NHS piss takers. Selfish, self absorbed people

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Without going into specifics, I work in a clinic and see people by appointment. They have an allocated time slot ranging from 10 minutes to 40 minutes depending on what I’m seeing them for. Since I started this job I’ve become amazed and frustrated with how many people think it’s fine to stroll in late. Sometimes upto 30 minutes late and still expect to be seen. Once they’re 10 minutes late we can mark them as non attenders but half the time, they stroll in after that time and get at the receptionists about how they “must” be seen - the receptionists then come to us panicking and we end up seeing them to keep the peace. These people don’t give a shit that their behaviour puts the clinic way behind, makes other people’s waiting times much longer, causes staff to be off late ... and half the time they don’t even have an excuse for being late! We get “sorry, I forgot” or “sorry, I got talking in the shop” or even “sorry, I didn’t want to get up this morning! Hehe”

It’s a joke. What makes it even worse is when they stroll in late, check in and then bugger off to go to toilet or get a drink! You’re already 20 minutes late ffs! At least get a shift on once you’re here!!

AIBU to literally refuse to see people once their 10 minutes late thing is up? It would make me unpopular with both patients and staff but I’m sick of the piss taking. I’m sick of getting home late because people can’t be arsed to turn up on time.

I wouldn’t dream of strolling into an appointment 10 minutes late, why do people think this is ok??

Or should I be more tolerant?

Btw the clinic is not mental health related or urgent care.

Just don't see them. I also work in NHS and many of my colleagues turn down people who are late

This is why we can't book online at the surgery I attend any more - because of idiots who book and then don't turn up or come late.

Unless there is a good reason to be late, then I think you should refuse to see them. They'll keep on doing it unless they are inconvenienced.

YANBU

However, I was equally pissed off when I got to an appointment 10 minutes early the other week and the auto check in wasn’t working and I was kept waiting at reception for twenty bloody minutes then told I wouldn’t be seen as I was 10 minutes late 🤯🤬

Most places I go are hot on timekeeping and tell you that if you are late you will be put back in the queue behind people who turn up on time.

See them but only after your attendees who are on time. It's not fair to make them late too.

What annoys me even more is you can absolutely guarantee that 95 year old Doris will be there bang on time (or earlier) despite the fact that she can barely walk, has a million tablets to take before she leaves the house and can’t drive yet 30 year old Dave who lives around the corner, drives and is fully mobile will be the one who is kicking off in reception because he’s “only” 15 minutes late and I should still see him. (Fictional characters, obviously).

If one of my elderly patients are not there on time, I worry that they’re ok and call them as it’s so rare for the elderly to take the piss.

Every time I go to the gp or a hospital clinic there’s a sign up saying how many no-shows there have been in the last week/month and often a calculation on how much it has cost the NHS. I think it’s apoalling. If you don’t turn up or are consistently late you should be charged and be removed from the clinic list. That would make ppl think twice.

You're asking MN to decide this and not your Managers etc?

When you get complaints and questions about this are you going to direct them back here?

If you are 100% sure that your clinic has no fault in the lateness then don't see them. If, however, the clinic you are working from regularly has broken lifts, or is notorious for parking issues, or check in screens that don't work, or clinics that frequently change locations within the hospital then all of these things can cause patients to be late.

If you go down the not seeing them route then your receptionists need to toughen up and tell them themselves.

@smemorata but seeing them at the end of the clinic means I have to work late. Why should I? I have stuff to do too.

If one of my elderly patients are not there on time, I worry that they’re ok and call them as it’s so rare for the elderly to take the piss.

That's quite ageist. I'm young, have several clinical appointments a year, monthly GP appointments and regular nurse reviews and I have been on time, each time, every time.

If you keep seeing them they'll keep doing it.

Absolutely don’t see them unless a darn good reason, traffic accident in the area etc. As you say the elderly can make it! At one trust I worked we had permanent issues with the transport team, some of the elderly would come in and wait to make sure they didn’t hold up the doctors. Young people would often be late and scream and holler or just not turn up and then demand to be rebooked

@TheMonkeyWhale I’m young and always on time too. What I’m saying is it’s the people that would have an excuse to be late that rarely are.

I refuse to see unless I can see that there may be a serious underlying issue. Other wise those over 10 minutes late have the option to wait until after clinic finishes.

Managers are on board with signs up in clinic.

I too would refuse to see them and make them re-book unless they have a very good reason for their lateness. Alternatively, would it be feasible to see them until the end of their allocated time? So someone who is 10 minutes late for a half hour appointment only gets 20 minutes etc. I fully understand your frustration, but what would you be doing for the spare 20 minutes?

I work in a clinic too and it astounds me how many people turn up late, stroll in with no apology or explanation as to why they are late and expect to be seen. They do nearly always get seen as its a children's clinic and it's not the child's fault the parents didn't get there on time but depending on the consultant might have to wait until the end of clinic to be seen after those who turn up on time or offered to rebook. It drives me crazy as if I was 5 minutes late I would be in a right fluster but they just stroll in and take a seat despite being half an hour late!!

Pokanora - I'm sure that OP will or has taken this to managers. There's absolutely nothing wrong in getting an informal opinion, just as i would ask family and friends. Guess what? I wouldn't direct my manager to my friend's opinions either snarkiness undeserved.

YANBU at all. Refuse to see them, they'd soon learn to turn up on time. Self centered idiots.

We and our nearest hospital are very close to one of the busiest stretches of motorway in Europe, and near to an intersection with another busy one. Everything is fine until there is a change in the weather, like it rains! Statistically, there are three injury crashes a week - then some or all lanes closed. All the traffic pours off onto the local roads and everywhere is gridlocked.

A five minute journey takes forty five minutes or even an hour and a half. It is not feasible for us all to set off an hour and a half early, in case of a crash on the motorways. Besides which, there is not the car parking capacity for us all to sit twiddling our thumbs all that extra time before appointments!

I would check whether parking is an issue. At the hospital I attend parking arrangements are totally inadequate. It's fine for me, as the reason I attend does not affect my mobility, so I don't bother with hospital parking, park on the first street outside the restricted area, and walk the last mile. However not everyone can do this, and I've seen several people arrive late to the clinic I attend very flustered citing parking issues, and I believe them.

Say Sharons 20 minute appointment is 10am. She strolls in at 10:15am. Mavis is due in at 10:20 but actually arrives at 10:10am. I think it’s fair to take Mavis in early. Sharon is too late.

Expo, where there's 'spare minutes ' I'll be writting up notes or more likely than not seeing someone who has arrived early. Additionally a lot of patients run over time.

The problem is that some people will have genuine reasons to be late.

I was turned down for an appointment for my son being 15 mns late. The reason I was late was that it took me 15 mns for the receptionist at his school made me wait 5 mns as she was dealing with a disruptive pupil, then after she made the call, his teacher refused to let him go until he had finished helping putting things back despite him telling he was going to be late to a medical appointment.

Then we were stuck in unusual traffic end we got there, a queue of 10 mns to get a parking space. I'd given myself 20mns for delays, which was all I could justify leaving work early.

I tried to call the clinic whilst waiting to park but no-one picked up the phone.

I almost burst into tears when we were turned down as I'd had enough stress trying to get the time off work for the appointment.

So yes, some people don't care and would probably deserve to be turned away, but others have experienced difficult genuine situations out if their control.

There is ample free parking. It’s not a hospital.