To wonder why the whole family need a fun day out at outpatients?

[Welshmaenad]

I'm at fracture clinic, on my own (sob!) yet every other patient seems to be accompanied by at least three family members. Not only is the main waiting area packed but as patients are called through they ALL get up and trek into the very limited clinical waiting area. I'm currently standing up because a small boy in plaster has been followed I to clinical waiting by mum, dad, small sibling, baby sibling in pram and someone I presume is Aunt Maud or possibly a middle aged woman they found on the street and dragged along for the party.

Surely one companion is sufficient in all but the most exceptional of circumstances?? What's the appeal of an orthopaedic clinic waiting room when clinic is running an hour late? What is WRONG with these folk?

I think they honestly just don't have anything else to do Haggis

.... and thinking about it DH has NEVER been to A&E. Or the vets. Grrrr. How has that somehow become "my job"???

Mum, Dad + kids - ok, one parent to drive (and maybe find a parking spot after leaving the rest off), one parent to keep the patient calm in the car - other DCs as they can't be left alone. But why on earth do you need granny, Aunt Barbara and the next door neighbour?!

Golem - we always have 2 adults and 2 or 3 kids when we go to paeds Audiology - the hospital is an hour away and we already go every few months without having all the kids appointments on different days! The staff kindly suggested we group appointments together as much as possible.

Obviously the children have to wait their turn with second adult in the waiting room while I take them in.

Even in a&e I kind of get why you might have two adults, lots of people don't drive.

compos that's a hilarious post.

I have to accompany my deaf and sadly loud opinionated and totally unsociable parents to hospital appointments and they have bloody loads.

I cringe when a fat family comes into the waiting room or any that look chavvy or in any way not old, white and well dressed.

Agree with you op though it's a ridiculous situation that patients can't sit down while visitors are.

Think there should be patient + 1 seating only and other buggers stand if it's busy.

My Mum always commented on this, she was receptionist at the Mental health out patients. She was always amazed at how often 3 or more generations and/or extended family would turn up for one persons appointment. She to felt it was an afternoon out, entertainment, at bit like MIL will go to any funeral however tenuous the link. She never commented on parents bringing their children, that's normal isn't it? I've broken my leg, take me to A&E! Hang on dear I've got to arrange childcare first

If DS has a hospital/doctors appointment and DH is available, he always comes with us. DS is often hard work in the waiting room or during the appointment and is easier with an extra person to try to contain him and means one of us actually gets to hear what the doctor is saying.

Maybe language occassionally? If hypothetically we needed to take my gran to the hospital

e.g. gran doesn't speak english, wife can translate but not drive, husband only knows english but can drive, (hypothetical children can't stay home by themselves.

And why do couples routinely go to the GP together? I know several couples where when one of them needs to see the GP, even for routine or minor thing, they both take time off work go in for the consultation. Why would you do that?

If only one parent drives, and its a child being seen, why doesn't that parent take the child and the other one stay home, especially if there are other kids? It's not like keeping small children quiet and entertained in hospitals is fun, or easy. It just seems like s massive great big chore to me. Mind you, I drive myself to a&e with a fractured hand so as not to have to drag the dcs out late so I don't know if in logical or completely foolish.

Welsh - just because DH drives doesn't mean I want him to always take the kids to any hospital appointment. Two DCs have an ongoing condition, and I like to be there to hear what's said directly, and not get a second-hand report. Especially since it's me that does all the day-to-day stuff for them, and needs to be on top of their care.

Re: driving yourself with fractured hand. I don't know, were you a safe driver? Would it have affected your ability to control the car in an emergency swerve/brake situation?

I know. On the day before Christmas Eve I took my son for a hospital appointment. Beside us mum, dad, three kids and granny. WTAF. Could they not find something better to do?

I cringe when a fat family comes into the waiting room or any that look chavvy or in any way not old, white and well dressed.

Blimey...

