NHS piss takers. Selfish, self absorbed people

[ThornsWithin]

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.

I once took my MIL to a hospital appt and checked in via the touch screen - several others came after us and did the same. After about an hour, we went to reception to ask if there was a delay, only to be told the doctor had called in sick that morning and their appointments had all been cancelled - she clearly didn't think to tell all of us sat in the waiting room. Then two days later, she got a cancellation letter through the post, dated and post marked the day of the appointment. Some of the admin/reception are pretty clueless.

@melj1213

I'm going to play devil's advocate and say that doctors, dentists, etc, should also run on time, should keep waiting patients updated on unavoidable delays & apologise when it happens.

I now ask when I arrive for appointments if the clinic is running on time and if it is late, how late. That way I know straight away if there is likely to be delays and can start working on contingency plans if I am kept late.

So many times my dentist has walked in half an hour late to start the day, same when I was pregnant & got 8am appointments and the obstetrician would arrive late, then have a long chat with other staff while fuming patients sat in the waiting room.

And here is the flip side of the coin. SOME dentists and GPs and so on, are quite complacent and laid back, and think nothing of keeping patients waiting. I don't know why. Maybe they are just full of their own self importance! Maybe someone who does this can enlighten us eh?

I used to have a dentist who was ALWAYS, I mean ALWAYS 40 to 50 minutes late. Even if I had an appointment at 9am (their opening time,) the dentist would stroll in at 9.10am to 9.15am, chat to the receptionist(s) for a few minutes, then trot off into his room, spend 3 or 4 minutes in there, then come out and make a coffee, then finally call me in at around 9.25am to 9.30am.

I thought 'no wonder he is so far behind every time!'

I moved from being 2 miles away from this dental practice, to being 25 miles away, and couldn't find another dentist to take me on. So I had to travel a 50 mile round trip. When I had an appointment, I knew I had to allow half a day. The one and a half hour to 2 hour round-trip drive, and at LEAST an hour and a quarter to an hour an a half in the surgery.. Even when it was just a check up.

Thankfully I found a dentist with a space for me and my family after 2 years, (that was just 4 miles away.) Now, when my appointment is 11am, I leave the house at 10.40am, get to the dentist at 10.50am-10.55am. I am never made to wait any more than 5 to 10 minutes later than my appointment - ever. It's so lovely to never have to wait long, and I believe I put up with it or so long!

And here is the flip side of the coin. SOME dentists and GPs and so on, are quite complacent and laid back, and think nothing of keeping patients waiting. I don't know why. Maybe they are just full of their own self importance! Maybe someone who does this can enlighten us eh?

Same at our GP surgery. I try to get one of the first appointments of the day, usually 8.00 or 8.15 or so. I'm usually there early, and get quite annoyed when it's not even open and then the receptionist drives into the car park around 8.30, and finally opens the doors, maybe 8.45 or so. Then we're all sat in the waiting area until the GP deems to arrive, which may be 9.00 or so, and yes, he then stands around chatting to the receptionist and making a brew, before finally calling us through. So, it's no surprise they're behind, if they're already an hour behind for the first patient, because THEY'VE turned up late. Glasshouses springs to mind.

This happens everywhere in nhs, clinics, ops, the list goes on!! As it's seen as "free" they think they can please themselves. I think after any visit patients should get a receipt to show how much things cost if they were to pay and also if they don't turn up or are late send them how much they have cost the NHS.

I always say theses people would be on time for a flight abroad but can't be arsed with an appointment about their health amazes me!!

The NHS get a bad name but when it has to deal with things like this no wonder it's at crisis point

God - for all of you giving genuine reasons for being late, we get it. OP gets it. She’s on about life’s takers. The CFs, the entitled who think their time is much more precious than OP’s. There should be a cut off and re book system. Will it stop it? Maybe for a few. Those who don’t care will make up shit excuses and likely kick off until they’re seen - sad but true. Entitlement is a real feature of today’s society.

Some PPs are unbelievable and it's these entitled attitudes causing problems.

Most GPs only run late because they are caring for the people they see before you. Saying you will turn up late to "show the GP what it's like' is pathetic.

We regularly get heart attacks, suspected sepsis, heart failure turn up at the surgery because people genuinely think it's ok to put pressure on GP surgeries as A and E is too busy - even when it's obvious they should be at A&E. This is why they are late.

A GP practice sees more people than your local ED every day. We take more calls and get more complaints - and we have less funding, less GPs and a reducing nurse workforce.

We also have massive funding cuts. Cut us some slack. Yes, there are crap GPs, abrupt ones, ones that run late - BUT... most are excellent and they do it because they care. They retire early because a minority of patients are really unpleasant to them and this entitled behaviour is disgusting.

