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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be peeved at WFH medical professional?

26 replies

OneTwoFiveSix · 16/06/2025 21:51

DD (adult SEN) had a long awaited medical appointment today, arranged weeks in advance so plenty time to get her prepared for it. The receptionist informed me that this appointment can either be face to face or via telephone. As DD has significant speech difficulties I explained it had to be face to face. All good.

Except that first thing this morning I received a text stating that the appointment had been changed to a telephone call. This obviously wasn’t going to work so I rang the GP surgery, spent 50 mins on hold before getting through. They couldn’t see why the appointment had been changed as it definitely said on her computer for it to be face to face. Cue another 15 mins on hold while she messaged the professional DD had the appointment with - turns out she had messaged me direct as she had decided to WFH today. Not a thought to check if that suited those she had appointments with.

I get that WFH suits a lot of people, but surely it’s common sense to check that your work that particular day can be done from home?

As it is, DD has now missed her appointment through no fault of her own, and who knows when she’ll get another one. GP surgery were very apologetic as I think they were as annoyed as I was!

OP posts:
nocoolnamesleft · 16/06/2025 21:54

Depends. If, for instance, the HCP has broken their leg, can't go into work, but instead of calling in sick and letting all the patients down is working from home, to try to still assess as many patients as possible, then they are being reasonable, and it is just unfortunate. If they've just decided to work from home for no reason, then obviously not reasonable.

Original poster
OneTwoFiveSix · 16/06/2025 21:58

nocoolnamesleft · 16/06/2025 21:54

Depends. If, for instance, the HCP has broken their leg, can't go into work, but instead of calling in sick and letting all the patients down is working from home, to try to still assess as many patients as possible, then they are being reasonable, and it is just unfortunate. If they've just decided to work from home for no reason, then obviously not reasonable.

I don’t think it’s anything like a broken leg as she’s back in work tomorrow, but obviously I can’t be certain.

I think I’m just frustrated and fed up as it’s always way more hassle than it should be to get DD help she needs Sad

OP posts:
mumofoneAlonebutokay · 16/06/2025 22:05

Ooo Im usually very pro wfh

But yanbu at all, shes 100% in the wrong for that x

Shinyandnew1 · 16/06/2025 22:07

GP surgery were very apologetic as I think they were as annoyed as I was!

Have they rescheduled?

That's really annoying-sounds like someone fancied WFH and hadn't thought it through at all.

PhilomenaPunk · 16/06/2025 22:07

I think I’d put in a complaint in your shoes OP. She cannot just decide to work from home in that context, and unless it’s an emergency, I imagine that it could be quite distressing for patients to have their appointment changed like that at the last minute.

TheMumEdit · 16/06/2025 22:10

I’d complain in those circumstances. That’s not acceptable.
Big WFH fan but in some circumstances it’s not acceptable

ArtistOfTheFloatingWorld · 16/06/2025 22:12

Was it a GP appointment?

It sounds very frustrating. Hard to know whether it's justified or not without knowing why the HCP was working from home. I guess we'll never know.

Original poster
OneTwoFiveSix · 16/06/2025 22:13

Shinyandnew1 · 16/06/2025 22:07

GP surgery were very apologetic as I think they were as annoyed as I was!

Have they rescheduled?

That's really annoying-sounds like someone fancied WFH and hadn't thought it through at all.

They have to wait and speak to the professional before they can reschedule as she prefers to keep her own diary. I’m not sure how/why the initial appointment was made through the GP surgery, but I will definitely question it.

OP posts:
Original poster
OneTwoFiveSix · 16/06/2025 22:16

ArtistOfTheFloatingWorld · 16/06/2025 22:12

Was it a GP appointment?

It sounds very frustrating. Hard to know whether it's justified or not without knowing why the HCP was working from home. I guess we'll never know.

Not GP/nurse but medical who floats round different surgeries. Trying to be vague to protect both DD and the professional!

OP posts:
Original poster
OneTwoFiveSix · 16/06/2025 22:19

PhilomenaPunk · 16/06/2025 22:07

I think I’d put in a complaint in your shoes OP. She cannot just decide to work from home in that context, and unless it’s an emergency, I imagine that it could be quite distressing for patients to have their appointment changed like that at the last minute.

Yup, as annoying as it was for me to spend nearly an hour on the phone trying to sort it, that’s not a patch on how it has affected DD and she won’t get over it quite as quick. So I’m venting on here as I have to be calm and measured with DD. Thanks all for the reassurance that perhaps I’m not being unreasonable.

OP posts:
TizerorFizz · 16/06/2025 22:23

It’s actually down to poor management and oversight of the service isn’t it? Poor managers allow this sort of crap to happen. They don’t have protocols in place to put the patient first. They allow the employee to put themselves first. No one reviewed what work this so called professional was meant to be doing did they? The person just decided to wfh because it suited them. What a shambles the NHS is!

PhilomenaPunk · 16/06/2025 22:29

OneTwoFiveSix · 16/06/2025 22:19

Yup, as annoying as it was for me to spend nearly an hour on the phone trying to sort it, that’s not a patch on how it has affected DD and she won’t get over it quite as quick. So I’m venting on here as I have to be calm and measured with DD. Thanks all for the reassurance that perhaps I’m not being unreasonable.

