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

If anyone has ever watched the comings and goings at a hospital the numbers of patients arriving by public transport is minimal

I can totally understand being taken aback (and also being confused by being called on a Saturday!), but swearing and being generally rude isn’t okay

It’s fine if you drive or can get a lift but Sunday bus services are iffy in a lot of areas making Sunday appointments more difficult for some.

I wasn’t responding to those circumstance's, or you. I was responding to a poster stating that people should go private.

As I said previously there is something really wrong when so many people are now being abusive as well as and rude. Report to your manager.

'A hospital'.

You surely don't think they've all got the same percentage of car v public transport v walkers?

You are taking this out of context - someone saying that patients should go private.

Well then you’ll fill the slots available very easily, won’t you?

What’s your real agenda here?

I don’t think anyone has said that clinics should not run on a Sunday, more that Sundays can be challenging for some people especially around transport.

Yeah, Sunday clinics are fine in principle. They just need to come with awareness that some of the things people may need in order to attend an appointment are less/not available that day. Public transport is one of those things, but it's also going to be tougher for many people with elder or childcare responsibilities and minimal support. There's much more likely to be a day centre open during the week.

Nor is slagging off your patients online. Why are you taking it so personally? It's not about you.

We all pay for the NHS and it is not cheap. Saying that people should put up with shit care or go private is unethical and unprofessional.

I love a Sunday appointment.

I'm.habing lots of scans and wonderful tests and I'm a "oooh Sunday? Brilliant".

It's always quieter.
Never have to wait long
Can park easily
It just feels calmer

Again hospital transport has been mentioned which is generally only available to a small cohort of patients who meet certain somewhat strict criteria.

My department is 24/7 hours for acute patients and 8-8pm 7 days across 4 sites a week for outpatients. We are rotored to work to cover 24/7. The only 2 days we don’t have outpatient appointments is Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Most people a grateful for weekend and evening appointments but we do get some who complain about a Saturday or Sunday appointment. Because we have worked this way for a number of years we have next to no waiting list. If you get referred on say Monday, depending on complexity, it’s likely we can see you the same week and if not definitely the week after. Although we explain that our quick wait is due to appointment availability we still have people complain that it has worried them to get an appointment so soon.

I wonder if some of it is because some people who have to work on Sundays may find it harder to get time off work on a sunday than another day due to the shortage of people able/willing to work on sundays, i.e. if they work in retail or hospitality.

Or maybe it's because they don't drive and need public transport to get to hospital and in many areas, the buses/trains on a Sunday are crap, especially trains which don't even start until around 11am in our area and then only run every 2 hours!, plus sparse/poor buses etc on Sundays. Before they finally scrapped the service, the buses from our village that went as far as our city's hospital only ran Monday to Friday, presumably on the assumption few needed to go to the hospital at weekends!

Sometimes there are reasons that aren't quite so obvious.

Oooh, some folk just love to moan! Like many others, I LOVE a Sunday appointment, because the roads are quiet, and the hospital is (usually) quiet. Also, I can go to the big retail park near the hospital (that has about 12 huge stores that I don't have in my little market town,) and then have a walk along the river.

OP YANBU and I completely feel your pain.

I sometimes help with booking surgery dates if the team are short and it’s unbelievable the grief you get from people who have been waiting 2+ years for a surgery date but all of a sudden can’t do the date you are offering because they either A have plans or B aren’t sure if they are mentally ready for the surgery! They then kick off because you can’t fit them in around their expected timeline 🤦🏻‍♀️ I wish I could say yes ok I’ll tell the theatre team and the anaesthesiologists to come in next Wednesday at 11 because that suits you better!!

When they complain that the time to report for surgery is 7:30 and not 9:30, despite “knowing they’re sitting around and waiting”, as if the surgeon and the staff don’t have other things to do!

I’m not slagging anyone off. I think saying that the person calling you is a fucking bitch for suggesting they come in for a Sunday appointment is worse than thinking that people should, on the whole, be grateful for the NHS.

I love weekend appointments too.
I'd have thought most working 9-5 people would be delighted.
Sorry you're getting grief OP

She’s not slagged anyone off

Yes, they can be challenging for disabled and ill people, I agree, especially at short notice. The idea of Sunday outpatients is a good one, if patients have a say about booking the slots with a bit of notice.

My hospital patient transport system works via appointment via one’s GP. So that would be out at short notice. Other people like me need a carer with them 1:1.

There’s something I can’t quite put my finger on about OP’s story …

Your issue is being called a ‘fucking bitch’ over the phone and your NHS Trust’s employer’s policy around the abuse of staff.

Contact your union if your employer is unwilling to provide support. Your Trust absolutely should be supportive of staff.

People should be fined for not turning up. Benefits sanctioned too.

Nigel, is that you?

Having worked in the NHS for decades, none of my admin teams experienced back to back abuse or rudeness from patients and certainly not when being offered an appt. The odd patient, yes, but they were the exception.

Clinical staff on the frontline are more likely to be subject to abuse or front line admin such as at A&E or GP reception/call handling when you are trying to get an appt and there are none available, but its very surprising to hear of so many abusive patients who are being offered an appt being abusive. Something odd is going on imo.

Where I am patients book they hospital transport direct with the ambulance service - 48 hours notice is needed