5 mins late for medical appointment and reaction of HCP

[BooeyBubbleHead]

I am 34 weeks pregnant. Due to an unforeseen traffic diversion followed by a slow moving farm vehicle on a winding road, I arrived 5 minutes late for a medical appointment today. I had left enough time to have been 10 mins early, should it have been a standard journey. I think being on time is important and I would never intend to keep anyone waiting. I was unable to phone ahead as I was driving and do not have hands free, and safe places to stop are few on this route.

This is a very regular appointment and I have never been seen on time - I have always had to wait at least 10 mins after appt time, and sometimes up to 30 minutes. I accept and understand having to wait and have never made it an issue or taken it out on staff; the sheer volume of patients mean that it is inevitable and nobody's fault.

Today, HCP was incredibly offhand with me, and even implied that I was lying when I apologised (sincerely) and explained why I was late. The appointment was rushed and very unpleasant and I felt that I was being punished. There was much passive aggression and hostile body language. I did state that I was offended by her tone but this just made her more argumentative - she needed to have the last word. I arrived feeling stressed and left feeling even more so.

AIBU to expect the same empathy and understanding when running very slightly late, that I give regularly when kept waiting?

Really annoyed and considering making a complaint...

[harderandharder2breathe]

At the doctors this morning, a lady came in a few minutes late, apologised, doctor was running a bit late, lady was seen with no fuss or drama about lateness.

A grumpy old man came in, rang the receptionist bell repeatedly, ignoring her asking him to wait a minute as she was on the phone. When she appeared he was moaning about trying to get through on th phone, they need more staff blah blah blah. Receptionist was politely firm but booked him in for the routine appointment he needed. Surely it's common sense that Monday mornings are busy and for nonurgent future appointments call in the afternoon? My fellow patients exchanged sympathetic looks with the receptionist as he left.

My surgery is fab! And actually none of the 6 surgeries I've ever been with have been anything else.

[lunchboxtroubles]

harder you illustrate a good point

If a late patient is apologetic then I'll always do my best to fit them in - though they may have to wait if I am fully booked. Ditto if they have rung ahead to say stuck in traffic/bus late etc

If, as many people do, they turn up half an hour late, make no apology then kick off at even the slightest suggestion that they might be in the wrong, they can go swivel and book another day.

[MuseumOfCurry]

If a late patient is apologetic then I'll always do my best to fit them in - though they may have to wait if I am fully booked. Ditto if they have rung ahead to say stuck in traffic/bus late etc

Lunchbox am I correct in thinking you're a doctor? How do you happen to get involved in the 'fitting in' negotiation - isn't that down to the receptionist?

[lunchboxtroubles]

The receptionist asks me if I can fit them in - they don't make the decision.

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

I totally agree with the poster upthread who said it's the system that's at fault - nothing is streamlined and processes are broken. The HCPs are fighting the system to try to make it work. I recently got a letter asking me to make appts for my kids to have the flu vaccine. I rang the surgery and was told that they hadn't had the vaccine delivered yet so they couldn't organise the clinics until they knew when they would get it. The receptionist must have had to deal with dozens of parents ringing - if the letter hadn't been sent out to parents too early that could all have been avoided. That's a really minor example - the pp talking about her husband's chemo was a much better one.

It's money as well, but if you can't have more money (and that's not a given - it's up to each government what it chooses to prioritise) then you have to make sure your processes work well and are joined up. I actually think the NHS needs both - more GPs/nurses/midwives - and a focus on making sure that things work smoothly. The trouble is that it takes time to redesign processes, and it has to be done by the staff involved, and it would need to be done on a vast scale.

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

Lunchbox, could you delegate the decision to the receptionist? That would free up some of your time. How quickly can they rebook? Anything potentially life-threatening if they had to wait?

[lunchboxtroubles]

Not really tooextra as the decision is based on how my surgery is going, what I need to do afterwards, what my paperwork looks like and what the problem is that the patient is seeing me about (we do phone triage so I know in advance). TBH it's a quick exchange of screen messages that take under a minute.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

Pretty much every single consultant I know starts way before 8am ..... do you think their day starts with their first clinic ?! Fool

If everyday the consultant runs late by 1hour and 45 minutes why don't they start their appointments at 10.45 instead of 9am

Like the nurses who dispense the chemo who sit around waiting for the chemo to arrive then get frustrated when they are late finishing.

