Discrimination against working people?

[Ceci03]

AIBU to think this is discrimination? Have just signed up with a dentist and was lucky to get accepted as an NHS patient. But the receptionist said evening, early morning, and Saturday appointments are only for private patients. Seems unfair. I work in a place where I have to take annual leave for dentist and doctor appointments. Seems unfair but AIBU. Seeing as fulltime workers pay tax which goes to fund the nhs right?

Only skim read this thread so far - so apologies if this has already been mentioned. But I’ve found private dentistry cheaper than NHS anyway. Unless of course you need extensive work done - in that case it’s no drama to take a day off surely?

if you're rich, your "entitled" to special treatment.

Well, no. You’re paying for it.

If you want the convenience then pay privately. I doubt you’ll consider it though as it’s expensive. I think you’re being unreasonable to call it discrimination!! Huge population of people and you think anyone working should get appointments out of normal working hours. They work the same hours unless they offer a service that lets them make more money to improve their services.

Private patients are working people too

My dentist does this; they always have. Thankfully I do not work Thursdays so I can go then but it's definitely the case that only the private patients get the early morning/later evening appointments. I am NHS and thankful I HAVE a dentist when you hear about some other areas of the country.

Registering close to where you work is a wonderful idea, but only if the dentists near your work are taking on NHS patients.
When l lived in York l couldn't find anyone taking on new NHS patients within a 25 mile radius. l stayed registered with my dental practice in my home town further north and made my appointments so l could go when l had days off.
Where l live now (a bit further south, but still in Yorkshire) my dentist is 10 miles away. 20 miles from where l work. My GP's surgery is half a mile away from where l live, and they have a dental surgery as part of the building, but they aren't taking on NHS patients.
A lot of people are really struggling to find an NHS dentist who will take them as a patient. And unfortunately some jobs/employers can't/won't allow flexible working, or the option to take maybe an hour/extended lunch break for a dental appointment. lf you work Monday-Friday, it's difficult.
l'm lucky. l don't, but l know people who find it virtually impossible.

Wow, you are so entitled, OP!

I think of the say 20 days & bank holidays that people are entitled to, it's reasonable to assume that they will use some of that for personal errands.

If your teeth are so bad that you need a lot of appointments well frankly that's not your employer's problem.

Routine dental is twice a year, book them on a day you have annual leave, we get a decent amount by law these days. My dentist only does nhs on Monday and Tuesday

many people in this country don't have the luxury of changing jobs nor of enforcing their employer to change policy (not if they still want a job at the end of it).

How do people not have the 'luxury' of changing jobs? That's just an excuse people make when they want to complain and not actually do anything to make a difference. If your job is that much of an inconvenience you find another one. Obviously there are very few niche exceptions (those people could probably afford private healthcare anyway) but for the most part that isn't an issue.

Noones saying you have to go in all guns blazing with your employer and insist they change policies.
All you need to do is have a quiet word with your line manager and explain your situation.

I think OP took a wrong turn. Wasn't Utopia thatta way?

OP, I've always had to use annual leave for my and DC's NHS hospital appointments which are always during the 9-5 working day.

Sometimes I'll work an evening to make up the time instead, but either way, it's usual to spend annual leave on appointments that clash with contracted work times - surely that's one of the reasons we have annual leave?

I live in a shared ownership property with our local housing association. The boiler servicing is undertaken by the housing. Every year they send out an appointment stating that if you accept their first appointment, you will receive a £10 love to shop voucher. This appointment is always Mon-Fri 9-5. So basically anyone who works full time will never receive a voucher. I work part time, but the app they send though is more or less guaranteed to be either a 9-12 slot, or a 1-5 slot, so I'm never able to accept. I've raised it with the housing that it penalises those who work, but it fell on deaf ears.

Funny how the OP hasn't been back since we started to question their concept of 'free healthcare' after having been out of the country for 40 years ...

