AIBU to expect not to get an earful when phoning to cancel a doctors appointment

[thereonthestair]

I had an appointment today. Tried to phone to cancel at the beginning of the day when the phones open, but as usual could not get through before I have to leave to go to work. So do the drop off at nursery get to work and phone as soon as I get to work. I thought the doctors wanted you to tell them when you weren't going to make it, but oh no they say it is still a did not attend, and give me an earful for not telling them sooner. Well perhaps if I could get through I might of done. Also if they could guarantee not to be running late I could get there and leave when I need to, but no apparently they can't guarantee anything (fair enough) but would rather I went and ran the risk of not being seen and walking out wasting everyone's time than try to give the appointment to soemone else. AIBU to think that there is no incentive to tell them you aren't going to make it if they just shout at you when do, and tell you to come anyway when they know they reasonably can't make sure everything runs to time. Next time I think I might just as well not show up.

What time was you appointment meant to be. Did you only realise this morning that you wouldn't need it?

To be fair you left it very late to tell them. Too late surely for someone else to have it.

Why did you cancel it?

Blimey-since they overbook, you´d think they´d be glad of a bit more chance of running to time!

If your appointment was for anger management, I think you should keep the next one.

Doctors receptionists (in my experience)are all shouty and judgy. Ignore them.

Willesden what is it with you and your snidey comments on every sodding thread?
OP- if you couldnt get through earlier you couldnt get through. And as someone else said up thread they always run over so the doctor will probably be grateful for the extra time

You tried to let them know, they were completely unreasonable. Their is one receptionist at our surgery who seems to think she is the guardian to the portals of heaven and hell and all shall bow down before her. Sounds like you talked to her sister!

I must be very lucky I've never met a snippy DR's receptionist so I always find it hard to understand why they get bad press on here. Which makes me think that generally any snappiness I'd deserved!

So this "did not attend"-is that like a black mark & in future they might take you off their list?

I've cancelled appointments at very short notice too and never had that reaction. It's always "thanks for letting us know". Sometimes I've had to cancel because often I've only been able to get an appointment a week ahead and by the time it's come round I, or one of my kids, is better! Sometimes it's at very short notice because, like the OP, I can't get through, or, on other occasions the appointment is for early in the morning and a child who has seemed ill the night before, seems better the next day. Sometimes, something important crops up at the last minute and you have to cancel.

I have sat in the GPs waiting room and seen people turn up in the hope of being seen that morning. Even if an appointment is cancelled at very short notice it means one of these people can be squeezed in.

I would alwasy ring too, but given the response you got and that you could've attended if they ran on time I'd suggest in future turn up as agreed, and if they run more than 10 minutes over tell them you have to leave.

There are usualy signs up all over doctors surgeries saying if you are more than 10 mins late for the appt then you won't be seen, just point to that and say it works both ways

It's not just doctors, I can',t remember the last appt I had, be it personal or professional, when I wasn't kept waiting past the agreed start time. It's the implication that their time is valuable and yours isn't that pisses me off.

Was the reason you cancelled because you were worried that if the appointment was not on time, you'd be late for something else? In which case you'd have done better to turn up, and ask them how late they're running when you get there. Warn them you have another commitment at xyz pm and will have to leave by a certain time. If it gets to that time, go to reception and tell them you're going. Make sure the practice manager knows. My dentist's surgery went through a phase of unrealistic appointment times but after I'd left after 40 minutes twice they pulled their socks up and have been far more reliable. I'm happy to give them 15 or so minutes as I know there may have been unexpected delays earlier in the session, but any more than that is taking the piss.

Our dr's do have a notice that says if people regularly book and cancel appointments they will be struck off. There is alway a sign showing how many missed appointments there are each I week and it is disgraceful it's usually around 50/60 each week.

If they still use the system I used it wouldn't be a DNA as they would just remove your name from the list for that appointment. They would probably fill the slot even if you gave them short notice. The receptionist was either mistaken orhad been told to tell patients that it would be a DNA.