The whole thing is bizarre.

We have watched as someone who is dressed and waiting to go home sat on their chair have their bed stripped, washed down and new bedding put on the bed only for 1 hour later when the person has gone home the bed os once again stripped, washed down and new bedding put on the bed.
Multiply the cost of washing drying and ironing and labour for re making a clean unused bed and I wonder how much of the NHS's precious money you would save.

Imagine if a solicitor or accountant making an appointment with a client and regularly being 1hour and 45 minutes late. Do you think they would have a job for very long.

[slenderisthenight]

IMO consultants are late to start clinics because they did a private one in the morning (or other way around) and tried to fit too many people in so it ran over.

[kali110]

lunchboxtroubles you have my sympathies.
I don't know how people believe that you want surgeries to be running late.
I was always waiting to see my old doctor. I never moaned as people could be going through anything.
I know i caused appointments to overun before as 10 minute slots are just not enough.
I also know that her first patients must have been kept waiting once when she came to see a relative of ours and ended up sending them or hospital pronouncing them

It's funny though that someone said Monday are always busy, that day was always quiet for my old surgery!

[kali110]

*Meant to be sending our one relative to hospital and prouncing our other

[OhTheRoses]

Hmm. Posts ago noted ds's apt where the surgery cancelled the clinic. First next apt today. Needs more bloods. First apt available is 18th November. Someone tell me why that is acceptable?

[ivykaty44]

It's like being discharged from hospital but at 11am but your medicine doesn't arrive from pharmacy until 6pm

How much dies it cost to keep that person in bed for the day x by every patient and it would be cheaper to employ more pharmacist surely?

[OhTheRoses]

Oh God that's reminded me of when DH had an emergency op. He was desperate to get home when I arrived at 10am. They said he cd ho when his pills came down from pharmacy. I said I'd come back for them when they were ready, ie, after 2. I then heard the nurses getting arsy about the people in bay x who were going which meant they had to do the paperwork and free the bed before the next shift came on. Must have been '93. Not impressive.

[flumpybear]

Oliver - again I work directly with at least 15 consultants who pass my office or me coming in at 830-9am ish on their way to clinic - often sue to finish at 1230 next one at 2pm but don't return as first clinic over ran so no time to stop. Sometimes there are meetings they must attend but often leave SpR in charge whilst away and turn up when possible - never seen this 1.45hour lateness !!

[Oliversmumsarmy]

As another has agreed with me. If you are going through chemo the waiting around is huge. Usually 3hours+

As I have said before it is the surprise that for instance the chemo hasn't turned up, like it has never happened before. Yet it happens every time.

I personally think that the nhs should have a radical over haul and should first ask the patient what they think is wrong with them and first test for that.
Not what is happening now in which you see your gp and you say the symptoms and you think it could be xyz. The doctor dismisses your suggestion then spends money on testing on every possible disease under the sun and only after they all comeback negative do they begrudgingly test for xyz only for the results to come back as confirmed and treatment can start.

just between my tiny family we could have saved the nhs a fortune if they had listened to our diagnosis. Instead of dismissing our suggestions.
I personally had about 300+ appointments, non on time each time spending at least 2 hours getting there, parking, waiting around only to be dismissed that the pain i had was that I needed a new hip and I would get one when I was 60. I actually had 2 slipped discs.
That is why the nhs can't cope.

[user1470997562]

IMO consultants are late to start clinics because they did a private one in the morning (or other way around) and tried to fit too many people in so it ran over.

Or they agreed to see people who arrived late.

[Chaseley]

Don't agree with this whole "you are only being kept waiting because other patients have been late".
I had the first doctor appointment & still waited 20 minutes to be seen, the place was empty & I was told I was first!

[kali110]

Chaseley they'd been at home visits?

[Oliversmumsarmy]

Or they agreed to see people who arrived late.

This was a consultant and he books first appointment 9am but never sees anyone before 10.45.

if you are doing this regularly then surely start taking patients from 10.45