By the way OP, it's not discriminatory, it's just unfair. Being employed, being rich, neither are protected characteristics against which you can discriminate. It's just unfair. But that's the society in which we live, for which the majority seemed to vote in December. It's an unfair society. I wish you all the best in your endeavours to change the way it is. I think there's a vacancy at the top of the Labour Party if you fancy that?

I see OP hasn’t seen fit to continue her rant now that people have realised she hasn’t even been in the UK for the past 40 years but now expects ‘loads of dental treatment’ on the NHS. CF indeed. 🙄

special times for the wealthy who can afford to pay for the privilege

I'm definitely not wealthy but have to pay privately because no dentists in my area take on new NHS patients. You cannot assume everyone goes private by choice or means. It's more often no choice.

Cross post with EggysMom. 😄

If you're unemployed, you're free any time

So a person who is a full time unpaid carer for a person with dementia can go any time ? Yeah, right. Quit the generalisations and think about it

How do people not have the 'luxury' of changing jobs? That's just an excuse people make when they want to complain and not actually do anything to make a difference. If your job is that much of an inconvenience you find another one

It really isn't that easy for many people. My employer no longer issues full time contracts - everyone is employed on minimal (practically zero) hours but expected to flex up to full time depending on business needs and lots of employers do the same, not to mention possibly giving up rights if you've been employed longer than 2 years. No way am I giving up my defined hours contract plus long service to take a flexi contract where they can get rid of me for no reason.

Where were you living previously OP? To be honest, you are pretty lucky to be able to get discounted dentistry and NHS treatment when you haven't been paying into the system thus far. A lot of countries would charge you a lot of money!

I think it's just lucky to still have the option of NHS treatment tbh! Obviously dentists get a lot more for private treatment, and who can frankly blame them if they go down that route? There's not many of us who'd insist on being paid less at work if offered more! I'm lucky enough to be registered with a dual NHS/private practitioner, but several years ago saw someone privately whilst in between dentists. She literally looked in my mouth for £80, and that was it 🙄 No, suggesting treatment, no book a follow up appointment, that was it. I could have stayed at home and looked in my mouth for free! But tbf she could also have done similar to a car garage 'tutted, sighed, and said this hmmm this looks expensive!'.... 😳

Nobody in secure, contracted employment is going to want to look for another job. However the OP has only recently started this post and she evidently isn't happy there.

There would be more NHS appointments and less stress on the system if cheeky fuckers like you paid something into the system. Parasite.

Nobody in secure, contracted employment is going to want to look for another job. However the OP has only recently started this post and she evidently isn't happy there.

I understand that but the situation highlighted by the op doesn't just affect the op does it, and it doesn't just apply to people needing time off for dental problems. Many workers in this country are in poverty or just above, many are in zero hours jobs and in fear of losing those jobs. I agree with the op that more needs to be done to ensure that everyone can access the healthcare that they need and if one of those barriers is unwieldy appointment systems then why can't they be looked at?

Some of these replies are very "let them eat cake" in their tone - just go privately, change jobs, my employer gives me time off, if you were a good employee then they would accommodate you.

But surely it all boils down to at least there is the NHS system in place? I count myself extremely lucky that I've not had to access it much during my working life (so far), I have no issues with 'paying my subs', and the borderline expenses of subsidised dentist/prescription fees on top. £22.50 to access an NHS dentist if you're working is fuck all compared to say the US if you can't afford insurance. Plus the tab is picked up for ambulances, heart bypasses, transplants, long-term hospital care. If you really feel you can't wait for a generic tooth extraction most cities run free dental clinics at training hospitals. The students are more than happy to have a crack at it for free. Surely nobody can start waving their protest against heavily subsidised treatment when the percentage of NI taken from wages is actually very little by comparison?

To be honest I think it’s cheeky that you haven’t lived here for 40 years and have been accepted as a NHS patient (ie with heavily subsidised costs). Borderline health tourism. And you’re even annoyed that dental care isn’t free anymore?

Then you had the audacity to state fulltime workers pay tax which goes to fund the nhs right - excuse me? My taxes certainly have. You haven’t paid taxes for the past 40 years, your contribution is non existent.