Doctor's fucking punctuality

[AnotherTimeMaybe]

So went to doctor today and he was late again! Previous patient came late so he couldn't just chuck him out and he took me half hour later ,I was late for school pick up ended up paying late care
I don't get it, why are they allowed to be late we are supposed to accept it or leave and miss the appointment for which I had to take day off! And if we are late they wait for 5 minutes and then you go back to the bottom of the queue
AIBU ? Is this a life sentence?

As a healthcare professional with a hugely complex case load it is VERY hard to keep to time. I manage in the main due to the ability to dictate the length of appointment I need but even then there can be unexpected issues that set me back. I really appreciate how hard it is especially for patients who have profound needs and cannot tolerate a long wait and it is a stressful issue, but on balance I'd rather run a bit late than potentially miss something major personally.

But Flugella I imagine you start on time. 22 years ago the HV was supposed to visit me and my 10 day old baby at 9am. The letter arrived at 8.50 am. It was her first appointment - asked. She arrived at 9.22 and didn't even apologise - if the letter had said 9 20 I'd have had time to get washed and dressed. There is a teeny culture if lateness in the NHS possibly because of some of the complexities and emergencies but that shouldn't make lateness the norm.

sothathappened perhaps I phrased it badly, I was knackered last night and had had a bad day. 3 in a row wasn't implying that my depressed patients were a pain and if a GP ever makes you feel like you are being a pain/inconvenience when you have come in about something so difficult then they are a massive twat. You're not a pain at all. Whilst mental health problems can be quite challenging as a clinician to get right, they're some of my favourite patients. I'm always in awe of how brave they are even when they don't think they are. Because coming to see a GP for help is such a scary terrifying thing to do yet they have managed to do it. I always tell them how glad I am they have come to me and that they should be proud of themselves for taking such a scary first step. That may sound patronising when you read it but I genuinely do mean it, as I've been there myself too. And it's a real honour to be able to help them along the road to stabilisation and recovery.

What I was trying to say was in order to show some people like the OP who clearly don't have much of an idea of what a typical clinic can consist of. It's not all simple coughs, colds and pill checks. We see more and more complex physical and mental health patients in primary care these days and these cases deserve time and attention. It's not uncommon for me to have 2-4 mental health patients in one surgery and it's frustrating to read posts like the OPs or funny who seems to think we're keeping people waiting for a lark or out of bad time management when we just can't help it sometimes. Our patients and their problems don't fit into neat little 10 min slots and nor should they have to.

Sounds great chickens. Sadly when dd had MH problems at 16 the GP response was I'll refer to CAMHS but they are useless, probably won't see her or you'll wait ages. When I asked if she could be referred privately it was no, no idea about that google the internet fir a counsellor. Two appointments, five or six minutes each. Couldn't give a damn although CAMHS response was to google someone off the internet because they couldn't be arsed either.

Professionals won't help because they can't monitor outcomes. Well if the NHS won't provide a service, they ate far better placed to know who's good and who isn't and how oray do patients and their carers have an idea about outcomes when the advice fir a mentally ill teenager is to google the internet fir the help that should be available on the NHS. Iit's a fucking disgrace and GPs who think that's appropriate advice, and two at my surgery did, are fucking disgrace as well.

I'm sure many GPs are saints but hop over to the teenage boards and you will find otherwise. Perhaps saintliness is reserved for adult mental health.

My DD has recovered but only because I was able to fund £2,500 of private psychiatric consultations.

I'm sorry but the saintly GPs and mental health brought down the red mist because not one NHS professional gave a fuck about my dd's MH. "If she's admitted as a potential suicide, that will bring out the on call osych and she'll be bumped up the lists I heard. So parents are supposed to watch their children deteriorate until they attempt suicide then. Wouldn't it be better to prevent that?

If my angry comment makes one GP who couldn't previously be arsed to help a desperate parent and teenager sit up and reflect about their uncaring attitude, good because what I was advised should have rafts of you struck off.

beau I'm very sorry to hear about your DD and I'm sorry you feel your GPs weren't helpful. Have you spoken to them/the practice manager about how you feel?

Mental health funding and service provision is shocking in the NHS for every age. It's a real crisis. And unfortunately there is very very little any GP can do about the CAHMS waiting lists, or therapy waiting lists and prescribing in teenagers is strictly secondary care only in most regions. It's an awful situation.

