People complaining about NHS appointments on a Sunday

[reallyffspeople]

This is just a moan. I’m currently working to book people in for outpatients appointments. Some of these people have been on the waiting list for years, I’m calling them to offer them appointments and they’re giving me grief because they’re on a Sunday!!

I bet these are the same people who complain that they’ve been waiting so long 🤦🏼‍♀️ complaining it’s not convenient to them and it’s their weekend, as if I’m not giving up my weekend to call them! I just can’t believe that people can act like this

It’s not tomorrow. It’s just a Sunday clinic. But also, it’s not my fault! You don’t need to be rude to me, because your life doesn’t work around it. Just politely decline and ask to be considered next time, we can put notes re notice etc but we can’t change that this is the clinic date we have and the list of patients we have to call

Well done to your trust, I’ve never understood why weekend appointments were not a matter of course. My lovely sister needed a scan for her hip, she was seen so quickly on a Sunday.

Nonsense. There are a whole host of reasons why people couldn't accommodate weekend appointments.

They might have no childcare outside of school/nursery hours, or be a non-driver who lives somewhere like I do, where public transport is next to non-existent in the evenings and at weekends and a taxi punitively expensive.

A taxi home from A&E one evening cost me £36 4 years ago, and would be dearer now. Weekend rates are even higher and the cost of getting there and back on a weekend for a non-driver would be huge.

Regular wards and A&E are staffed for 24/7 operation, or that is the theory. Clinics are staffed according to the availability of appropriate clinicians, i.e. surgical outpatients will be on monday & wednesday because the surgeons will be doing scheduled operations on tuesday and thursday. If you want longer hours for clinics you need more (often expensive) staff.

None of that excuses being rude though

It would be really difficult for me as a lone parent, I'd have no straightforward childcare options. But I wouldn't moan to the person on the phone.

Most people are initially resistant to change (of any sort) and may have come across a little off or just didn't realise that Sunday appointments are now a thing. Bring it on and bring down the waiting lists.

I love Sunday appointments. I have had Ophthalmology and endoscopy appointments on Sundays, which have been brilliant because it meant DH didn’t have to take time off work to take me. Parking is easier at the hospita on a Sunday morning than a weekday morning, too.

I'm willing to accept pretty much every appointment I'm offered, and have had evening and weekend appointments before, but I don't drive and public transport where I am is very infrequent at those times, especially on a Sunday.
I've even ended up booking a hotel near the hospital one time so that I could attend a CT scan.

So not everyone will be able to make a Sunday appointment for perfectly valid reasons, bit there's no reason to be rude about it.

Are you ‘giving up your weekend’ or are you just working on a Saturday? The first implies you’re working voluntarily, the second that you get paid.

Can you give us an example of a rude response?

Complaining it's a Sunday?

You either take the appointment or you get put at the bottom of the waiting list.

What is more important than the hospital appointment? Genuinely.

My favourite was “what do you mean a f**king Sunday? I have things to do on a Sunday!”

Either way I’m working extra hours, outside of my contract, to come in and try and get people the help they need.

Or you could be voluntarily doing overtime (which isn't contracted) and you get paid for doing something. But you do have the option of saying 'no I'm unavailable'.

I don't think thats entirely fair. If you've been waiting months (years) for an appointment, then it's perfectly reasonable to be happy to wait a few more days to get one that's convenient for you. No need to be rude about it though.

I have a clinical job and work Sundays in an outpatient setting. It’s great, patients are more relaxed and rarely late because they don’t have the same transport issues. Many of our patients attend church but come before or after and are all dressed up. I’ve no idea of the bookings staff get complaints from people who don’t want to come in on a weekend mind!

Of course I can say no, but I’ve still decided to come in of a weekend and work in order to help patients be seen, just for them to be rude

Of course I can say no, but I’ve still decided to come in of a weekend and work in order to help patients be seen, just for them to be rude

We do weekends at my work and tbf most people are grateful but we do get pushback. It’s even more annoying when they’ve had a phone call from our very lovely and accommodating booker and agreed to come and then turn up absolutely raging because Sunday doesn’t work for them and they start telling you about their complicated journey the way people used to when we had that ashcloud and everyone was grounded. We run 13 hours a day, 7 days a week - they can come at another time but they have to tell us. There isn’t anything wrong with saying “I work Sundays” or “I don’t have childcare/transport” that day but they accept it and then act like we have threatened them into it. Pre-covid people were pretty normal on the whole but the rudeness and complaints we get now about petty, ridiculous things are off the chart. SIL is a secondary school teacher and she says the same.

Im Catholic so tbf idk much about other flavours of Christianity but there is a Mass in the hospital at 7am and through the diocese there are staggered Mass times so it’s relatively straightforward to get to a different church for a different Mass. I used to do it all the time when the kids were younger and had clubs, matches, competitions etc. The Saturday vigil is sometimes and absolute Godsend. You can even put feelers out to get a lift of someone of transport is an issue. Plus it’s not hard to say “I’m sorry, do to my religious obligation I can’t attend on Sundays. Is it possible to make an appointment for a different day?”

My BIL works for nhs booking appointments for minor surgeries. Some have been on waiting list for 4/5 years and there’s been a special clinic (not weekend) in another hospital set up to deal with the backlog. The amount of people give him grief because it’s not their local hospital - how will they get there? Will the trust pay for their taxi etc? It’s 4 miles from the other hospital but people just expect things to be on their doorstep.

I’m religious.

I also have a back issue. if i had a Sunday appointment, Jesus can wait to be honest.

To be fair i think im extra moody because im hungry and due on but the number of people acting like its the worst thing in the world has wound me up! Just say no

Anything to rant anout the patients eh. Well I’ve had a Sunday appointment booked 3 times and clinician has not turned up 3 times. If I did that I’d be dna’d and discharged.

Transport being unavailable or costing half the week's food budget.
Childcare being unavailable.
Elderly care responsibilities that cannot just be dropped.
Work shifts that cannot be rearranged at short notice.

I'm sure there are other things that just get in the way too, and would be a lot easier (and cheaper) to get around if not on a weekend, at short notice.
No excuse to be rude.
I'm sure a Sunday appointment would be great for many, but don't think it should be assumed that everyone can go.