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?

Yabu. GPs have unrealistic appointment times to deal with a multitude of illnesses/issues.. I go to the GPs expecting to not go in on time. They try their best under very difficult circumstances, you should be more supportive.

Routine appointments can also turn into emergency situations which they can't hurry along. Incidentally, my DF went to the GPs as he felt unwell and actually took very ill whilst with the GP and tragically died there. This was an extreme situation, I know, but you never know what the GP is having to deal with whilst you are waiting.

I understand it's frustrating and god knows with a 3 year old and a 5mth old waiting is torture but

As when my father was told he needed a bypass he got as much time as he needed
When my mother was told she had a hole kin her heart she got extra time to discuss it
When I was told I had pcos and would struggle conceiving the doc let me sit and cry

You know what. ... you can wait a few minutes .... I've had to wait literally hours before with young children and in stressful waiting rooms and I'd wait again if I had to for the patients that need it to get support

Yes we need more docs and yes the nhs is being let down by the government but at the end of the day consider the delays and what someone might have just been told

Arethereanyleftatall - yes! I flippin love a DNA (patient that doesnt turn up)! Highlight of my clinic usually. So long as they were mid-clinic. When the first patient doesnt come, and the second isnt there yet, theres a bit of thumbtwiddling time. Worse is if it is the last person who is late, as I have to wait to see if they are coming (parking is so bad that i dont want to leave one minute after their appointment time if they are just trying to find a space). But a patient in the middle? Lovely. :-)

Haven't read the replies since my last comment on this post, but just wanted to jump back in and say a huge THANK YOU to the medical and health staff out there. I very much doubt I would still be alive today without the support of my wonderful GP, and for that I am very grateful

Oh, I love DNAs too - it's sometimes the only thing that allows me to have a pee!
But - in the last month we have had 150+ DNAs. In one GP surgery. So, that's 150 patients who had to wait longer than necessary because somebody else made an appointment and did not cancel or whatever.

Also, for the record, the egg timer suggestion was tongue in cheek. Just felt I had to clarify that.
I am wont to exaggeration for dramatic effect. Clearly a timer would be a fecking awful idea tempting as it is

Am I alone in not bloody caring if the Dr runs late? work have been told to expect me late. I really dont care.

My poor GP ran 40 minutes late last time and he was very apologetic and I told him not to worry. I genuinely didnt mind.

Whilst I was waiting however I got to see what staff have to stand from some patients. An elderly woman came in and discusses her dissatisfaction to the reception staff that the GP just wouldnt do what she wanted. She clearly wanted an audience and she kept looking behind herself at the waiting room and saying loudly what a disgrace it was. Because of her loud voice, I ascertained that she had wanted a medication she had previously taken in the past but the GP wouldnt just prescribe it from a telephone request as she had not had it for a good few years, the GP wanted to see her first.

Obviously a non urgent appointment with the specific GP she wanted was a couple of weeks away. She wont wait that long.....which was interesting as she had done without needing this medication for a few years and she cant wait 2 weeks or take a different GP to the one she wants.

So she is offered a telephone appointment to discuss with the GP and then collect a prescription if they give it to her. They cannot give a specific time the GP will call so she declares she is not waiting at home for a phone call. So the receptionist asks her if she has a mobile. She does ......but she isnt sure of the number doesnt ever use it or switch it on. But it was on her person though. So the receptionist turns it on for her and attempts to ring it on the number the patient thought it was, not the right number the patient gave her.

So the reeptionist then gives the patient her own bloody mobile number so she can ring her mobile and the caller display will show up.....and all the while a queue has formed at the desk and the phones are ringing like crazy and the one other receptionist is left to deal with everyone else. All for this for a selfish, cantankerous old cow who wants everything her own way right now. Any sane person would take the first available appointment and get it done or wait at home for a call if they didnt use a mobile phone. It cant have been that important to her if she wont even wait at home for a GP call.

That is probably the tip of the iceberg of what they deal with from patients.

Just chill OP. And next time dont book an appointment just before school pick up, it IS that simple.

It's really heartening to see so much understanding on the thread. HCPs don't like running late. Why would we? No breaks, no lunch and leaving frazzled hours late. Believe me, if we could run to time, we would, for all our sakes.

I had an 8am GP appointment this morning. Great as I didn't have to be late for work. The waiting room was full of old people! Why on earth, when they have all day, do they have to take up appointments that working people need? Perhaps the surgeries should have a policy of trying to keep these early slots for those that work full-time.

Remember as well that many hcp will have had experience of being a patient in the NHS, so we are not without sympathy. I am a doctor and am also pregnant. I recently waited nearly 3 hours for an antenatal appointment at my local hospital. Lots of bored, hungry pregnant women in a packed waiting room. It was frustrating and I had a teaching session I really needed to get to but it reflected that the system was pushed to breaking. Certainly not the doctors fault. I do try to apologise when I am running late but medicine really is unpredictable.

I once was registered as a patient at a practice where one GP was never late. He was not popular though as he didn't really listen, just hurried people along. The rest of his colleagues were booked up for weeks. I think most people would like that when they really need it the doctor will give them the time they need rather than the time allocated.

the waiting room was full of old people! Why on earth, when they have all day, do they have to take up appointments that working people need?

True for the routine GP appointments. They can take an afternoon or late morning one. Whereas a mid afternoon appointment for me would entail a day off work. There would be no point me going to work either side of it factoring in commuting.

But for nurses appointments ....fasting bloods? You cant expect them to fast from 8pm the night before until well into the next day.

