Appointments

[Bonefishblues]

Is it just me?

If I get a letter from the NHS for an appointment at the local clinic, turn up 5mins early, and 20mins after my appointment time I'm still not called forward, I go and complain.
What makes them think that their time is more important than my time?
If there's a delay, why can't I be told when I arrive?
If I have an appointment with them, they also have an appointment with me. This is a two-way thing!
If I turned up 20mins late, THEY would complain!

Today, I complained, and then left, and told them to send me another appointment, and we'll try again.

Drives me MAD.

You are retired, they have jobs to do. Their time is more important than your time.

I agree Mick - people don't mind a wait if told "up front". They understand the NHS is under pressure, but to be taken for granted isn't good, and is completely avoidable.

[Cyril Haearn]

Could be there is an emergency, no-one knows whether some patients will need more time
Best to take a book to read, get chatting to the other patient patients, or just relax a while and do nothing

Why does the word 'patient' have both the meanings used above?

[ambodach]

I had an appointment to see a consultant last Wednesday. Left home on Tuesday, saw consultant on time for 10 minutes on Wed. and got home on Thursday. Two nights Premier Inn, total cost somewhere over £200 of which I will get a little back from local health board. What on earth are some of you you complaining about?

[Bonefishblues]

Could be there is an emergency, no-one knows whether some patients will need more time
Best to take a book to read, get chatting to the other patient patients, or just relax a while and do nothing

Why does the word 'patient' have both the meanings used above?

So come out from behind the impermeable barrier and say that, perhaps? My surgery has a "if you've been waiting more than 30 minutes please make yourself known to reception" message on display. I had been, so I did, and after I had been scraped off the bottom of a shoe I was told [sic] to sit back down.

I really don't understand why, culturally, we can't get this more right, more often.

[Bonefishblues]

I had an appointment to see a consultant last Wednesday. Left home on Tuesday, saw consultant on time for 10 minutes on Wed. and got home on Thursday. Two nights Premier Inn, total cost somewhere over £200 of which I will get a little back from local health board. What on earth are some of you you complaining about?

Not being able to live in a stunning but remote part of the country, perhaps

[reohn2]

.......I really don't understand why, culturally, we can't get this more right, more often.

Possibly because the NHS is so underfunded,and as a result theres a shortage of staff and resources?

Yesterdayy I went for a pre-op appointment which took two hours,I was treated courteously and reapectfully by great medical professionals who were working flat out,and which I know for a fact had their lunch break late to accomodate their work load of patients waiting.

Today I had a doctors appointment and was seen roughly about ten to fifteen minutes late,there was about 25 to 50mm of snow on the ground which could've caused a traffic hold up for the doctor who saw me.

Life isn't as precise as some would like it to be,like people aren't as precise as machines and when under pressure and stress may react differenly to machines.
I find if I treat people respectfully and plesantly with a smile,mostly they return the the gesture in kind,there are of course the exceptions to the rule,even some on here,the last comment is not directed at yourself BTW.

[Vorpal]

I really don't understand why, culturally, we can't get this more right, more often.

The biggest reason is that appointment times & rules for appointment times are not based upon need. I suppose that they are based upon cost.

There is a certain amount of sense to it, in that they have taken an average, and reduced it a few minutes as a 'target'. The problem with that is twofold. One is that the distribution is not a normal distribution. It is log-normal, which means that the average is not the mean. So, they are using the wrong model.

The second part of that is of course that early in the day, if someone doesn't need the whole 20 minutes, they cannot always use that to make upt the difference of someone needing more time.

So, most days (90% of the time?) appointments are going to run late by the end of the day.

What they need is to create a queing model, like McDonald's does, figure out how long they need per appointment, how often queues build, and then stick a couple of breaks or emergency appointment times in there that can be used if the time is available.

It's not rocket science. It may be unpredictable on a minute by minute basis, but it's not unpredictable on an overall basis.

[Bonefishblues]

.......I really don't understand why, culturally, we can't get this more right, more often.

Possibly because the NHS is so underfunded,and as a result theres a shortage of staff and resources?

Yesterdayy I went for a pre-op appointment which took two hours,I was treated courteously and reapectfully by great medical professionals who were working flat out,and which I know for a fact had their lunch break late to accomodate their work load of patients waiting.

Today I had a doctors appointment and was seen roughly about ten to fifteen minutes late,there was about 25 to 50mm of snow on the ground which could've caused a traffic hold up for the doctor who saw me.

Life isn't as precise as some would like it to be,like people aren't as precise as machines and when under pressure and stress may react differenly to machines.
I find if I treat people respectfully and plesantly with a smile,mostly they return the the gesture in kind,there are of course the exceptions to the rule,even some on here,the last comment is not directed at yourself BTW.

Not sure I buy that - given how widely my experience varies. Everyone's under pressure, that I accept, but the contacts vary so widely that I can only put it down to management capability and leadership, amongst other things. And yes, I am unfailingly courteous (yvmv )

[Bonefishblues]

I really don't understand why, culturally, we can't get this more right, more often.

The biggest reason is that appointment times & rules for appointment times are not based upon need. I suppose that they are based upon cost.