Some people actually shout and moan in reception to get attention fof their desire for a prescription thinking we will bend the rules for them. Rules that keep them safe and ensure they can't overdose/abuse the meds by getting them too early. And in the last 12 months we have had patients with guns and knives who are really dangerous. But we just get on with it.

I really have better things to be doing rather than this.... and people wonder why the NHS is going to shit.

@Tistheseason17

That's a very interesting tale.

But what about those GPs and dentists and specialists and so on, who swan into the the surgery or clinic 10 minutes late, spend 5 minutes chatting to receptionists, and then pop off to get a coffee, and then see the first patient 20-25 minutes after their appointment time (that they turned up to on time or early?)

Because whilst you and the OP have a point, there are 2 sides to every story. I, my DH, and our adult DC, (and their partners,) are ALWAYS EARLY. At least ten minutes early, and sometimes even earlier than that. Yet at least 1 in 3 times, we end up not going into our appointment til 10 to 20 minutes after our appointment time. Occasionally it is even longer than that.

Sometimes there is a valid reason. Sometimes there is not. Sometimes it is because the health professional is slack/laid/back/nonchalant, and doesn't think anything of coming in late, and going at a snail's pace. Why they do this I don't know, but it does happen, and a number of posters have verified this, as it's happened to them many times.

So whilst there ARE piss takers when it comes to patients, (coming late and demanding to be seen,) don't act like the 'professionals' don't ever do anything wrong. Many people on this thread (including me) have much experience of lacklustre, laid-back, and holier-than-thou health professionals, who act like their time is more important than anyone else's.

And whilst there are plenty of decent, good, punctual health professionals/ doctors/ dentists/ specialists, who manage (most of the time,) to run their clinic relatively on time when there are no emergencies, there are plenty who take the piss, and keep people waiting for no reason, making the patient late, throwing out the whole clinic for the rest of the morning (or afternoon,) and making every single other patient late for the rest of the day.

Yes, I know emergencies come up sometimes, but some doctors/dentists/health professionals are ALWAYS late, even when there are no emergencies!

And you say many GPs retire early because of the patients who are so horrible and unpleasant to them and their 'entitled behaviour' is disgusting???

Is this a joke?! Do you seriously think that people in other and careers and jobs don't suffer stress, and have customers or patients or people in general being horrible to them?! Must be lovely to 'retire early' when your job is getting to you. Some people don't have the good fortune to do that!

I miss being able to charge patients (more than 10 min late: full charge for appointment - not reimbursed by insurance - the having to book another one sorts most people out)

@myself2020

Yes, by all means, bring back charging people a fee when they are 'more than 10 minutes late!' As long as you are prepared to introduce the ability for patients to charge health professionals/ GPs/ dentists/ specialists/ etc etc etc, when they (the patient) turns up on time, and the health professional is more than 10 minutes late for no good valid reason.

As I said before, it cuts both ways.

As I and a number of posters have said, whilst there are many good decent health professionals who will do their best to keep their clinic running on time,; there are some who take the piss, and swan in when it suits them, and don't give a shit about keeping people waiting, because apparently their time is more important than anyone else's!

The dentist I used to go to (that I mentioned earlier,) was ALWAYS 30 to 40 minutes late ALWAYS!!! And when I checked in, the receptionist was always SO sorry, and she was really embarrassed at how late he always was. Totally out of order. Yet if I had been late, I would have missed my appointment, not been seen, but would have still been charged!

So yeah by all means, charge patients for being late, as long as they can charge when they turn up on time and the health professional keeps THEM waiting. Time is money for the patients too! I (and many people I know) have lost money/wages due to being kept waiting a long time for a designated appointment, or having it changed or cancelled at the last minute!

So if you are suggesting charging people. Remember, it cuts both ways, and the patients may decide to charge for their lost time too!

Oh and by the way @plinkyblonk the NHS is not 'free.' People who work for a living do actually pay - out of their earnings - to fund it!

@thisneverendingsummer

You seem to have picked bits out of my post and projected.
At no point have I mentioned other careers and at no point have I said all GPs are perfect.

@thisneverendingsummer i know the majority pay out of their wages for the nhs but it's nothing in comparison to what it actually cost for the treatment they receive.

And because it's paid before everyone receives their wages no one really notices it. So don't really give a shit by the time it comes to appointments etc. I'm sure if they were paying private they'd turn up on time....and before you think I'm in the privatisation of nhs I'm far from that.

What I pay and have paid in national insurance doesn't even make dent in on how much myself and DD have had to use the nhs in the last 3 years.

