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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

How can you be 50 mins late for your clinic?

89 replies

shade78 · 21/11/2012 20:02

I took my dd to be weighed at the health visitor clinic today and was informed by the assistant that she was running late. Fine, I thought and settled down with the other 5 mums in the waiting room. My daughter has just turned 7 months and started solids, so life is a bit confusing re hunger and nap times, but she was in a fine mood at arrival. The health visitor didn't arrive until 50 mins after the start time! I am annoyed largely because this is not the first time this has happened, 2 previous appointments ran 45 mins + late.
I know really I know that times are tough and they are stretched, but I really feel this is part of a wider attitude of 'Mums with babies have nothing better to do.' If my doctors' practice were this late, there would be a room of very loud complainers that would be more listened to I'm sure...
I did phone the lead HV and complain and she said this HV had just got back from maternity and didn't know the clinic times. God could someone have told her? 6 mums waiting for nearly an hour for her royal highness HV.... grrr.....

OP posts:

LadyMaryChristmas · 21/11/2012 20:04

HV's do a lot more than weigh and measure babies. Maybe she was at a child protection meeting, or was with a distressed new mother. You're being very harsh

GhostShip · 21/11/2012 20:04

Excuse me but these women do have lives you know, just like you do. How do you know her child wasnt ill, or something had gone wrong with child care? Or her car broke down... just a couple of the possibilities.

YABVU

Sirzy · 21/11/2012 20:06

Although how much your baby weighs is understandably top of your list of priorities for the HV it is one of a list of things they have to do, and compared to the others things one of the least important.

McChristmasPants2012 · 21/11/2012 20:08

Yabu, HV do a lot more than clinics.

Out of interest, if there is no issues with DC why are you taking him/her to be weighed as I was told to only come to clinic if there was a problem.

Vivalebeaver · 21/11/2012 20:10

If its her first week back off maternity leave then maybe someone told her the wrong time for clinic. I mean someone must have told her a time or she wouldn't have turned up at all.

Or she might have been trying to admit a baby who was poorly, helping someone struggling with breastfeeding, a child protection conference may have overrun.

In an idea world there would be more staff so that times between clinics or between clinics and visits weren't so tight. But there's that little money these days that staff numbers have been cut back and there's no slack in the system.

People don't like appts been late but nor are they prepared to pay an extra 10% tax to fund the Nhs better. You can't have your cake and eat it.

Think you're been harsh calling the hv a royal highness, I doubt she was swanning about having her nails done or whatever.

stoatie · 21/11/2012 20:11

I have been 50 minutes late for a clinic. A midwife was off sick, an error was made and the clinic wasn't covered - error realised when Drs surgery rang the midwife office. I was doing post natal visits - I was asked to go and cover clinic (I was nearest) and my visits shared out to other midwives (so no doubt the visits were late as midwives now had extra workload.)

I apologised profusely to all the women (even though it was not my fault) who were all lovely and just glad that I covered the clinic (it was afternoon by the way and I had no lunch break!).

On other occasions I have had to be at the hospitals for meetings and then drive across the city in rush hour ( to be honest praying that first appt is late).

We are human - we don't plan to be late (often it results in us working late into the evening so all work covered)

Idocrazythings · 21/11/2012 20:11

Ooh tell me where your doctors practice is? I want to go there! ours frequently runs late; and my previous one- well I used to phone them to see how late the doctor was so I could then arrive accordingly! It is very annoying though- our GP is considering getting wifi to help with waiting room boredom

HoneyDragon · 21/11/2012 20:12

If she was misinformed of clinic times then why are you blaming her for being late?

Last time my GP surgery was running late no one complained. Next time they might be the one who had a massive coronary. 4 doctors were out of the surgery and they saved his life.

My Mum haemmoraged in the GPs too. Thank god she did so their and they kept her alive (just) till the paramedics came.

It's annoying to wait. You weren't made to wait because you are a mother. You were made to wait because of circumstance.