Show quote history

Don’t forget that your time is valuable too. As a result of this person’s lack of thought your daughter has missed her appointment, you’ve spent a significant amount of time calling around trying to sort it, the GP surgery has had to try and figure out what is going on, and you will now have to wait for a new appointment, costing more time for you and more money for the NHS. Include the amount of time you have wasted if you do complain.

The NHS is meant to work for us, not the other way around.

Wisteria25 · 16/06/2025 22:35

That rubbish. Personally as someone in health care who works both from home and in clinic spaces - if I needed to work from home for an unavoidable reason I’d contact the patient and ask if they’d prefer online (we don’t do telephone appts) or reschedule. Some things do come up and now WFH is more standard, it does give flexibility to avoid cancellations and impact on waitlists. But totally agree it was specified face to face and shouldn’t have just been changed. I wouldn’t make an assumption about why they were WFH though, don’t think it really changes whether it should have happened and you don’t know what other people have going on.

Hankunamatata · 16/06/2025 22:35

Id be annoyed with the last minute change. They should have left you a number to ring directly if the appointment didn't suit

Suppose end of the day we don't know what happened. If they had to stay home for an emergency or their car broke or kid was sick

flowersandfoil · 16/06/2025 22:36

You are not being unreasonable I find it infuriating that GPs wfh - it’s a face to face job by nature!

when I had my postpartum 6 week appointment where I was meant to get stitches and episiotomy checked…it was a phone call! A separate time the GP could give me a prescription because she couldn’t do it from home!

ArtistOfTheFloatingWorld · 16/06/2025 22:38

@flowersandfoil OP has said it wasn't a GP appointment

Fluffypotatoe123987 · 16/06/2025 22:46

Prob has the shits or a uti can work but cant get out.

Mumof2wifeof1crazytimes · 16/06/2025 23:04

Shocking and unacceptable. Face to face means getting in to the work environment and doing the job they are being paid for. I would complain.

IncognitoPanda · 16/06/2025 23:17

There could be a very legitimate reason for the last minute conversion to a telephone appointment that the receptionist wouldn’t have been able to disclose to you. Most healthcare employers have a 48hr rule after d&v for example so the health care worker may well have been up to doing telephone appointments from home but not allowed to undertake face to face appointments from an infection control perspective. Appreciate that doesn’t work for your daughters need and I hope they can get you another face to face appointment as soon as possible but by converting the clinic they may have prevented cancelling 70% of the clinicians appointments that day.

HipHipWhoRay · 16/06/2025 23:17

Sorry to hear this. Reminds me of when I went for my Mirena coil fitting, had waited 5 months for a GP slot, and had to go to another practice. Turned up for it, mentally psyched, checked in and sat waiting. After about 40 mins when I’d seen lots of other patients come and go, I reminded receptionists I was there, and they nodded/apologised. After about an hour, the woman who was clearly after me went up and made similar noises. And they realised I was still there. So off they went to knock on her door, realised they couldn’t find her, and after much hushed tones, discovered the coil fitting GP was…WFH…! Very unimpressed…

MixedBananas · 16/06/2025 23:19

I used to work in the NHS IG and IT and they are gearing up for a lot more of this I am afraid. WFH / WR for consultants to. Terrifying future for our children

ShesTheAlbatross · 16/06/2025 23:22

IncognitoPanda · 16/06/2025 23:17

There could be a very legitimate reason for the last minute conversion to a telephone appointment that the receptionist wouldn’t have been able to disclose to you. Most healthcare employers have a 48hr rule after d&v for example so the health care worker may well have been up to doing telephone appointments from home but not allowed to undertake face to face appointments from an infection control perspective. Appreciate that doesn’t work for your daughters need and I hope they can get you another face to face appointment as soon as possible but by converting the clinic they may have prevented cancelling 70% of the clinicians appointments that day.

I agree. There are plenty of legitimate reasons why the options available to were either wfh or not work at all. Obviously we’ve no idea either way - maybe she is selfish and thoughtless.

TizerorFizz · 17/06/2025 00:22

No one worked from home that ran clinical appointments 6 years ago. Staff did the clinics unless they were ill. Now it’s a lottery regarding who will see you and who won’t. Staff used to care about their appointments and wfh was not an option.

OlympiaOzempic · 17/06/2025 19:15

I struggle to see how you can just 'decide to work from home' in those kind of jobs. In jobs dealing with vulnerable people with additional needs, surely best practice woukd be a face to face meeting. There could possibly be things missed over a tablet/computer screen such as body language, reactions etc. If you are dealing with human beings and their health needs/ mental healh needs etc i feel you owe it to them to do it face to face. Many things can be done via wfh. I don't think this is one.

ProfessorLayton1 · 17/06/2025 19:20

That’s wrong, if an appointment has been agreed as face to face then it should be face to face. If for any reason, she has decided to work from home instead of cancelling ( assume that it’s a good enough reason ) then her team should ring before hand and ask your permission for telephone appointment. If telephone appointment is not suitable then a face to face appointment asap should be agreed.