About how hospitals time appointments?

[Moanyoldcow]

I'm pregnant, have a high risk pregnancy and have been referred to Haematology for a number of reasons.

I was asked to attend 30 mins early for bloods and then to wait for my appointment. So 13:00 appointment. Had bloods at 12:35 and was waiting for appointment by 12:45, all checked in.

I wasn't seen until 14:00 and spent maybe 10 mins in a rushed appointment. I was given a prescription with the wrong name and since then (30 mins ago) the pharmacy has been trying to track the doctor down to rectify the problem.

The HCA looking after the waiting room said the clinic is always late. Is it just me, or does that not mean they need to change the way the clinic is organised? They clearly don't allocate enough time per patient but they compound the problems by cramming everyone in. It's a shambles. I've been at the hospital for well over 2 hours and spent only 15 mins in actual appointments.

I love the NHS and I know there are staffing issues but this is not acute care - this is scheduling.

AIBU to think they could avoid this a lot of the time?

I'm not in the UK but the public maternity system here is the same. The clinic opens at 1. 40 women arrive at 1. Everyone is seen by a midwife and then by a consultant. So if you're first in the queue (I don't know what time you'd have to arrive at to be first) you're seen reasonably quickly. If you're last then you wait until the 40 ahead of you have been seen.

I arrived one day at 1:15 and was in there til 4:40 and had possibly 15 mins contact time total - midwife, doctor and blood draw. I was in there an hour and 45 mins before I even got to the top of the check in queue. The lady behind me who arrived half a minute after me was still waiting to be seen by the midwife 20 mins after that. So she sat for 2 hours before someone even said hello to her (apart from the receptionist)

The next time I arrived at 12:50 and was out at 3:30.

I can't understand why they don't book 10/15 women in at 1pm , 10/15 more at 1:30pm and so on. Even allowing for no shows that would keep the system moving at the same speed but save people from sitting for 2 hours doing nothing.

Yes it's free but I pay taxes. And something being free does not excuse inefficiency in my opinion, it would cost exactly the same to stagger the appointments, they just don't for whatever reason

Motherofsausage, no we probably can afford them. But good luck finding a manager to order you some. It's a case of do you really need to staple that letter? Why do you need staples? And it's been a long time since we ordered anything ourselves. Stationery goes to my managers manager to be ordered!

I work for a small charity and we're in close contact with our local Health Board. Lovely admin lady there (gone now and not replaced) used to tell me she had to buy her own notepaper and pens and she used to arrange to pop into my office to do photocopying for some things.

I agree OP, both as a doctor and a patient. Most of my clinics overrun due to overbooking. The clinics where the hcas and nurses keep patients informed about the wait throughout are easier as people are less angry and frustrated coming in to see me.

As a patient, I was frustrated sat waiting in a clinic when I was being told that I'd be seen very soon, and the clinic wasn't running much over. In fact, it was over an hour late. I'd expected that to begin with, so was only frustrated that I was told it was on time when it clearly wasn't!

We can't do much about waiting times, but we can improve our communication!

Today I was at a hospital appointment booked for 2pm. Knowing the machines don't let you check in really early, I checked in 15 mins early. The waiting room was already getting full. The couple in front of me were trying to check in a full hour early and were frustrated the machine wouldn't let them. The HCA told them it was so people were called by appointment time and not because they'd arrived early. I was called I and seen, then they called the clinic lead to cone and chevk me too. He decided I needed surgery I a fortnight so then they spent time doing the paperwork there and then and getting me sent to pre ok, signing me off work and so on. We went over the allocated time by a good 15 minutes. On walking out to a waiting area that was standing room only I overheard someone else saying they were now waiting to be admitted and the pre op nurse told me I was not the only one who they had had to take extra time with today.

Likewise when I had a high risk pregnancy I also had to wait ages. Sometimes my appointments were really short as there were no issues. Other times my consultant wanted to do a cervical scan or a growth scan and just did them right there in the appointment. I knew that I was often waiting because others were having issues that needed addressing, and if it was me in that situation I knew she would also take the same level of care with me, which was reassuring.

Speaking as someone with complex health issues, sometimes it's much better to be the person with the long wait.

We can't do much about waiting times, but we can improve our communication

I think that is the main thing, sitting on my own in a waiting room, I don't want to leave in case I'm called but if I know it's going to be at least an hour then I know I would have time to pop to the cafe or go out to make a phonecall to rearrange childcare.

Thank you Caffeine

I really understand that things come up and I get that there's going to be serious shit someone is possibly going through ahead of me.

During my last pregnancy I was one of those who would go for a routine check and end up at Day Assessment. I waited hours sometimes because we were triaged and my BP was less an issue than reduced movement, bleeding etc and rightly so. But the midwife would pop out, tell you it was a while yet, tell you to go for a drink, etc. It was dealt with completely differently.

I suppose it's just about expectations being managed. I don't have all the answers but I know that I would a felt a lot better knowing how long I was likely to be there for in advance.

