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.

YANBU if you have an appointment you should be on time. I think 10mins is a fair grace period. I am personally 10 mins early for everything, I was brought up that way. I can't stand people being late without good reason.

But sidge what about when the hcp turns in late in the first instance. I've seen that so many times. You sound lovely btw. A

The real problem is whenever something is perceived as "free", then a subset of thick people will misunderstand that as "of no value", and act accordingly.

The moment people are disabused of that notion - either by non refundable deposits, or simply because they are paying for the service, appointments mysteriously are attended on time, with a very low level of inbuilt systemic irregularities (because someone will inevitable have the wrong day in the diary).

For proof, look how many people manage to get there backsides onto a plane when they (a) have paid for it and (b) know that the plane will leave without them.

It's crazy how lucky we are in the UK to have an NHS and yet some people don't appreciate it, yes it isn't perfect but I am so grateful that we have it. I think sometimes it's out of people's control that they are late, traffic, childcare etc, but I always assume that if I'm over 10mins late for a Dr's or hospital appt then I'm not getting seen anyway. I think use your discretion, if you think they are strolling in taking the p expecting to be seen then refuse them but if I thought they have tried everything and have clearly tried everything to get there on time and they aren't acting entitled then I'd maybe try to squeeze them in if there's space and other on time patients aren't going to be affected. I totally understand why your annoyed.

I agree the NHS is not fit for purpose. Off on a bit of a tangent but I had an issue with my eye. I attended four separate appointments about it (each with in excess of 1 hour wait times) and was told by doctors that it wasn’t their remit. Hence I paid for two separate opticians. In the meantime I spent over £100 on OTC gels, drops, eye mask, etc. Eventually an optician told me that I needed my doctor to refer me to an ophthalmologist.
I went back to the doctors again, another long wait and insisted on referral. It took a year to get that appointment.

During the long wait for referral I went on vacation to America. My eye was at its worst. I decided to visit a clinic there. The clinic swam like clockwork. I arrived 30 minutes early and patients were seated quietly and waiting their turn. I was seen on the dot and paid just under $50 for my appointment. I was given a prescription for steroid/antibiotic drops and told that my eyesight could have been damaged had it been left much longer. I paid $4.89 for the drops at the pharmacy. My condition cleared up in three days, however can be recurring so I stayed on the ophthalmologist list.

Finally my UK appointment arrived and I was seen (another hour late). I was told that they didn’t like to give steroid drops, but would give me liquid tears and anti inflammatory drugs. (They don’t work). They looked at my US medicine and were amazed. Said they had never seen that formula before and it covered everything. They were extremely impressed.
They sent me on my merry way.

I have a good job and earn decent money. I see my tax and NI and think, I’d rather scrap the NHS, take my money back and pay privately as quality of care here is not as good as we are made to believe.

I guess my point if you got this far is...
Too many people take the piss in the UK. Too many people don’t respect the NHS because it’s ‘free’. People feel ‘entitled’ to receive care. People abuse the service and because it’s free there is no consequence.
People book appointments for any old thing and then think nothing of just not turning up - there’s no penalty because it’s free. I know someone who books intermittent appointments “just incase” and then cancels last minute if they feel they don’t need it.
When people have to pay, they more carefully consider ‘do I need this?’ and naturally make sure they are present for their paid for appointment.

I spend around 5-8 weeks in the states every year and try to wait and get myself seen over there now, or if I can’t, pay privately here. Health care is another level altogether if you can afford it.

I’m sure the NHS has been a God send to many though who genuinely need it, appropriately use it and have no other option.

I regularly attend an NHS clinic. It always runs at least an hour late, sometimes over two hours late. When I started attending I was always 10-15 minutes early but now I know I'll be there for hours I've got a bit more lax about timekeeping and usually screech in at around the appointment time or up to 5 minutes late.

Once I had an appointment through the post that wasn't on the usual day for the clinic. I arrived bang on the appointment time to find the consultant waiting for me. He'd put on an extra clinic to catch up so it was for once running to time. He was really pissed off that he'd had to wait for me. When I explained that I'd stopped turning up early because the clinic always ran late he did at least look a bit shamefaced, even though it's not his fault. No real point to this post.

AIBU to literally refuse to see people once their 10 minutes late thing is up?*

Definitely not. It's disrespectful and irresponsible of them. I'm NEVER late for NHS appointments because I know how busy it is and how hard everyone involved works. Not to mention how many other patients need seeing just as I do.

Zero tolerance is the way to go.

i bet people arent late to the dentist, where they fine you for missing appointments.
we need to fine people on the nhs

DBML I agree. We have a second home in France. It is beyond comparison and sadly it's largely about the attitude of the professionals. Patient/client pays- staff are polite, clinics run efficiently, and support staff don't chew gum.

i was late to my dn appointment, but i had an upset stomach, i didnt dare tell about that in case they refused to see me, but the look the dn gave me ensured i tried very hard to get there on time in future.

Totally agree with zero tolerance. Next time the NHS keeps me waiting for more than 30 mins I'll invoice the Trust CEO - double time if communication is poor and staff are rude.