I really get your anger. However I didn't say GPs aren't saints at all and there are plenty out there that are shocking. I too had to source private therapy in the end for my own depression issues. However there are plenty of us who do care a lot and are horrified at what is happening to the NHS as a whole and how it will affect the patients, so please don't accuse me of setting up as a saint. Saintliness is not just reserved for adult mental health too, however we are able to provide medication more easily but otherwise waiting lists for psych and therapy etc are ridiculously long too. Mental health as a whole is in desperate need. That is not HCPs fault that is the stinking governments fault and they are failing us all as patients.

I think mental health is hugely underfunded. I'm sorry about your daughter BeauGlacons but it isn't the GPs' fault if secondary care has a huge waiting list and you weren't happy with the NHS secondary care service you got when you saw them.
It's not people not giving a fuck about your daughter it's people trying to spread an extremely underfunded resource equitably.
I agree they could have explored private psychiatry options for you but they can't change the whole teenage psychiatry system that needs politicians and a lot more tax money.

It requires, amongst many things, an understanding HCP who has the time to be there for you. 10 minutes is just not enough and I refuse to cut corners for my patients, hence why I run late.

Yes I think what compounds your late running though is that patients who want time and understanding deliberately make an appointment with doctors like you. It's a vicious circle and a battle against the clock you will never win. Keep it up though, you're absolutely right .

beau I do... But I'm in work an hour before my first patient to make sure any emergencies etc can be fitted in. My department are hot on punctuality, which can do only benefit patients.

I'm sorry you've had a bad experience with mental health services. Sadly I doubt you'll be the only one. I've had countless fights with CAMHS to try and get action.

Gray's thanks - I'm fine now. Still have bouts of depression but know what it is, spot the early warning signs and can usually get myself out of it before it gets too bad. If I can't I will go for help, not leave it as long.
For anyone thinking they need help and reluctant to ask for it
As Beau says it is really hard to go, to admit you need help. And just making an appointment is a big thing.
Last time I put it off for ages, then was relieved it was a week wait for an appt but then got very anxious leading up to it. On the day I was so nervous, I was shaking - and I've done this before.
Came close to cancelling several times - what stopped me was a plan I could say I'd gone for a minor niggle if I really couldn't get the words out.
And I'd chosen which GP to see - I know they are lovely (and I guess I have a history so they know I know exactly what it is).
I felt better just having been. It isn't a miracle cure but it is a step in the right direction to feeling less miserable (and when I'm like that I'd do anything not to feel so terrible)...and by going you have done something positive.

It does show you there are GPs and consultants etc who are truly human beings, they are Godsent and thanks for pointing out . Some of the GPs in my surgery are like those so nope I won't complain again - not taking the piss, talking seriously life is tough sometimes you need to rant
And tbh yes here are some of them who are crappiest than most like my previous one who always googled what I was asking me, in front of me, and always showed me on his screen, based on Dr Google why he shouldn't refer me or dh - after I had enough I changed surgeries
Anyway thank you again for replies

My gp opens at 9, I had an appointment for 9.20... didn't get seen until 10 and was pretty much rushed and chucked out a couple of mins later as she was running late. No resolution to my problem at all

My son had a long course of dental treatment at the hospital (several years) and we always tried to get the first morning appointment in an attempt to get him to school without missing too much. The first appointment was always at 9am, we would turn up 5-10 minutes early and without fail would still be sitting there at 9.15. The staff would rock up at 8.55, have a chat at the desk, wander off to make coffee and sort themselves out and then we would be called 15 minutes late. It drove me nuts and when I pointed out that he was missing school time because of these late starts they just shrugged.

Reception was just as bad, I was waiting to make another appointment behind someone who had come in, looked at the clock and apologised for being late "oh no you're ok, we just have it running a bit fast so we can leave on time".

It's different in a surgery, they've little to no idea what the patients are wanting and it would be impossible to kick someone out just because they're time's up. At our surgery they do say if they're running late and give an idea of how long the delay will be which is useful.

Sothathappened perhaps I phrased it badly, I was knackered last night and had had a bad day. 3 in a row wasn't implying that my depressed patients were a pain and if a GP ever makes you feel like you are being a pain/inconvenience when you have come in about something so difficult then they are a massive twat.

Its just me being paranoid which is a big part of my depression.

One of the GPs though really didnt give a shit. She thought it was a joke. I was having anxiety attacks.

I never thought to seek help when I didnt leave he house for weeks because of it. Silly cow she is that GP.