Booked emergency hospital appointment

[dchange]

I booked a hospital appointment in the morning for 1pm (only slot). This clashed with a meeting that lasted 10 minutes. I told my boss immediately I won't be able to join. I then speak with him latter and goes on to say how weird it is that I had a hospital appointment last minute and he would like to get details of my hospital.

In last 2 years I have taken 1 sick day.

Is this crazy or am I going crazy!

But you know that’s what your boss will have thought, don’t you? Hospital appointment is 2nd line, more serious. GP is first line.

I can’t believe you aren’t grasping this.

You misspoke and said hospital instead of GP which sounded less plausible. Hospital appointments are known weeks in advance or actual emergencies which don't require an appointment.

Had you said GP appointment it is likely employer would have taken your word for it.

@Sally872 you can be given a same day hospital appointment.

@dchange I would start keeping a diary of incidents like this if you do feel it's truly against you... I would also ask for HR to write a letter confirming you've provided the evidence as requested so that they cannot "lose" it, particularly if it's all been spoken at the moment.

I have in my experience used the word hospital for general medical appointment. I have never had to be explicit.

But it’s not about being explicit, it’s about being accurate so people (including us and your boss) have a clue what your talking about. If you’re always this obtuse and stubborn when called out on it, it’s possibly not surprising your boss wants some clarity on your appointments.

Or alternatively email the evidence with an "evidence as requested note" and then forwards to your personal email once sent.

If you had told him it was a GP appointment there probably would have been no issue - but you said it was an emergency hospital appointment which has made him wonder - as it did most of the posters on this thread!! Why can you not see this?

Yes you can be given a same day hospital appointment. I have. Frequently.

But that’s still different to a GP appointment.

Just ask them for a letter. And stop calling standard GP appointments hospital appointments in future

But in my mind, I put GP, dental, and hospital in the same bucket. I am going to see a medical professional. In the nicest possible way it doesnt matter whats in your mind, its what youve put into your boss' mind thats the issue. Youve got a thread full of people showing you what your choice of vocab puts into other peoples minds. I think you need to be a bit more precise in future.

@dchange

Apologies. Gp practice is in the hospital building so just say hospital.

But this is interesting that I actually need to provide evidence. Would never have thought!

That’s probably what’s thrown him, the fact that you said it was a last minute hospital appointment when you meant gp. I would tell him to ring your gp if he wants confirmation. They won’t tell him anything. Hope you’re ok.

if you told me you had booked a last minute hospital appointment I too would have asked for details of the hospital involved so I could use this wondrous last minute system that I have never heard of. Just change your terminology.

I'm also not sure why saying hospital is an issue. Where I'm from we would call it a hospital appointment even if it's an appointment with GP

If one of my team told me they had a same day hospital appointment I’d be sceptical. I’m not sure it would improve the situation much if they then produced evidence of a GP’s appointment as it would confirm that their word could not be relied on!

I would say GP appointment or Dr appointment for GP and hospital appointment for a specialist hospital appointment. I say physio for physio and OT for OT.

Helps to avoid confusion I find.

@Galliano

If one of my team told me they had a same day hospital appointment I’d be sceptical. I’m not sure it would improve the situation much if they then produced evidence of a GP’s appointment as it would confirm that their word could not be relied on!

I’ve had two same day hospital appts when there has been significant concern necessitating urgent review. My employer was only ever very concerned for me. It’s not something that’s normal and will be noticed as such. Therefore you’re now going to hand in a GP appt which suggests you weren’t telling the whole truth I’m afraid- even if it was accidental

@VaccineSticker sorry I should have been more clear, I meant I had never heard of a same day hospital appointment you book yourself.

Happy to be corrected if they exist, I've just never heard of it before.

I've had emergency hospital appointment; for my child.

I ring my consultant’s secretary and he sees me the same day on occasion so it can happen.

But I have long term health conditions and am disabled by them, which my work know, and I’d never call a GP appointment a hospital appointment.

I’ve heard of emergency/last minute gp and hospital appointments.

I also know of a few workplaces that require evidence although I’ve never needed to give it in my workplace.

If one of my team told me they had a same day hospital appointment I’d be sceptical. I’m not sure it would improve the situation much if they then produced evidence of a GP’s appointment as it would confirm that their word could not be relied on!

I would think that they were probably nervous about what could be a serious health issue and the correct wording was probably the last thing on their mind.

I don’t know if I’m technically required to give evidence, but if I have a hospital appointment come through I usually just snap a photo and attach it to the email to my boss asking them for the time to go.

I work in a hospital, you can get emergency same day hospital appointments. I arrange them for some of my patients, but they are rare and are for known patients (as in patients with conditions that we have seen before) in emergencies (in my discipline anyway).

So if you have hardly have any sick days and don’t have any known complex medical issues I can see why he was suspicious by your wording. I think he will probably assume like most people seem to here that you deliberately said hospital appointment to describe a GP appointment to make it appear more serious so he wouldn’t object or question the last minute notice. I would just explain to him why you say hospital and get proof from the GP surgery of your attendance, I’m not sure he will believe you, but you shouldn’t get into trouble as you can prove you did have a medical appointment, he just might not trust you very much going forward as you did mislead him (whether on purpose or not).

What on earth is the point of this thread?

This is all a bit obtuse OP. Most^ people would find your interchangeable use of hospital and GP^ confusing.

They're not the same thing. One usually dishes out same day appointments and the other usually sends you an appointment for sometime in the future. They're both medical but they indicate a different level of seriousness and operate generally in different ways. There may be exceptions of course but they are unusual.

Because you mixed up the two medical systems in your request OP it didn't sound very credible.

This is probably why your boss wanted to check. I think if you look at the reactions on here you'll see most people can see this.

Our workplace gives paid time off for "hospital appointments", but expects you to book "GP appointments" or "Dentist appointments" in your own time, or make up the hours. This is because hospital appointments tend to be more infrequent, and the time tends to be allocated, with little flexibility for change, whereas Drs/Dentist appts tend to be bookable with flexibility (not so much so nowadays) and far more frequent/expected.

I wonder if OPs workplace is the same, and why she tends to use "hospital appointment" when she means GPs appointment/Dentists appointment ...