During the long wait for referral I went on vacation to America. My eye was at its worst. I decided to visit a clinic there. The clinic swam like clockwork. I arrived 30 minutes early and patients were seated quietly and waiting their turn. I was seen on the dot and paid just under $50 for my appointment.

I refer you to my point upthread. Anyone who was late would have been $50 lighter - and not be seen.

I don’t know why you’re complaining about something so easily resolved. If you have a corporate policy that turns away latecomers then stick to it if they get lairy then get security to chuck them out. If you don’t have a policy then get one.

Most nhs receptionists I’ve experienced get a glint in their eye and relish telling some poor sod puffing at the desk that they can’t be seen because they missed their appointment.

So for those saying that zero tolerance is the way to go.

What recompense is there for the flip side?

Like many on here I have had to wait upto 2 hrs to see a dr or therapist, should patients be able to bill them for their time?

I’m going to try out the suggestion of making people wait until after clinic with no guarantee that they will be seen at al

As long as you keep it for those who've clearly got no real excuse, that's actually a pretty good idea. The only ones you'll hack off are those you correctly labelled "self absorbed" and they'll most likely leave, thus solving most of the issue

And if your clinic genuinely isn't one that routinely keeps patients waiting an hour, you should be in the clear

Op has said its not the parking or anything else to do with location so unless theyve got a good excuse i dont think they should be seen

If you dont do anything op they'll keep turning up late-so what if they get annoyed its their own fault

Whereas Sharon might be a single parent to three kids who all need dropping at school/nursery/grandparents then Sharon needs to battle through 45 mins of traffic, field work calls in the car, find a parking space and then get herself to her 10am appt.

If mornings are such a nightmare for Sharon she should avoid morning appointments. Very few people have nothing going on in their lives at all, we all have schedules and responsibilities but an adult should have a basic idea of how to organize themselves. I don't know how so many people waltz through life expecting (and so often finding) the world to be their indulgent grandparent...

I'm an interpreter and I work for the NHS.

I see it every day. Patient is late, doesn't care, doesn't apologise, I'm running late for my next booking, the HCP runs late. It very rude.

I'm glad my gp is understanding. I hate being late, but last appt with gp itt was unavoidable. They changed my appointment to one earlier, and the bus was 35mins late so I was 20 mins late getting to my appointment. I spoke to the receptionist and they still saw me. If they hadn't, I probably wouldn't have gone back for my health issue. I work full time and arranging appointments in advance is enough of a fuss without added stress

I think you're right about people who are always late tho

I personally try to be a flexible as the clinic will allow. If a 10min slot turns into a 35min slot people have to wait and 99% of the time they do it with good grace.

Parking where I work is a nightmare and public transport can be unreliable especially if they are coming from work and can’t justify an extra hour from work just in case the bus doesn’t show.

Also the late ones are often the ones with the chaotic lifestyles - who knows when they will next access healthcare.

Although in my case, I waited until gp had a gap in her appointments. It was only 10mins but I was fully prepared to wait longer. Demanding you be seen there and then when you're 15mins late is rude imo

The real problem is whenever something is perceived as "free", then a subset of thick people will misunderstand that as "of no value", and act accordingly.

People are also late for "paid for" appointments too! It drives me insane when a client is 30 minutes or an hour late and still expects the full appointment. Always the same people, and yes, they're the self-centred, inconsiderate, arrogant morons in other ways too!

There was one the other week who I said would need 2 long appointments (2 hours each) for me to "teach" her how to do her book-keeping and payroll, but she insisted she was a quick learner and one appointment would do. Then when the day came, she was an hour late, so seriously thought I'd be able to teach her all that in an hour. Jog on!

............So you're the one who needs to reflect on the ways in which you contribute to that message of disrespect.

quincejamplease. Congratulations on the phenomenal mental athletics you’ve performed to make this entirely OPs fault and the poor downtrodden patients into blameless victims. That took quite some doing.

When people say these clinics run 1-2 hours late does that mean everyone works unpaid for an extra 2 hours? Or that it's planned in to have last 2 hours unhooked by patients/for admin so staff can go home on time?
Not many people would be happy to all stay 2 hours extra unpaid (and you can't just leave the practitioner, you'd need reception and security etc)

I sympathise with you OP, I work in the NHS too and similarly think that people don’t respect timekeeping. The thing is, often services let them get away with it and then people don’t learn they need to be on time.

I would do the following:

Set a clear, consistent rule for latecomers (you will not be seen, or you will not be seen if you are x minutes late etc)

Let people know in their appointment letters this will be the case - politely but firmly with an explanation as to why the clinic must do this in order to be efficient for everyone

Have a sign up in reception saying this

Brief reception staff about what to do if someone questions this (they need support too)

Ensure the rule is enforced. Do not take into account excuses, but you could (like, once in a blue moon) make allowances for people who genuinely couldn’t help it. Don’t make a habit of this.

Do not have vague guidelines like ‘you can wait and you might be see’. This will confuse everyone and stress out reception staff. People need to be clear on exactly what the rule is, so the more concrete the better.

Make sure all of the above is done with senior support and management back up.