To question the queuing approach in clinic....

[PigletMum40]

In the fracture clinic today for my six week check-up, AIBU to question their queuing approach.

Clinic starts at 9.30am, my appointment was at 10.30am, so I arrive at just after 10am and register. At 11.45am am still waiting and politely ask how long it's likely to be as I need to get to work and am told I'm next.

Just before the next patient i.e. me is called, another patient arrives who is late for his 10am appointment who declares he had a late one and overslept. The receptionist on seeing his appointment was a few hours ago, puts him to the top of the queue and he gets seen within minutes.

Am I being unreasonable to have questioned this, I was even later for work and the parking cost a small fortune or am I being grumpy?

YANBU I'd be livid. It seems to me that late arrivals should be cancelled. 15 minutes grace and then the appointment is rescheduled. I'd complain if I were you.

I would have been livid. Did you say something or are you asking if you /should/ have said something?

I would have been livid. Hope you complained. The person who was late should have been told that they will have to wait until a slot is free or reschedule.

At our GP surgery if you are more than 5 mins late you run the risk of not being seen. I would assume the hospital is the same.

I attend a hospital over 20 miles from where I live and I don't drive, so relying on public transport sometimes women faint on buses making buses delayed, booked taxis don't turn up or trains are cancelled, there are a multitude of reasons why I could get there late. On the odd occasion that I am I usually walk into my clinic get to the receptionist and promptly burst into tears, thankfully I've always been seen but I would have absolutely no objection to being put at the bottom of the list. I don't think I could show my face if I was late due to having a late one and oversleeping ... I hope you did complain. You had every right to .. hope you're on the mend x

YANBU.

YANBU but in my experience all NHS clinics are run like that. They like to get you all in when clinic starts so they know where you are and then work through the list in their own good time. Used to drive me demented when I had to go regularly.