There is a certain amount of sense to it, in that they have taken an average, and reduced it a few minutes as a 'target'. The problem with that is twofold. One is that the distribution is not a normal distribution. It is log-normal, which means that the average is not the mean. So, they are using the wrong model.

The second part of that is of course that early in the day, if someone doesn't need the whole 20 minutes, they cannot always use that to make upt the difference of someone needing more time.

So, most days (90% of the time?) appointments are going to run late by the end of the day.

What they need is to create a queing model, like McDonald's does, figure out how long they need per appointment, how often queues build, and then stick a couple of breaks or emergency appointment times in there that can be used if the time is available.

It's not rocket science. It may be unpredictable on a minute by minute basis, but it's not unpredictable on an overall basis.

Understand that, and it's a good suggestion, but I was referencing the cultural end of it which simply lets the patient/customer know, even if it's for the nth time that day/week/month.

[Cyril Haearn]

..
..
I find if I treat people respectfully and plesantly with a smile,mostly they return the the gesture in kind,there are of course the exceptions to the rule,even some on here,the last comment is not directed at yourself BTW.

I try to do that too, especially when someone is unfriendly
Sometimes the reciprocal friendliness comes from someone else later

[reohn2]

..
..
I find if I treat people respectfully and plesantly with a smile,mostly they return the the gesture in kind,there are of course the exceptions to the rule,even some on here,the last comment is not directed at yourself BTW.

I try to do that too, especially when someone is unfriendly
Sometimes the reciprocal friendliness comes from someone else later

I agree but occassionally some people cannot be civil or courteuos,if a pattern emerges in the negative its only then will I make my feelings known .

[reohn2]

Not sure I buy that - given how widely my experience varies. Everyone's under pressure, that I accept, but the contacts vary so widely that I can only put it down to management capability and leadership, amongst other things.

If you know or speak to anyone at the cutting edge within the NHS it become apparent that they dont have much confidence in the management tthat control their working lives.

And yes, I am unfailingly courteous (yvmv )

I sometimes wish I had your patience

[thirdcrank]

On of the often quoted things about how the NHS has changed in recent years is the reduction in the number of beds. Part of this is explained by things like keyhole surgery reducing the recovery time in hospital, so fewer beds are needed, but I suspect the reduction has gone too far.

Our neighbour who lives directly opposite and is 70ish has been waiting for surgery on his neck for a couple of years. Whatever it is that's wrong is steadily destroying his mobility: he's gone from walking with difficulty, using sticks then crutches and now he's in a wheelchair. He does his bit in trying to prepare for surgery and keep as fit as possible. He's got some sort of exercise bike and I can see him pedalling away in the sitting room hours at a time.

His long-awaited appointment for the surgery was today, into hospital for preparation yesterday evening. Six inches of snow in a couple of hours yesterday so panic stations as the traffic was chaotic in the morning. I did my bit by wielding the snow shovel to clear the path from their front door so his wheelchair wouldn't get stuck and, fortunately, the thaw was nearly as quick as the snowfall. Ambulance arrived on time, off they went and a couple of hours later he was back home, op cancelled, no bed.

[Psamathe]

.......I really don't understand why, culturally, we can't get this more right, more often.

Possibly because the NHS is so underfunded,and as a result theres a shortage of staff and resources?

Yesterdayy I went for a pre-op appointment which took two hours,I was treated courteously and reapectfully by great medical professionals who were working flat out,and which I know for a fact had their lunch break late to accomodate their work load of patients waiting.

Today I had a doctors appointment and was seen roughly about ten to fifteen minutes late,there was about 25 to 50mm of snow on the ground which could've caused a traffic hold up for the doctor who saw me.

Life isn't as precise as some would like it to be,like people aren't as precise as machines and when under pressure and stress may react differenly to machines.
I find if I treat people respectfully and plesantly with a smile,mostly they return the the gesture in kind,there are of course the exceptions to the rule,even some on here,the last comment is not directed at yourself BTW. :wink:

I would agree. My own experiences (recently now at two practices) is that the receptionists are flat out - you often have to wait at the desk for 3-4 mins before they can even look up and deal with you. So add telling and updating everybody waiting about the wait time, delays, etc. would mean more staff which would mean more money and yet they seem to be getting ever less (plus being asked to do ever more).

Last week had to sit around waiting for 4½ hrs waiting to see a nurse. Only updates were a digital "Waiting time" display which is actually pretty useless as it is based on waiting time for newly arriving people, not those who have already been waiting for a couple of hours. So we sat and waited quietly (though the screaming kids running around didn't!).

Ian

[Bonefishblues]

Not in my limited (i.e. this specific occasion I've cited) experience. Starting to get mildly narked, I specifically noted the amount of time spent bitching to colleagues about life, the universe and everything. There was plenty of time to extend simple human courtesy, if the thought had even vaguely occurred.

Contrast this perhaps with a call centre worker who spends 8 hours being offered a call the instant they finish the previous one - usually issues, problems, complaints et al from unhappy people, who, cloaked in anonymity (they assume) are often rude, abusive, and much else, and who, again in my personal experience, seem to do a rather better job more of the time.