Doesn't the NHS have guidance about what to do in this situation? Isn't there a danger of not seeing someone who is seriously ill?

Haven't RTFT, but just to balance things, the NHS doesn't make it easy to cancel an appointment, if you need to. Certainly not for DW. You can only phone. You have to speak to someone. And you can end up waiting half an hour in a queue.

Oh, and you can only call 9-4:30

It's bad enough trying to fit into those restrictions when you're at home with a baby. Try doing that if you're at work.

Wish a few people had DNAd today. Got to my 11am clinic appointment at 10.30am, finally got seen at 12.37pm, still waiting for a blood test at 2.15pm. Work approved me to go, have the appointment and be back by 1pm. They're going to love this.

I wouldn’t see them either unless they had called ahead to explain they would be late (traffic, accidents etc)

Let them kick off and shout. Come out and ask them how they would feel having their appointment even later because of people who couldn’t make an effort to turn up on time

@Fuma where do you think the resources come from when the DNA’ers are booked in for a replacement appointment?
Expensive machines, peoples time and overheads sat idling waiting for people who CBA to turn up on time too.

@ThornsWithin

"I do see it from both sides. I used to work in an oncology department and the clinics were ALWAYS running at LEAST an hour late, and that was on a good day."

"My clinic would run on time (and 9 times out of 10, does) if it wasn’t for people strolling in late."

"I think the obvious answer is that the NHS just doesn’t work anymore. It’s beyond repair and nobody wants to admit that the precious NHS is not fit for purpose."
What, people turn up late for appointments so that means the whole of the NHS doesn't work? Don't be ridiculous.

It has its problems but nothing that can't be sorted with the right management. There needs to be a full analysis of why people don't turn up to appointments. Is it that people forget because they receive them so far into the future and forget them as they don't record them in a calendar?
Is it that they are missed by the elderly who may have some sort of memory loss?
Is it because much older people don't have mobile telephones don't receive reminder texts?

There's nothing that can't be sorted with the will to do so, planning and determination.

This is about economics.

When something is perceived as 'free', then it has no value.

This is why drunk people phone up ambulances to take them home.

The other place where the 'free' aspect of the NHS shows up, is the difficulty of seeing a GP. People clog up the system with issues that are not important, and demand outstrips supply.

The NHS needs drastic reform. 'Free at the point of use' is a problem (including health tourism).

It has not turned out as Bevan envisaged and we could be so much more efficient and productive if we adopted a European system.

@Idontwanttotalk why the extreme defensiveness?

It is astonishing how otherwise intelligent and thoughtful Britons such as your good self just lose their minds over the NHS - when did it become a religion!!

We CAN admit the problems, we CAN think outside the box and we CAN imagine a different construct.

FYI government knows full well that the NHS is broken. They know that productivity (outcomes) are falling no matter how much funding gets put in. It CANNOT be solved by 'different management'. But the politicians are terrified of telling the truth and both political parties push it on to the other and just kick the can down the road. [ PS that is inside info so please don't waste your time telling me how evil I am ...]

“The fact that so many successful politicians are such shameless liars is not only a reflection on them, it is also a reflection on us. When the people want the impossible, only liars can satisfy.”

― Thomas Sowell

Tbh ringing isn't always possible. I tried desperately to ring with my appointment. I couldn't get through. The waiting music stopped then the phone clicked off

@plinkyblonk - it depends on the wages. I once tried to cancel an apt - phoned three times, three days running for 20 mins. The day before I looked up the ceo and emailed him. I did get an apology.

This is the way people act generally these days tbh. People turning up late for flights but demanding to be boarded whilst keeping a plane of people waiting, a customer going into a bank with a bag of (uncounted!) change two minutes before closing time, a shopper going into a supermarket to do a monthly shop 5 minutes before closing. People are generally pretty self entitled I’m afraid.

I had an appointment for a clinic at 8:30 and was there early. The admin/ receptionist turned up at 8:35. When I went to them to enquiry politely they told me to wait until they were set up. They were ready with their computer on and their brew on the table at 8:45, when the person after me was due to be seen. The health professional rocked up 5 minutes later. No idea who thought the system up but it doesn't work.

I wonder if "real" appointments start at 9am and the 8:30 and 8:45 slots are booked in the expectation that people won't turn up or they will be late? The whole thing didn't look like it was well run or well organised TBH.

I have been sent an appointment fir a "free" mammogram today. I had to change it and mentioned the nhs was funded from tax and nics. I was told yes, but in A.erica you would have to pay for a mammogram. Do nhs staff really believe the nhs is free? Because it really isn't. No wonder so many clinics take the piss a d fail to respect the time of the patient when nhs senior mgt perpetuates the myth that tbe nhs is free.