How important do you think it is to be on time for a GP appt

[Ireolu]

Just that really.

Do you think it is important to turn up on time or early for a GP appt? Do you think you shd still be seen when you are 10 mins or more late for a 10 minute appt.

This is just for adults over 18 not for children. TIA for thoughts.

Very.

Always around 5 minutes early. There's very little parking, so have to walk or bus, and very little seating in my surgery, so can't really get there any earlier. There's always a really long wait anyway, even if we're first appointment of the day.

@SlightlygrumpyBettyswaitress this is a pragmatic approach

If I ever have to go, I book one of the first appointments of the day, and they’re always still at least 30 minutes behind. So not sure it’s that important to be on time as they never start on time. I’m always on time regardless but never aim to be early as I’d be waiting forever then.

Early - because the time of your appointment is the time you are ideally in the room, not the time you walk through the front door.
What if the receptionist is on the phone and you have to wait two minutes to be checked in?

Those two minutes add up. And then if the doc has an emergency it puts them even further behind.

I worked as a dental receptionist as a student and people were so entitled.

A bloke once turned up 25 minutes late for an hour long appointment and was indignant he wouldn't be seen because "what about all the times you run late?".
He just couldn't see that the procedure needed an hour and that taking him would mean us DELIBERATELY choosing to run 25 minutes late for every subsequent patient.

Very.

I always call if I'm going to be late with the expectation that they'll cancel my appointment and I'll have to rebook.

It shouldn't even be a question. Be on time.

have only read OPs 2 posts.

Is the thread full of people asking why when you have an appointment you sometimes end up waiting 90 minutes? (I'm not in UK but routinely happens to my mum who is always at least 10 minutes early for everything)

And for all the posters thinking its some kind of slight and "my time is just as important as the GPs time".

No it isn't, otherwise you wouldn't be wanting an appointment with a GP. They're skilled health practitioners, it might be shit if you don't get to see them exactly when you want to but there's a reason for that

They are a limited skilled resource and so no, your time isn't as important. Sorry.

I think it's very important. But I also think it's important for the practice to understand that people are human and things happen. That doesn't mean you necessarily get seen if you're late, but just that they're not rude to you if you're not a repeat offender.

Essential. But I've never been late for anything in my life I'm the person sat in their car with their phone/book as I'm too early

Me too!

Mmmm, I agree no one plans to be late but lots and f people, such as those you've described should probably take a look at their woeful time management and perhaps try to better organised.

I've a friend who is always late when we get together. Without fail. Every time. Always has "reasons " but generally it comes down to she is awful at planning her time. This was fine the first time. Or ten. But years down the line it's a clear friend knows this due to being constantly late.

So it's obvious now this is a choice.

I’m always a little early. In the reception area of my GPs surgery they have a computer that you can use to check in for your appointment up to 30 minutes before. You put in the first initials of your first and last name and date of birth. It then shows you your appointment time and which doctor it is with. It saves queuing at the reception desk. Our surgery has a large waiting area though.

Of course you should be on time. Why do you even need to ask?

I would always try to be early/on time - I think everything runs better when that happens.

However, I do think that its important that GPs still see people who are running late. There are a lot of illnesses which make it harder to get up, ready and somewhere on time. Anything from restricted movement or mobility problems through to ADHD, depression or menopause.

Its well documented that early intervention has a huge bearing on final outcomes for a large range of serious illnesses and so I don't think people should be being sent away "as punishment" if they are running late, although I appreciate that may happen by necessity occasionally if they are the last appointment of the day.

How this is achieved without massively affecting GP work-life balance is tricky but I think that most practices just send in the next waiting patient and slot the delayed patient in later - so an admin faff rather than a disaster. If NHS recording systems were better I'd suggest tagging records for regularly late patients so that their appointment times can be managed.

As a patient I am always on time (but my surgery is a 2 min walk from my home so very easy for me). However, some of the GPs at my surgery don't seem to place the same importance on them being on time. Most recently I had a 9.40am appt and as I was waiting in reception, the GP arrived at the surgery. No sign of any urgency or rush because she was late. She just casually wandered in as if she had all the time in the world (rather than a waiting room full of patients for a surgery starting at 8.40am). I am sympathetic to travel/childcare issues etc but at least look like you give a fuck when you've arrived so late and are keeping everyone waiting even longer than they usually wait.

This post doesn't actually make any sense. Not to everyone, anyway.

Yes, the GP is a skilled professional, a limited resource and I need to see them. Which is why I have booked an appointment.

But I am also a skilled professional, and a limited resource, and other people book my time too.

So yes, my time is as important as theirs. I'll still wait to see them, and I won't complain, but they are not somehow more important than I am, and neither it their time.

Sounds very sensible

I’m usually a bit late for everything. I do really try and make a effort with GP appointments.
GPs usually 20 min+ late.

As long as you’re not more than 5 mins late you get seen.

I count backwards which everyone thinks is weird
So if it's a 10 min drive I allow 15 mins
Then 5 for parking but I know it's busier so allow 10
So I would set off 30 mins before (that's an extra 5 mins buffer) and I work backwards with everything from shower/makeup/getting up etc

I'm on time for every appointment. The wait in my GP is always 30mins to an hour though. You could be the first app of the day and you still wait 30mins. I don't actually know what my GP surgery does if you are late as I never have been but I would expect some leeway from them as like I said appointments never run on time anyway.

As with any appointment, arrive on time or slightly early. If you're going to be late or you can't make it, call to let the other party know.

I try to be around 10 minutes early. I've very rarely been seen actually on time, even when I'm the first appointment of the day, but I just take a book/my kindle and use it as quiet reading time.

Now that I work in healthcare I have also seen those in the past who needed especially to be treated with kindness and given space because their illness had them at a crisis point. I was also that person myself at one time and being rushed off because of time constraints could have ended very badly for me then. I will always apologise for any inconvenience spending that extra time with a person causes, but I will never apologise for having given that person that time if they needed it; humans are not machines and to approach a professional with a sensitive issue that is deeply impacting your life takes a lot of courage for some people. So I err on the side of good faith and when I feel impatient or frustrated I try to remember that staff are generally trying their best within the constraints of a system that is not fit for purpose, and that they cannot materially do much about that much of the time. That context overrides what I would normally consider to be disrespectful for, say, a job interview in a non-emergency setting, or a table booked at a restaurant.

Id never turn up early because I don't think I've ever been seen on time. If I had to guess, I often wait 10-25 mins to be seen. I'd aim for on time but wouldn't be panicking if I was a few minutes late.

If and when I am ever seen within a couple of minutes of appointment time, I'll make an effort to arrive a few minutes early.

Very important. I usually get there earlier than needed just in case