Waiting 45 minutes for my prescription because the Consultant put the wrong name on, however, has made me really angry!

These threads make it really demoralising to work in the NHS. We can't do right for fucking wrong.

I agree with ameliablue, and disagree with listeningskillz, there are many of us that understand that there are many reasons why most clinics in most departments don't run to time.

I attend 3 clinics regularly in a large teaching hospital, all run late, between 1 hour to my usual oncology clinic having been known to run 3.5hours late. (Did I mention my round trip is a 3 hour drive?!) it would be good for it to be noted on clinic letters as par for the course that clinics are extremely busy & to allow at least an hour perhaps? Manage expectations. Then update waiting boards. Then get rid of ppl like me- stable ppl who can have my bloods done /routine checks at my local doctor & have a phone call with my nursing team & my consultant prescribes my treatment the following day- no need to clog the clinic & I don't have to travel- win win. Surely there should be more ppl like me who can receive more localised care?! I know it's not the staff's fault, they want to be at home too

I (and now my son) attend a professorial tertiary referral clinic for a chronic condition. I've been going to this particular clinic for 8 years in a different hospital to the one I work. To start with I was often there 2 to 3 hours beyond my appointment time and on more than one occasion had to leave before being seen as my own clinic patients were waiting to see me! The best was one day when at 8:50 in the morning the nurse put a 2 HR delay on the notice board, for a clinic that starts at 9am! Doctors wandering in at 09:30 with a coffee. They were wearing their coats so not come from an emergency, and this isn't the sort of specialty that has emergencies very often.
Something has changed, presumably the booking system as well as the attitude of the clinical team. In the past year I have been out within 30 mins of my appointment time so it can be done and patient feedback is a very powerful tool. If you don't like it, say so.

I don't blame you for being cross about the prescription, that's very annoying. However,mthe rest of it is pretty unsolvable, not just 'tweaks' to the system. I worked in AN clinics for a long time. Women are getting better and better care and more and more complex in their needs. The hospital clinics simply do not have the capacity for the number of women, most especially in high risk clinics involving several specialists.

If you feel that a letter stating this would help then TELL THEM. Maybe you have a point. No members of staff enjoy long overbooked clinics much more than the women who are waiting. It's as frustrating as hell but as pp said, pregnant women cannot wait so there is little alternative. Simply suggesting laying on more clinics is a huge cost in terms of consultants, midwives,support staff and space. They just don't exist.

I should stress I wasn't at an antenatal clinic. And ante-natal tends to run on time bizarrely - I've never waited more than about 20 mins.

I suppose I just think that if a clinic runs every week, and overruns by an hour every week some changes could be made, whether it's advising of long weights or better comms whilst waiting.

I appreciate I'm not an HCP and I don't understand all of the shit in the background.

It's like my doctor surgery. I don't know how they operate differently to so many others, but I have never struggled once to get an appointment and for new onset stuff I've been seen same day. And we know that's not the norm. But they've done something and it works.

Anyway, it seems like I'm mostly BU and I'll accept that. I will write about the prescription though as I think that's really careless.

Okay, explain this one without reference to ineptitude ... 8:30am appointment for my son at an endocrine clinic. Letter says to arrive 10 mins early for weighing/measuring, we arrive 8:10am and check in using the on-screen system. 8:30 comes and goes, I'm not stressed, I know that the consultant often runs late due to seeing patients on wards before the clinic. 9:00 comes and goes, and some children have been in for their appointments, so I know he's arrived. 9:30 comes and goes, more children seen. Hang on, these can't all have been for appointments before my son's 8:30 booking, surely? So I start to catch the clinic nurses and ask them to investigate.

10:00 and I'm told that the reason my son hasn't been seen is because nobody picked up his medical file from the reception desk 30ft away and brought it over to the clinic. But we now have to wait for a gap between other appointments. So 10:30am, two hours later, my son is seen for a routine appointment that last all of five minutes.

That's not over-booking. That's not a consultant busy elsewhere. That's not even a consultant arriving late, coffee in hand. That is a simple administrative cock-up. Nobody thought "Where is our 8:30 appointment, have they checked in, where is their file?" And people wonder why some of us have no faith in our NHS.

Sometimes communicating why there's a delay will compromise patient confidentiality.
I don't say "Oh this patient needed XYZ" . I might say "I needed to write letters / make phonecalls"

A couple of times I have with a patient who had collapsed until the Paramedics arrived but I could only say there had been an 'incident' . I don't think the penny dropped for some when they saw them leaving with someone on a stretcher

My own personal one (as a patient not an HCP)
Got my DD and DS to their appointment 30 minutes ahead as requested.
Pee samples ( GP gave me the bottles) "Did they have white powder? They're the wrong ones - like its my fault- need to redo"

Sat in a sub waiting room 8-10 chairs , not big. Other children coming/going. Our Paed was late , on the wards.
After waiting 2+ hours I asked a member of staff "When are we going to be seen, our time was 2 + hours ago"
"Who are you" blunt. Not 'Oh I'll check, what's the names?"

