Time off for medical appointments?

[SpeedySally]

I realise that In the UK, employers are not legally required to grant staff time off to attend doctor, dentist or hospital appointments. However, can I ask how common is it for that to actually be the case? Are many of you expected to make the time up, or take annual leave for it?
Just started a new job where that’s the case and I’ve never encountered that before in my whole working life! Most staff here use toil for appointments.

When I worked for an employer they expected you to book appointments before or after work start and end times, to cause least amount of disruption.

If you couldn't get those times, the requirement was you had to be in work for 2 hours before you could count the appointment in your working hours, or you would have to use toil. You also had to take a document with you for them to stamp to demonstrate you had been.

They had started to make it more difficult to get 'paid' for appointments' before I left, but the staff that want to take the Mick just work around the system anyway.

At my work they encourage booking at start/end of day where possible, otherwise up to 3 hours for an appointment you don't have to take leave. I would usually make up some of the time anyway.

I get 2 hours for a doctor/dentist/optician appointment and 4 hours for a hospital appointment. Vaccinations can be booked as a doctors appointment.

In jobs where staff regularly give a bit more, I find there's flexibility and give and take and provided it's a short absence/not too often people will just pop out. Where staff do their hours and no more, medical appointments are on your own time. I'd expect that if the culture is that lieu time is being accrued (ie staff are never doing anything unpaid) the lieu time would be used.

It does make a difference what it's for though, e.g. a routine dental appointment is different to emergency work

My hours are generally flexible but we are encouraged to wherever possible make appointments so that they don’t impact on any fixed activities in the calendar.

We could take time off but either had to make it up at a later date, use annual leave or take it as unpaid leave.

I've generally found that it depends on how much flexibility the employer wants.

My previous job varied by department. One department expected you to make the time up for short appointments and take leave for anything over a couple of hours. The other department I worked for told me to take whatever I needed because they knew I'd put the hours in when the shit hit the fan, etc. They said the same about appointments for my dd (my boss would refuse the annual leave if I tried to book it).

My current employer is generally flexible as long as the work gets done. I have usually booked half a day if I'm going to be a couple of hours or more.

Dr/dentist appointments you would be expected to book them in non work time or take a half day holiday, have it unpaid, or make up the time.

There would be a little more flexibility for hospital appointments which are allocated/been on a waiting list for.

We have to make up the time. NHS hospital department.

We have to make up the time, though now the GP does telephone appointments no one cares about the 10 minutes for that.

We get whatever we need. We also all work way over our hours on average so it works both ways.

Our shift workers are.asked to try and make appointments on their days off. However where this isn't possible they/we can cover the total shift and they work some other time, or if its at the beginning or end of the shift someone will cover them and they get paid.

I don't work shifts and can WFH if needed. I just tell my boss when my appointment is and how long I'll be gone for - paid.

I've had at least one medical appointment a week for the last 2 month. They are pretty good about it.

Thanks everyone, so interesting. I think I must've been very lucky til now!

Oh wow, this thread makes me feel lucky. We’re allowed a 2 hour credit for any medical appointments so essentially get paid to travel there and attend it. We just have to be at work the same day, but we can for example come to work late or leave early. No requirement to have to be at work for 2 hours first or anything.

In my role/workplace im lucky enough to manage my own hours, as long as the job gets done no one cares what hours I work so I just need to make sure that any appts don't conflict with planned meetings. Other than that they're not tracked in any way or recorded to make time back or anything.

Hospital - if it's a telephone one I take the 5/10 mins. If it's a face to face I take the day off out of annual leave. I have to go to dermatology every 6 months and haematology every 3 months. Fun!
Doctor.. I try and go when I'm working a half day or on annual leave, and same with the dentist

Bonus of working sooooo many hours over contacted time is no one questions when you need a couple of hours off here and there...

During my professional career, there was enough flexibility, although people would generally try for early morning, lunchtime, late afternoon appointments. Overall though, people worked more than regular office hours anyway.

I have now taken a step back, am in a junior position and am much more expected to be on the clock. I have only been here six months and haven’t had an appointment, but I think I would need to use leave.

Dentist and doctors appointments, I take outside of work.

Hospital appointments, I give plenty of notice for, but have always been granted the time off to attend.

I used to have to make up the time
Now I’m more senior, I manage my own time (yet work over my contracted hours, so don’t feel guilty for taking a bit of time out)

Our employees often work over their contracted hours so if they take time off for appts then it's fine - but it's not automatically paid especially now hours worked are more flexible.

NHS here and have to take annual leave for any amount of time off for any appointments

if I had children I can take 30/60 mins to pick them up once a day! Fully flexible for parents.