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?

oops took me so long to type I ave cross posted!

I can see both sides here. As a patient, long delays really suck. You might need to get back to work, or to your child, or be feeling very unwell and would rather be at home than a waiting room. It's hard.

But the doctors have such a heavy workload. GPs get 10 minutes regardless of the content of an appointment. It must be nearly impossible to run to time. Hospital consultants have an even worse balancing act to attempt. If they're late to clinic it's because the NHS expects them to be in 3 places at once.

Sigh. Under the current government it's really not going to get better for patients or doctors.

Agree with Sidge

I recently had a follow up appointment that was 90 mins late. I took a book and waited. I didn't get worked up because the last time I went to see the same person was to be told I needed major surgery for a life threatening condition and I was in the appointment for as long as I needed to be. My GP was running an hour late another time because a previous patient had collapsed at the surgery and she had stayed with him while the ambulance came.

Don't book an appointment for the hour before school pickup time if possible.

Interesting that people are saying doctors are late because of emergency, etc. My doctor will literally kick you out after ten minutes no matter what the circumstance. I've been turfed out of the office in an awful state before

I have been on the other side of this so I do understand. For me yesterday, it was more the reason I was given - and she was being serious and apologetic at the time - was more wrangling as it wasn't due to a medical emergency.

I have been the other side. I went with a viral type bug (lengthy, had phone consult, etc told to come in) and it was pneumonia and involved a lengthy appointment, hospital being called to sort me a bed that day, GP needing to sort things - and I knew there were people waiting but it really couldn't be helped and wasn't planned. I did feel bad about it though, even though it wasn't to be helped or my fault as such.

GP did, however go out and let people know there would be a delay and to see the receptionist if they were unable to wait.

My son always books a double appointment, however, it may take longer than 20 minutes depending on how often he hits himself, the doctor or falls off the chair. You are inconsiderate as well as unreasonable.

YABVVU.....I work in health care and know how hard all the Drs work...as well as out patient clinics , they have ward rounds, clinics in other parts of hospital, medical emergencies....fewer junior doctors and when doctors leave/ retire they are not replaced immediately(if at all)!.... Just be grateful you didn't have to pay for your appointment cos that's what will happen if the govt get their way!

ijustwannadance - thats ok in theory but that would mean fewer appointment spaces which are rare as rocking horse shit as it is.

i agree with the poster who said about people wasting time with coughs and colds. im properly poorly just now with raging tropical alien flu a bad cold it wouldn't even occur to me to go to the dr but many folk would be there demanding to be made better.

Hospital clinics often run late because the doctors running them are expected to be in two places at one time - they may be on the ward, dealing with a patient's urgent medical needs, or in theatre or A&E dealing with an emergency - they can't just walk away from them, to start their clinic on time.

And both in the clinics and the GP's surgery, appointments often overrun - there aren't enough doctors, so appointments are short, and many patients have complex medical needs, and they can't be dealt with in 10 minutes.

Of course it is annoying when appointments run late - but it is NOT the doctors who are to blame.

I wonder if they always overbook as they know there will be cancellations/no-shows etc.

If I take the kids I nanny for to the drs/hosp (fairly often as a few issues) then I plan to be there for a good hour at least. So I have stand by care for the others - so just saying to a friend if I am not at the gate can you grab g6? And always go with water, non messy snack and a few treats to pull out the bag if needed - eg a lolly/an episode of something on my phone already downloaded.

I also have a strategy of never going to a drs/hosp appointment without my phone charger in case I get admitted but that is due to how many times that has happened to me!

I had an antenatal appointment yesterday with the consultant that was 2 hours late. I was first on the list too. Yes I had my momenta of silent rage but knew that there was nothing I could about it. Turns out she was the only consultant on and there'd been an emergency on the labour ward. Can't be helped. She was very apologetic too.

I'm a health professional. Our appointments usually run to time but when they don't it's usually because
A) A patient had a serious issue that needed dealing with then and there.

B) A previous patient was late

C) Some patients just talk a lot or have a lot to get off their chest, and it's hardly good practice or manners to tell them to STFU, especially if they're distressed.

D) The clinic has been overbooked and everyone still needs to be seen.

The GP isn't sat in their office with their feet up, making you wait for the he'll of it!

in fairness to the op - drs are overstretched and it is impacting on patients and it IS frustrating to wait. i suffer from anxiety and do struggle but we really do have to suck it up.

Would any of the people making inane comments about professors/doctors not being able to tell the time be happy if a doctor looked at their watch, and then simply abandoned resuscitation of one of their relatives, or walked away from a haemorrhaging or critically ill patient?

Of course they can tell the time - they just can't be in two places at once or bend the laws of space or time!

My GP always runs late because she really is a bloody brilliant doctor and gives you the time you need. She has quite genuinely saved my DD's life (diagnosed her as newborn with suspected pneumonia and declining rapidly- I thought she was a bit sleepy and not feeling very well). She called and ambulance and did a handover and started with my DH who was weepy and shocked to be called into the surgery from home to see us departing with blue lights).

She also gave me lots of time when I was horrendously depressed.

I take a book and wait and don't expect to be seen until about 45 minutes after the time I've booked.

I'm very lucky to have her. God knows what we'll all do when fabulous people like this no longer want to train and work as GPs.

Sorry but I think yabu. I work as a nurse and most the doctors I meet are just ridiculously over-worked. If the doctor is running late it's probably because they've had to deal with emergencies or that they had some complex cases in that wouldn't fit into a ten minute appointment window. It's like a doctor said to me once when we had a lot of people complaining about late appointments 'do they not think that maybe I'd rather not go home two hours late every day too'? They'e not working late and letting their clinics over-run for fun you know.

Whenever I go for a medical appointment I am always prepared to wait for a long time. I'd rather sit there for an hour knowing that the doctor is spending the time that needs to be spent with each patient, than be on time and know that people are being kicked out because it's taken longer than 10 mins to get to the bottom of the problem.

It can be inconvenient but as a relatively healthy person who doesn't need appountments that often it's a rare occurrence anyway.

Seriously? YABVU.

Having been the person who pops in with 'tummy ache' and leaves in an ambulance, I have the imagination to work out why a gp might be running late.

Some appointments take more than the five minutes you are allocated. What gets me is that surgeries (mine, at least) won't allow you to book a double appointment. I had a situation where I had two separate problems to discuss. I was honest with the receptionist and requested a double appointment, one for each problem, so that I wouldn't overrun. She wouldn't allow it and I was only allowed to book one appointment for that day. Couldn't even book one appointment, leave the room, and go back in later. My choice was then to overrun my appointment or book a second appointment on a different day. Ridiculous!

I made a GP run late last month. He was trying to work out if I was depressed or not without being too obvious I think. DH was at that point on 5th week of diagnostics of a chest tumour and I have a 6mo as well...

They're not late coz there drinking tea and doing the crossword.

Be thankful it's not you that's requiring extra time due to an emergency.

Don't worry folks, this government will totally scupper the NHS by screwing doctors terms and conditions so that fewer and fewer people will be able to balance home and work responsibilities/ balance of life by remaining with the NHS.

Then you will end up paying for private healthcare, and I am sure the (very expensive and probably medically rather less good) service will be punctual, with lovely smiling receptionists and flowers in the waiting room. For those of you who can pay for it of course.

You might find this thread from the past few days enlightening OP. I certainly did!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2616761-What-do-doctors-do-all-day?pg=1

PS it is really heartening how many people on this thread appear to understand about emergencies taking precedence and doctors not inconveniencing patients deliberately