AIBU to think that, if you work two/three days a week ...

[WhateverHappenedToMe]

... you should try to arrange your doctors' appointments for the days you don't work, and not for 2 p.m. on a day that you do?

I meant dd

I have not had a hospital appointment I could not move yet - I work 3 days a week and have always got appointments by letter for a work day, rung up to say I can't do that, and they have moved the appointment to a suitable day.

I have a heart condition and seemingly constant scans for gallbladder/etc - 3 appointments a month at the moment - all seem movable with very little hassle. I think sometimes people assume an appointment is more of a summons, when it is usually negotiable.

In an ideal world yes. I'm sure part timers would try unless they are cf'rs. But sometimes you have to take what is offered if nothing else is available.

beyondthepage perhaps they do heart clinics and gallbladder scans on more than one day a week.

The regular clinics we go to are all on Wednesdays. As you say they are not a summons, they are happy to rearrange... but only to a different Wednesday. The clinic physically doesn't run on other days, the consulting rooms are used for other specialisms. My midwife was the same.

Depends on circumstances, like the smear test example & things like MRIs where u really can’t take kids & sometimes there isn’t anyone else to look after them.

I work 3 days a week and have never needed time of for a doctors or dentist appointment, yes it can be tricky to ge a doctors appointment but I always manage to get one for when I’m not working.

I would assume you are an employer otherwise why does it matter to you?

Actually you’re on a pro-rata lower salary so I think taking time out in a work day is the same and as fair as a full time employee.... when you think about it.

I'm really surprised at all these replies. I work full time, and have always booked half a day or a whole days leave for medical appointments. Surely a part time worker would do the same if they couldn't get an appointment on a non working day?

Some of us have it written into our contracts that medical appointments are only taken outside working hours-

I have a disability which requires are more frequent number of appointments. My employer allows paid time off for medical appointments, so I'm not going to use my leave.

Some part time people may have another job on the other days.

I’ve always managed to get go appointments on my non/working days as my surgery seem to be quite good at keeping a reasonable number of appointments free for last minute bookings. Hospital appointments you just have to take what you’re given and when my daughter was in outpatients clinics there was no choice really. I’ve struggled a bit with the dentist but have taken annual leave on those days as i was trying to pick my battles and save work-time off for appointments for the hospital and medical stuff.

I work PT over 4 days and I book absolutely everything on the one day I have off. For general doctor appointments I'd take DS with me rather than book it during work hours. To be fair though the only time I visit the doctor is for a blood pressure check once a year! Always manage to get in the dentist on my day off.

I work 3 days I have to call my gp two weeks in advance for an appointment otherwise I just get whatever is available

you're on a pro rata lower salary so I think taking time out in a work day is the same and as fair as a full time employee.... when you think about it.

Precisely. A part timer's days off are not some kind of holiday granted by the employer which the employee ought to be grateful for. They are reflected in pro rata lower pay. If a full time employee is missing, say, 5 mornings a year for medical appointments, why shouldn't someone who works 3 days a week miss 3 mornings a year?

When was the last time you tried to get a doctors appointment?

We have a standing joke in our house that when you book a doctors appointment, by the time it comes, you’ll either be better or dead.

Unfortunately, it’s one of those things that you just have to put up with, hopefully, that employees manager will work something out with them about returning the favour or making up the hours.

Depends on the appointment. I'm sure some people see that with me being part time - I do 32hrs over Monday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday
But then they don't see the second job at which I do 16hrs on a Tuesday and Sunday...

When was the last time you tried to get a doctors appointment

Last Tuesday - I had the choice of Thursday 7.40am or Friday 1pm. I chose the Thursday - so within 48 hours. Why do people always assume that other people all go to doctors with poor appointment availability.

We have 12 doctors, and 5 nurses on various hours from 7am til 7pm + every other Saturday - if you will take an appointment with anyone, you can get seen that/next day without it being an emergency.

@BeyondThePage then you were luckier than a lot of people.

I recently changed surgeries because whenever I rang up for an appointment, (which admittedly, is less than three times a year) I could never get one. My old surgery had a rule that you could only phone at 8am for an appointment and there were only a set number available each day. If you didn't get through, or left it until later, you would have to ring back the following morning, you couldn't book days in advance.

I start work between 7.30 and 8 and I work in an environment where I don't have access to a phone until 10, so finding rocking horse shit was easier than getting to see a doctor.

Sometimes people have no choice - especially with blood tests and consultants' appointments - but people do often take the pee with regular, run-of-the-mill appointments.
I go to my dentist on Saturdays, optician on Sundays and arranged my recent doctor's and smear test appointments for late appointments after working hours. And I work full time.

BeyondThePage you’re extremely lucky then clearly.

Our surgery is huge, we have 31 doctors and 13 nurses. 7.30-7 opening hours (except for Wednesday which is 7.30-8.30). Open 1 Saturday in 4 and partners with 3 other v local surgeries all of which are also open 1 in 4 saturdays (each a different Saturday so all are covered) and if there’s no appointment at your surgery then you can be sent to another one if they have a spare appointment.

On paper, our surgery is excellent. Plenty of doctors, reasonable opening times and the option to get an appointment at another local surgery. Fantastic! Except it isn’t, despite all of this, it’s a nightmare to get an appointment-they are very good at telephone consultations and faxing prescriptions to local chemist if need be and if they can squeeze you in for an emergency appointment then they will but you take what you can get if you book in advance

Of course they should TRY if its not massively urgent. But it depends on the illness, and the area the person lives in.

I have illnesses that will be fine and manageable for a good length of time, and out of the blue will take a turn and I'll need to speak to a medical professional as soon as poss.

I also live in an area where the NHS is really suffering and my surgery is struggling under the pressure. I can't remember the last time I physically went to see my GP, because the only way I can get a quick slot is via a telephone appointment. If I wanted to see a GP in person I'd be waiting a good 2-3 weeks.

Without further context OP, none of us can really give an informed opinion.

A few of the clinics ds goes to are outreach ones so we can only go on the day the consultant is there (or have even more travelling to do)

Some of his consultants only do one or two clinics a week

Things like blood clinics are generally limited hours/days

There are lots of reasons that changing appointments simply isn’t possible including the common one “I have been waiting months for this appointment I’m going no matter what”

Depends whether it’s a regular thing or not. If the person (whether ft or pt) is regularly having GP appointments at 2pm then maybe a chat with occupational health is in order. Most people are sensible and manage their appointments so they are beginning or end of the day with occasional exceptions but we did have one person who took the mickey with this in a previous job and would basically disappear for the entire day for one 2pm GP appt.

Being reasonable is key - I work 3 days a week so arrange routine GP, dentist etc on my non-working days as long as it’s something I can take my toddler to. Urgent things like toothache or same-day GP I take whatever appointment I’m given on whatever day.
I can’t take my toddler to my ophthalmology appointments (hours of sitting around interspersed with eyeball prodding) but fortunately the clinic is on one of my working days so I have to go then. Similarly with pregnancy appointments, the Midwife only came to the clinic one day a week and the specialist clinic I had to go to was only one day a week.

Also, many people are part-time because they have another job on the other days, most people who are part-time aren’t just lazing around on the other days, they’re doing something else whether it’s caring responsibilities or working.