YANBU. Unfortunately I recently had to take my DH to A&E and the waiting room was packed with people but only about a quarter of them turned out to be patients. What amazed me was that when the patient was called through to triage the hangers on all trooped in as well! I mean imagine if you were in agony in A&E triage and there's a family outing in the next cubicle. Not exactly considerate is it? And how do the medics do their job with a cast of thousands hanging around? I'm surprised they allow it.

Wipsglitter - that comment was because her parents will make loud comments. I read it like that first and was a bit

Op Yanbu! I don't understand why people make a stressful situation worse.

But I will add our dentist likes to book family appointments. So the three of us will be seen one after another. We don't all squeeze in together though!

I'm sitting in an outpatient clinic right now with bloody hoardes of people outside and only 10 people on my actual list. Best get on with it then (Aunty maud will have to stand in my room as there aren't enough chairs in clinic good ole nhs)

Haha this thread could be about me, I was at the fracture clinic on Friday and at some point also there were: my 15 month old DS, my DM, my DF and my temporary nanny. Reason: I fell down the stairs holding DS and we both broke bones in our feet. We had a joint appointment so both had to be there. I have a temp nanny as I can't look after DS alone with my foot in a cast and on crutches. She accompanied me to the hospital on the bus, her carrying DS. We met my parents there and then the nanny left to go to her school pickup job. My parents came into the waiting area as one of them was holding DS and one had our bags. That said, we'd never deprive someone of a seat if it was standing room only. But YABU because there are often circumstances you wouldn't know about unless you knew the family's situation!

I'm sure a few people are there for real practical reasons but lots of families seem to enjoy the ride.
And it's always the spare family members who complain about the wait, faffing and puffing and blowing and talking about how bad it all it.
Just go for a walk or find the cafe.

I agree.

I think one or maybe even two relatives is acceptable but anything more then that is strange.

When I was pregnant I was ill in hospital for a couple of days. My husband came to see me every day but I wasn't really up for visitors so he only popped in for half an hour or so. I just wanted to sleep.

When I got out I noticed that one of the nurses had written on my notes 'not many visitors'.

I thought it was a really bizarre thing to make a note of, but obviously it must have been unusual for her to comment on it.

Before I drove it would be dh & myself and our dcs who would end up in A&E on the very rare occasions we went (2 times in 10 years I think) but now I drive I take the dc myself or I go on my own if it's just for me (when I had my pre ops) it is comforting to have someone there with you but not appropriate to bring great aunt Mildred and all the grandparents.

Only done this once - emergency antenatal checkup on the weekend, DP needed to get me to hospital as in the circs I couldn't drive or go by myself, neighbours away, so had to take ds and dn age 3 with us, for a two hour assessment. Luckily after the first half hour they said it was almost certainly fine but they wanted to hook me up to a comfy chair for an hour - so DH and boys pushed off to the garden with a pond, the cafe, etc. No phone reception in the hospital, which I suspect causes a lot of the family staying - the time I got my parents to meet me at the hospital so they could entertain ds while I had a long consultant wait and appt, my appt ran late and I was moved to a different wait area, then I insisted on a break before my second appt so I could tell my parents I wouldn't be back for another hour, then it didn't take that long but my dad and I spent the next half hour looking for each other!

Luckily by that time the receptionists recognised me so they told me there was a man and small boy who both looked very like me gone to the other cafe.

Poor ds got very bored of the cafe and garden, so after that my parents would stay with me and him so they could keep track of me and entertain ds with new toys. Which I guess makes me exactly what people are complaining about... at least ds is pretty quiet.

As opposed to when ds had appts in the fracture clinic, and invariably I would tell the receptionist the doc would need to come fetch us as I'm deaf, then after a long wait I'd investigate and be told I'd not responded when called, because funnily enough it's hard to lipread across the room at the same time as keeping a 4 and 1 yo behaving. At least when dd then kicked off we usually got seen rapidly.

Yeah, DH is the driver but I'd never let DH take kids alone for certain appointments wrt long-term issues. He is just so doctor knows best, and doesn't understand that sometimes you have to push a bit to get the commitment for even routine stuff to get done.