might compromise my care

Could you accept the appointment but let them know you're going to be late? As in very, very late due to public transport. I know we are very lucky to have access to free healthcare but if you can't actually access the healthcare then it's not much use, is it?

I second the use of hospital transport, though. My dad used it when he was booked to visit a hospital 40 miles away, in a town he'd never been to. A taxi picked him up, took him to the door, waited for him, and brought him home. It must have cost the NHS a fortune, but trust me, he was very, very grateful. Don't know where you are but that was in Cheshire.

Can I also point out that we do not get free healthcare in this country, we pay for it through NI contributions. It is free at the point of delivery, yes, but we have every right to it.

I would love to stop paying NI and pay for private healthcare with the money I save. (I'd also happily have commercial channels only an forgo the BBC if I could stop paying my TV licence, but that's another thread!)

I have to have regular hospital appointments because of a condition. I always opt for 8 am appointments, it saves me taking time off work, i just adjust my day. Sometimes i have to get regular bloods re done, this would really impact on my employment if these times were not available. The same goes for pregnant colleagues.

Not everyone has school age children or that they have to take themselves.

All you have to do is phone and re-arrange. You can ask for regular times that suit your needs.

X posted, they should have other times available. Most doctors do two different timed clinics. You can get time off work but children you carn't.

Birds - I think the OP tried asking for a different time but got offered the same time, just on a different day. I suspect that the consultant does, indeed, book everyone for 8.20 then sees people in the order that they turn up. So if 5 of you get there for 8.20, the last one to book in might not be seen till the end of the clinic. Hence it taking all morning. It's not unknown at all.

It's completely ridiculous that they have sent you an appointment at exactly the same time when you've explained how difficult it is for you to get there that early. They should have arranged a different time, or if that wasn't possible explained to you that it was always going to be that early when you first rang.

You are not being UR in wishing for a different time, but bear in mind the reason you are user consultant's care is because they want to help lesson the chances of your baby dying. Sorry to be so blunt, but I feel that cone above anything else. Get a taxi to the appointment or ask friends to help. Or both!
I was under consultant's care after a still birth and I had early morning appointments too. She told me eventually it was because they were before her start time. She was seeing all her high risk women after still birth in her own time before her proper appointment system started - this was so she didn't leave anyone for too long between scans and appointments and also in case anything was wrong, the department was nice and quiet of other pregnant women.

Harriet

Does anyone really operate a system like that? That sounds ridiculous, to expect people to sit for 2-3 hours waiting to be seen.

I have asked receptionists to change appointments to suit me, and they have happily done so.
I do not agree with Harriet. I don't think consultants do that. It just isn't a suitable way to run a clinic.

whilst i would feel a bit annoyed by this, i wouldnt complain any further.why?

its the admin people being unreasonable, not the doctors
you need the appointment,
given the history youve just told us, its more important that you see the doctor than your daughter go to school that day.
changing your plans is feasible, not impossible

I love early morning appointments - DD's prosthetist has started offering her 8am apts. Means she misses minimal time off school and me/DH are only slightly late into work.

If they can't change the time again then i'd ask a friend if they could take her to school or accept DD will have to come with you and be later in - school will understand if you tell them you have a hosp apt.

It's not ideal if she is there but you can sit her in the corner of the room and take something to occupy her. I had to have a medical procedure when DD was 3 or 4 and no one to watch her - managed to seat her so she couldn't see what they were doing to me.

cats Yes, sadly, they do have crazy 'systems' like that
The acceptance of things 'because it's free' is a bit
We all pay for these services by work and tax
Child care is important, and should be treated as such

I would agree whole heartedly with the poster who said about the outpatient clinics probably being really overbooked. Up until a month ago I used to book them, and we used to get a lot of complaints about it. We also used to get a lot of regulars calling up, usually about 20 minutes before their appointment to reschedule as the time wasn't convenient! That's probably why they've said they won't reschedule it again for you. However, they didn't give you a choice for the second appointment.

Booking you for the same time on a different day, after you've told them that the time is a problem, is ridiculous. I'd be phoning them up and asking them to reschedule it while you're on the phone as they have not offered any patient choice. If they refuse then I would ask to speak to the consultants secretary, explain the situation to them and ask if they are any other options.

I think some of the people saying the op is being unreasonable have no idea what it can be like for some people.
My first 2 pregnancies I lived in the Scottish highlands 25 miles away from the hospital. If I had a school run to do and before I could drive there would be no possible way I could have got to an 8.20am appointment. And now in the same area it would be worse as since then public transport had been cut so not even a direct bus.
I would have had to get a bus at 6am which would get me into inverness 45 minutes later if the bridge traffic was quiet. Couldn't get a later one as there wasn't one for nearly 2 hours so I would have had to drop dd off at someone at 5.45am at the latest to get to bus stop.
A taxi would cost somewhere around £30-£40 money whichbi literally would not have gad to spend.
Yes I do understand that the nhs cannot cater for every individual appointment time and I do and am happy to take whatever they give me and sometimes that meant a 4.30pm appointment not getting me home until gone 7 but there would have been no way I could have made one that early.