Real time AIBU - your verdict please!

[EyelinerQueen]

I'm sitting in the health centre waiting room. My midwife appointment was at 12pm. The lady beside me was supposed to be seen at 11.40am but is still waiting.

Last time I was called an hour and 5 minutes after my appointment time .

I'm under consultant care at my hospital so these standard midwife appointments seem supplementary at best. They last about 6 minutes.

It's hot and stuffy and I'm starving and the dog is waiting for me at home.

WIBU to leave at 12.30pm if I haven't been called (which I won't)? I'd tell the receptionist that I wasn't willing to wait any longer.

AIBU?

YANBU

No you wouldn't, but knowing the system you'd just have to wait again for a new appointment and still end up waiting as they'll probably be running late again. I'd stick it out and see the consultant!

yanbu

Just read your post properly, YANBU, leave now!

I'm seeing the consultants next week MissHobart.

This is just a bog standard 28 week appointment.

I agree with miss h too.

I think YWBU to tell the receptionist you aren't prepared to wait any longer - the midwife is probably dealing with an emergency.

However, YWNBU to tell the receptionist a white lie, i.e. that you can't stay any longer because you have to be somewhere else.

Yanbu at all, I waited over an hour in the g.p.'s waiting room the other week. Appalling.

YABU, surely it's worth a bit of inconvenience to have a check up, especially if you are under consultant care.

Yes because at least you are getting the service for free. It costs me AU$120 (£66) to go to the doctor. The last time I went I was for my smear and they booked me a double appointment and I had to pay the lab costs too.

I don't think there's an emergency Tippi.

The midwife is only here one day a week. It looks like they just book in too many appointments and expect people to wait.

I don't do white lies so would them in a polite way that I wasn't prepared to wait.

YWNBU, I have left under similar circumstances

It's a huge pain! Wouldn't blame you if you left....we had to wait 3 hours last week at the eye clinic with my dad. Had no choice, he HAD to be seen. It wasn't the fault of the staff they had an emergency to respond to. Many people ended up leaving. Can't be helped.

I once waited over an hour to see an orthoptist and only queried it when I saw a young boy who had just arrived go in before me.

Turns out they hadn't put my notes out for the orthoptist to collect and I would have been waiting all day!

I had all my apppointments at the hospital and often had to wait an hour and more. It was frustrating clock watching as I would be panicking about getting back to pick other dcs up. But I would never have left as have had very complicated pregnancies and wanted the reassurance of the scans.

If you are sure that you have no problems to report then I would go and tell them you have to leave very shortly and see what they say?

I would stick around but then write to the practice manager and say that if a clinic is constantly over running, it needs looking at.

Oh I don't know. I mean, it's your appointment which you can choose not to stick around for, obviously.

But, even if there's no actual 'emergency' as such.

The MW could still be dealing with:

Women with protein in their sample
Women who are scared of birth
Women who have anterior placentas and so it's harder to feel movement, maybe requiring extra reassurance
Women who have difficult home situations that the MW is supporting with i.e. DV
Women who need advice about SPD
Women who need referred to the consultant-led service

It's lovely that you don't need extra attention, but some women do. Wouldn't you hate to be one of them and feel that you were rushed out so that the MW could move on to the next person?

as you are seeing the consultant in a week, def just leave, you are making the wait shorter for everyone after you :)

PinkGlove Where have I said or implied that I expect other women to be rushed so that I can be seen?

What I expect is for hcps not to regularly overbook every single day leading to inevitable and bloody annoying delays. This is not a one off - it's the norm.

Why is my time considered so unimportant that I can just sit around waiting to be seen for an indefinite amount of time?

It's rude and unnecessary.

Exactly Sarcy I'm practically providing a public service by giving up my spot .

Just leave, if the mw isn't your main 'carer' during pregnancy I doubt it will make a jot of difference? If it helps I had my 28 weeks appt this morning, and she did blood pressure, urine sample, and measured me for the first time..

How often do you see your consultant? Could you talk to them about doing the checks the MWs do so you don't have two sets of appointments? I see my consultant every two weeks and they told me not to bother with the MWs as they check everything for me.

And no, YWNBU to leave!

in my experience of a community midwife, clinics were often overrunning because the surgery had booked too many appointments in, or they had booked appointments requiring much longer, such as the booking in visit into a normal 10minute slot.

yes you get the occasional woman who has a lot of questions, or specific needs, but over running is usually down to the mismanagement of the appointment system!

I would leave to, as long as you have no concerns feel the baby move etc. I would ensure that you make a formal complaint as well, no need to be nasty just state the facts. if people don't complain then they won't change the system.

My midwife told me that if I had a consultant appointment scheduled near the time a midwife appt was due, not to bother seein the midwife as the consultant would do all the same checks anyway!

I didn't say you had implied it, I'm just thinking of all the reasons they might be running late, and none of them are unimportant. All I'm saying is, if it was you who needed extra time, you'd be glad that they were able to give it to you.

Just trying to help, you did ask!