They wbu, your appointment could be given to one of the many people who will ring today for an emergancy appointment or can be left to allow the doctor to catch up if they are running behind, no need to be arsey with you

It depends how late you rang. It is very frustrating for us. The other Monday, I had 5 patients not turn up, usually its 3 or 4. That's 50 wasted minutes which other people could have used, who would probably have been more in need as they actually wanted the appointment that day. The chances of there being a walk in at exactly the time of your appointment is pretty small. It isn't the doctors time that is wasted, its that of the other patients.

I'd suggest trying to consider if you can actually attend the appointment when you make it, and if something comes up to ring as early as possible to cancel, even if that means hanging on the phone for a while. The NHS has limited resources, and if time and money weren't wasted unnecessarily, those resources would go further.

So, YANBU to expect the receptionist not to be rude, she shouldn't have been, and its made you defensive and angry. But you should consider the wider effect on others.

Our doctors has a computerised telephone thingy so you can cancel the appointment without having to talk to anyone. Much more sensible (although at my doctors the receptionists are nice too - obviously a sensible practice!).

Our Doctors receptionists are usually lovely.
I must have caught this one on a bad day.

We had really bad snow last month. Everything shut. Everything.
I was supposed to be having blood tests at the doctors but had had to wait a fortnight to see the phlebotomist rather than the usual nurse.

I phoned on the morning and finally got through at 9.30, was supposed to be a 11.00 appointment.
I asked the receptionist if the appointment was still going ahead because of the snow. Her reply was not in a pleasant tone and she said along the lines of if I was cancelling the appointment because of a little bit of snow that she would not be able to rebook it and everybody else seemed to be managing.

I told her that I had no problem getting to the surgery and I was just double checking that their would be somebody available to see me once I had made this effort as I would have to bring the 4 children with me as all schools were closed.

She was a little bit quieter as she checked and told me the phlebotomist had not made it in that day so I would have to rebook anyway.

I phoned back 5 mins later and spoke to somebody else they booked me in to see the nurse the same day 5 minute earlier than my original appointment

Do they have an online system? Our doctors do and you can book and cancel appointments and order prescriptions without speaking to anyone, maybe worth seeing if they have?

Diddle a DNA is a bit like a black mark yes. Some GP's will strike patients off for too many of them and if you (not you personally) change practises it may be difficult to find a GP willing to take you on, although the local authority can make them take patients AFAIK.

I went to the docs the other day, appt was booked for 8:10, that's ten minutes after they opened. I didn't go into my appointment until after 8:30! The place is always full of old ladies, I can't even see anything wrong with most of them but then I'm not a doctor. I overheard one elderly chap with an ingrowing toenail being offered an 'emergency' appointment later that day! WTF, you offer emergency appts when you're already running 20 minutes behind? I only go for my repeat rx to be increased, I'm in and out within 2 minutes.

Still, the receptionist is quite lovely and offered me a piece of cake (I declined, it looked like it had SARS)

My Doctors would have the same response and yet i've always been seen 40 minutes to 1.5hr over my allotted time so in reality many more people couldn't been seen as they have totally unrealistic 10 minute time slots for every patient.

With very young DC it is excruciatingly painful waiting an hour over the allotted appointment. I've complained directly to the GP but his response is always that he cannot speed people up. The reality is in his case that he has a very slow manner about himself, leaving long pauses after you've answered his questions- I can see why it takes him so long.

Equally, if you complain or even ask the receptionist how many patients are to be seen before you they will tell you to visit the hospital if YOU think It is an emergency for your child. This was the response I got when my DD, 18 months at the time had severe croup and we still hadn't been seen an hour after the appointment time. I know personally the the service GPs is so hit and miss around the country as my partner's uncle is a GP and will still go out in the evening to local patients- he thinks it is part of the duty of care, it NEVER happens here, the stock response is visit A&E!