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?

Although I agree it is annoying that you have to wait I am aware that I have been the cause of a few late clinics recently. The first time was a gp appointment for morning sickness, I was sick (and had a torn oesophagus so was bloody sick) in his bin. We all had to wait about 20-30 mins while they sorted that and he called the specialist. A few weeks later my sister died so the next day the midwife squeezed me in so I could reassuringly hear heartbeat as it was a huge shock.

I can imagine these things happen most days and the time does add up (and as a hcp I know that if I am late for appointments/ clinics it's usually because meetings or others visits have run over, not because I am waltzing in late)

Well, you're not BU to be pissed off, but don't you get bloods done at your 28 week appt that must be taken within about a week's window? I'm 29 weeks pg and had mine last week. Or did your consultant do yours?

Somersetlady and others arguing that everyone should just shut up and put up with an hour or more waiting time every single time you go to the MW/hospital, then I think YABU. It's not reasonable for them to overbook like this. If a standard appt slot is (say) 10 mins, but they consistently run an hour or so late, then they should be looking at increasing the appt time to 15 mins and monitoring how they get on. And yes, that probably does mean running extra or longer clinics, but they save time not rescheduling appointments for people who simply could not wait any longer. What's more, the midwife who is running an hour or more late presumably gets paid for that hour, perhaps as overtime, so it's as well to just accept it up front and budget for it.

One-off emergencies are different, before anyone jumps on me. But waiting this length of time at every single appt is not caused by emergencies. It's a systemic failure.

I am under consultant and midwife care for this (3rd) pregnancy. The other day I had to wait 2 hours for a 'chat' with my consultant. They called me in for this chat, as I hadn't seen her yet this pregnancy. They then tried to get me to see another doctor, despite the whole reason me being there was to liaise with my consultant. The appointment lasted ten minutes. The wait was boiling hot and I had a shattered 13 month old. Not fun.

For personal reasons which other women don't have, I hate being at my antenatal clinic too, it incites panic in me, so the longer I have to wait around the worse I get.

A day later (makes perfect sense no?) I had my anomaly scan. 90 minutes wait, this time with DH. Very unhappy regarding work, plus the scan itself was shit (I've complained) so didn't even have a nice experience to make it worthwhile.

My last midwife appt was a 90 min wait at the GP surgery while relying on a sitter for my son. Turns out they had deleted me off the system while I was waiting.

The whole system is a shambles and I have sympathy OP. Our time does matter. When I was working in my first pregnancy it was very difficult to explain why a ten minute check took up to 3 hours.

I have since left my hospital and community midwife antenatal care and been put under the care of 121 midwives. All appointments including bloodwork are at my home, and my scans are at a private clinic.

I couldn't be happier.

Rather than complaining and getting the standard letter.

Complain and specifically ask:
How many appts there are
How long they are for
How many were actually seen
How long each appt was actually for, I.e from they entered to left
The average wait
The precise time the first patient was seen compared to their allocated time and the same for the last.
If there wet any extenuating circumstancees in particular that day.

Then u have the evidence to tell them to sort it.
As an nhs staff member only complaints like these help us to fight for better services. When a patient requested that we audit our wait/allocate appts time we were delighted. It was the only way to mal management see that we needed more.

Agree with holidaysarenice post. I would write a very specific letter detailing what the receptionist said.

If we have to wait occasionally because of emergencies etc. That is fine, but for people to be waiting a long time every week suggests a problem with their system. The receptionist saying nothing can be done is just ridiculous.

My goodness, I am amazed at how many people see this waiting time as exceptional. All of my midwife Appts were at least 45 mins late. And i had morning appts. I used to regularly see a consultant. The appt was always at least 90 mins late, and usually two to two and a half hours. All nhs Appts I have are very late. The least waiting time was 10 mins but that was because I was the first appt. nhs dentist is always at least 45 mins late. I thought it was the same everywhere. the doctor who told me the nhs was bursting at the seems sure wasn't joking. I am in Scotland. I wonder if it is worse here than England?

The thing is, it's not because it's always like this or the same everywhere that it's normal!

I agree with the complain letter but seeing how many people on here seem to think we shod all actor that behaviour as OK I'm not sure how many letters the surgeries will get.

I waited 3 hours for my booking in appt for my first pg. that was in London though!
Where I live now the midwives do home visits, they can still be held up but if so are incredibly apologetic and it's not like I mind if I'm at home with my feet up while ds potters about!
YANBU but I'd probably wait it out unless you had a pressing reason to get back.