S'OK, I realised you meant it as tongue in cheek.

I suspect there are people who do think it would be a good idea though.

OP is stupidly unreasonable.

Like others on this thread, I have been both the patient kept waiting and the emergency who took longer than 10 minutes.

Next time it could be you, OP. Just remember that. It isn't pleasant when it is, believe me, but some patients need additional attention and it just doesn't always fit neatly into 10 minute slots.

This is a tricky one I think. There's a Sister who works at our GP surgery and she is incredible. Caring, takes all the time you need. She was so supportive when I had a difficult pregnancy. But I know if I have an appointment with her I will be waiting a long time as she runs up to an hour late sometimes because she spends so much time with each patient. There's a GP at same surgery who's nice enough but you feel like you're being nodded at, prescribed the nearest thing and then sent on your way ASAP and in most cases I'd rather wait. But it's not fun.

Wow, that's interesting 70isatarget. So, does a missed appt actually take longer to sort than if they'd turned up? It's bonkers you have to sit and wait their ten minutes rather than go to the next in the queue if they're there.

Shit, this thread moves fast, I'm miles behind.

My doctor always runs late - at least half an hour. I always allow an hour for my appointments. He is an absolutely brilliant doctor who always takes the time to ask me about my life as well as my health. From our discussions he learns a lot and is able to give me excellent advise. I know there have been times when I've needed longer than the 10 minute slot and he has never made me feel that I was taking up too much time. The only problem is that everyone feels the same so it can be difficult to get an appointment with him as he is so popular.

He had to break the news to my Dad that he had terminal cancer - I don't expect anyone to pack that into 10 minutes.

You need to move down here maisie. Given how often I'm offered a 7am appointment I suspect they can't get rid of some the early morning ones. .

My DM once was one of those patients who took longer. Her ovarian cancer had come back. I was called into the room and then we were told to go straight to the hospital. This all took time. There was only one lady left on the waiting room but yhe GP popped out to appologise for keeping her wsiting. My mum died the following week. So, you just never know what is going on in previous appointments.

This is how short staffed the NHS is....
(I'm gp receptionist)

Today we had the grand total of 2 gps working. 1 routine with half of the clinic being emergency appts. The other the "duty" doctor, see the main bulk of patients, or calling them back.

We should have 6 routine Gp's on and the duty doctor. But we can't get the gps. It's a large practice of 10,000 patients. No locums want to work especially a weds as most now want to work the ooh service as it's more money- I don't blame them, anyone else would the same.

On top of the emergency appts, the routine appts the routine and duty doctor have had to deal with a few deaths and counter sign deaths from other surgeries (thanks to dr shipman) deal with all the medication requests, this is 1000's per day. Look at all results that are sent back though from the hospital. Sort though any insurance documents or medical documents so people can carry on working. Catch up on any patients that need to be seen or have missed any reviews. Look though and change any medication review dates that are needed. Have conversations with social workers/carers/other health professionals about the patients. Make any referrals that need doing. Do home visits and more then likely get stuck in traffic for an hour at a time in our town.

I could go on, all this happens daily. It's a huge snowball effect, Gp's don't have enough time, and patients don't quite realise what else goes on behind the door. There is so much too it then just "seeing patients"

OP I hope you realise by now how YABU. VVVVU

One day, you will need extra time. One day you will be the cause of the doctor's lateness. I hope other patients are rather more compassionate than you seem to be from your 1st post.

im a hospital consultant and always running late. i am given 10 mins per patient (never enough), but sometimes clinics are overbooked with 2 or more patients in same 10 minute slot. i give each patient the time they need (I'm an oncologist). so by the end of every clinic i am always running late. what is it you think your doctor is doing to make you late, sitting with their feet up having coffee and biscuits? don't bash the doctors. the system is overstretched and doctors are pushed to the limits.

Too tired to name change for this. Thank you for all the many understanding and supportive replies. I'm a GP.

I went in early today as I do every day. I left two hours late today which sadly is a common pattern. Today I have had over 50 telephone consultations, saw approx 20 people for face to face consultations, sent one to hospital, liaised with community colleagues to avoid admission for two other people, took calls from specialists including part way through clinic, phoned hospital colleagues for advice, reviewed two patients my nursing colleagues needed my help with, arranged and paid for emergency childcare as I was not able to get to nursery on time by hours, ate my sandwiches over the course of the afternoon a bite at a time whilst typing or waiting on hold on the phone.

Today was a relatively quiet day and I was pleased to have the opportunity to make a drink and go to the toilet (a luxury on working days). I have had two lunch breaks in the past four months, each lasting less than 15mins. I don't plan to run late but many people on this thread have explained the reasons already. Healthcare workers are already working flat out and going beyond their duties to try and help our patients. GP and the NHS as a whole are beyond crisis point already and we are just trying to tread water on a daily basis even though it feels like we are drowning in the vast amount of work to be done.

I have no problem waiting.

I do however have a minor bugbear with multi-stage queueing.

Your name gets called and you think "Great, I'm finally going in to see the consultant." Instead you're led to another seating area, usually a corridor.

It's the deflation of seeing x number of people still ahead of you that really gets me.

You took the day off for a doctors appointment just before school pick up? What a waste of a day and silly to arrange close to school pick up!!
The problem is all of the above - doctors need longer appointment times it is impossible to stick to 10 minutes and they are expected to make effective diagnoses, offer support and medication during this time. I don't think I have ever been to an appt on time, and would never expect it to be. Does make organisation frustrating though!

for all the meducos on this thread. Still a bit at the first post.