XBenedict · 21/11/2012 20:12

50 minutes is very frustrating but I'm sure it wasn't because she had an extra latte in Costa and I'm also sure it wasn't because she thought you had nothing better to do than wait for her.

mrscog · 21/11/2012 20:13

I think your tone is a bit U BUT I agree it's infuriating, and it's worse when there is no apology. I once had a consultant appointment for 8.30 am (that's what the letter said). So I arrived on time, and didn't make arrangements to get in to work late as I have to be there by 10am and 8.30 appointment, even if it ran over a bit gave me plenty of time. However, imagine my fury when the consultant waltzed in at 9.40! I wasn't even the first person on the list so I didn't get seen until nearly 10am and had loads of explaining to do at work. And to be honest I know that there could have been an emergency and would have been understanding - it was just the absolute lack of apology which pissed me off to the absolute max!

Chubfuddler · 21/11/2012 20:13

I find all health professionals the same in this regard. I'm a lawyer, have hundreds of clients and I've never kept anyone waiting more than five minutes. The difference is my clients are paying.

cory · 21/11/2012 20:13

Quite possibly she was dealing with an urgent case of potentially life threatening circumstances: a child that was at risk of abuse or suddenly spotted symptoms of a dangerous illness or a suicidal mother.

If a doctor arrived late on time I'd be more likely to assume that he'd been called out to a critically ill patient than sitting at home twiddling his fingers.

LadyMaryChristmas · 21/11/2012 20:13

I used to work with a health visitor, you'd be surprised at what they do. It's not a fun job at all. If they are at a child protection meeting (these take up the vast majority of their time) then they can't control what time they finish. They help new mothers, and those with post natal depression, they weigh and measure babies, and they also work with people of all ages. When your child turns 5 you can still see a HV, even the elderly can see them.

Sirzy · 21/11/2012 20:14

Chub - the differences in their clients could be dying.

When DS was 8 weeks old he was critically ill. The Peads team at the local hospital had 5 paediatricians on duty, 3 of them were helping to save his life that included one who was called out of a clinic.

Yes that means that some people will have had to wait longer to be seen, but it also meant my son is still alive.

clemetteattlee · 21/11/2012 20:15

When I was suffering from PND and wanting to chuck DS out of the metaphorical window my health visitor stayed with me for 90 minutes until my husband got home. Thank God for these health professionals who put people before the clock.

LadyMaryChristmas · 21/11/2012 20:15

I expect you don't get emergencies then, Chub. What's the HV to do if she's needed urgently, if a child's welfare depends on it? Ignore the child in need so that she can go and weigh a baby?

XBenedict · 21/11/2012 20:16

No Chub that's not the difference at all.

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 21/11/2012 20:17

No Chub, the difference is that you glance at your watch and say 'time up'. Which you are at liberty to do.
HCPs don't work that way, thank goodness.

clemetteattlee · 21/11/2012 20:17

Chub fiddler, I also suppose none of your clients is as rude as to have a heart attack in front of you.
I must remember not to be as deeply unprofessional as to spend extra time when breaking a cancer diagnosis.
How crass and naive you are.

Catsdontcare · 21/11/2012 20:18

Tbh if you have a generally healthy 7 month old with no other concerns and you are prepared to hang around for an hour just to get her weighed then I would say yes you do have time on your hands.

Twiddles · 21/11/2012 20:19

She could have been dealing with child protection,
Liaising with multi disciplinary team,
Essential updates
Ill child / post natal depression
Who knows ?
No one is going to be a health visitor for the great wages or cushy job,
Get over yourself !

Vivalebeaver · 21/11/2012 20:19

Chubfuddler, the difference is you're allowed to plan your own diary. Or at least you're not going to overrun the hour slot per person, like you say they're paying.

A midwife and I imagine a hv gets allocated 10 minutes per appt in a clinic. Also expected to do a set number of visits a day. If someone is ill, upset, worried you can't set a stopwatch and say sorry you're ten minutes is up out you go.

I'm sure a solicitor would boot you out once your time is up. Unless you paid for more!

Idocrazythings · 21/11/2012 20:20

Chub you also probably have nice half hour slots for your clients not a clinic over loaded with 10min appointments, plus overbooks for urgent patients and no breaks (even for a tampon change). I find your comment very offensive and not once, ever, have I given someone substandard care simply because they were not paying.

Vivalebeaver · 21/11/2012 20:20

Your not you're.

mercibucket · 21/11/2012 20:20

It's got nothing to do with paying and a lot to do with the nature of the job. My obs/gyne ws private and routinely late - was she supposed to do the em c sections by distance over the phone? then when I had the em c section, I was quite glad she didn't send anyone else to do it.
Op, as you actually know what the problem is, yabu. She wasn't getting her nails done

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