She went , another Nurse called me into a sideroom (bad news in the pee, I thought)
"I thought you'd been seen" so why the Jeff am I waiting here

They gave me two scan request forms, I took them straight to the Dept and handed them in.
I got 1 appointment for DS, they had no trace of DD form. They said I had to phone the Paed and get them to re-do it.

To say I was pissed off ... understatement.
No, I'm not phoning, they lost my form (I could;ve raised the issue of my DD personal information going missing but I missed that)

Hell in a Handcart.

Well I must live in a different universe!
Have recently had at least two appointments per week at local hospital. For months. Only ever had one after appointment time!
Really quick and efficient.

I run clinics too. I make sure I see my patients on time. It's a big thing where I work.
We have notices up to say how many mins we are running late, which we update, in some places electronically.

I thought it was normal to spend half a day in hospital for any outpatient appointment. I always try to take a good book with me. Good luck with your pregnancy.

But carry on moaning that your first class medical assistance was a whole fucking hour late.

Sums up the NHS, you're expected to be grateful for whatever you're given because it's supposedly "free"

That's not over-booking. That's not a consultant busy elsewhere. That's not even a consultant arriving late, coffee in hand. That is a simple administrative cock-up. Nobody thought "Where is our 8:30 appointment, have they checked in, where is their file?" And people wonder why some of us have no faith in our NHS.

I recently took my mother for an appointment. It was one of these new auto-check-in things, which we did. Waited and waited and waited. After 90 minutes, and having seen loads of other people come and go, we went to the reception desk, only to be told that the consultant my mother was seeing had cancelled that morning's clinic. We were fuming that they'd allowed us to sit there for so long without bothering to tell us. Not as if the receptionists were busy either - there were 3 or 4 of them hovering around the desk mostly gossiping, but not a single one thought to check if anyone had checked in for a clinic that had been cancelled. Last time we'll be using an automatic check in system!

Sums up the NHS, you're expected to be grateful for whatever you're given because it's supposedly "free"

Sadly, until they lose that attitude, things won't get any better.

Nowhere is perfect. A system serving 70 million and funded for 50 million or fewer certainly wont be.

But we voted against higher taxes and throw a collective strop whenever the idea of paying for care rather than leaving a legacy is suggested, so we get what we collectively deserve.

You can complain and should.

Similar to others, my Dh goes (with me to accompany him!) for a haematology appt every fortnight. He has bloods takes around 9.15am, then we twiddle our thumbs (or go to the Macmillan centre)until clinic starts at around 1pm. We get seen at any time up til 4pm, so always set the whole day aside.

It's not necessarily the clinic - sometimes the lab is slow with getting bloods back, sometimes there are emergencies. sometimes some people are just more ill than others and get seen sooner. They do try to put those who have travelled a long was earlier (we have a 1hr 15 min each way journey) but again, that doesn't always follow.

It's a pain, but hey, they are keeping him alive, so what's to complain about?

The cancer clinic my relative went too always ran late and people were always complaining.

They didn't seem to grasp that the staff had to book people in, but couldn't tell someone they were dying and then say "Sorry, you've had your 9 minutes".

Some weeks it ran an hour late, mostly it was 2 or 3 hours late, but they have to give people appointments within 2 weeks so people just have to wait.

I think the way to complain, or who to complain too, should depend on what you see. We did complain, to our MP about funding, because we watched those staff run around all day without a break. You should only be complaining to the clinic directly if it's something they can fix imo.

you get what you pay for.
NONE of us pay enough money in over a lifetime to fund the resources all of us use at some point or another.
Simple facts I am afraid. Welcome to the start of total NHS collapse

I see my consultant/surgeons every 2-6 months depensing on how my spine generally is. The waiting time can take from 1hr to 6hrs but honestly I'm not fussed as I can take my uni work and do it on my ipad.

I had to be referred to another dept temporarily so that the spinal team could then see me. It took a year after a few times I was put in the wrong clinic but eventually after I saw the wrong Dr, they told the admins to do their jobs properly. I was able to see the referred appointment and it was 10 minutes

In turn, it's affecting myour chronic condition and preventing me from getting surgery sooner. Annoyed at the admins rather than the HCPs.

During my first pregnancy, the antenatal clinic was atrocious for appointment times; I think my shortest wait was about 3 hours, and I had a few 6 hour waits and one day I was in hospital for 10 hours (for two routine appointments that should have been at 8:30 and 11, but I ended up not leaving until after 6pm). The reception staff seemed absolutely shocked that I was still at work (during first and second trimester!) and that I wanted to have a rough idea of when I'd be seen so I could let my manager know when I'd be back.

This pregnancy I'm at a different hospital in the same area. The longest wait I've had so far is about an hour, and it's normally more like 10-20 minutes. Which is just as well because there's no way I could control and keep my toddler entertained for six hours in a waiting room!

Hospital 1 booked everyone in for the clinic start time and hospital 2 actually gives me an appointment slot.