[Closed] Why are GPs ALWAYS running late?

Same with dentists - always miles behind schedule...

Ours aren't too bad
It must be a nightmare trying to work timings out though

I always insist on as early as poss to try and mitigate any delays, I'm often first in

Do they not run a repeat prescription service?

My dentist is always on time, but does cost £96 for a check up, clean and polish. You get what you pay for ! (I don't believe in NHS dentists)

Drac +1

What bugs me is when you turn up for an appointment at 0800 and theyre already late. How is it possible to be late, when I'm the first in?!

You know how when people take a bike into a bike shop (having booked it in for a simple 20 min job) they suddenly add "can you just...(true my wheels/bleed my brakes/adjust my gears)?" and that simple 20 min job becomes a nightmare 2hr job?

Well that's what happens in doctors surgeries. The old biddies go in with a bit of a sniffle but then while they're in there it's suddenly "my piles are playing up/can you check on my varicose veins/I've got some pain here as well" and the GP is obliged to sit down and discuss with them their multiple ailments.

As I understand it GPs get around six minutes per patient, including the time to write it up once you leave. So all it takes is a couple of talkative old biddies and they are behind.

They do repeats but I've been asked in for a med's review.

i often wonder this. I dont think i have ever been in with a GP for more than 5 minutes, so how do they get so far behind? Most other people there seem to be in and out as quickly.

I am always particularly impressed when i have a 9am appointment as to how far behind they can be.

Relax dude, you might get a heart attack. The person(s) before you may have some serious stuff going on that doesn't fit into a time bracket, hence a delay?

or just unleash hell in the waiting room. or moan on internet.. whatever is good for your health!

They do repeats but I've been asked in for a med's review.

Not just a prescription then but yes they often get behind, maybe someone came in who was seriously ill. It does happen and they they have to wait for the Blue Light Taxi to help them out. All the time the people are puffing and panting and looking at there watches as they're going to miss Pebble Mill at One.

What bugs me is when you turn up for an appointment at 0800 and theyre already late. How is it possible to be late, when I'm the first in?

Because they had to pick up an emergency home visit on the way in?

also,
They sometimes need to fit in emergency appointments through the day, this also adds to any delays

if you can get hold of this article on the web or at your local library i would strongly suggest reading it:

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v33/n13/jonathon-tomlinson/diary

My dentist is always on time and i'm an NHS patient. When I needed shedloads of work doing she pushed all the appointments and treatments into one episode of care so i only had to pay the £186 (around) once.

Regarding GP's some problably do faff, others are still old school and fitting in urgent, and often non-urgent, house calls so may be running late cos of that. The pressure to see patients once that days list is full can also contribute and, again, this varies practice to practice. Patients sometimes wish to discuss numerous issues even though the time slot is allocated for one problem. Could be a multitude of genuine, understandable reasons or just a disorganised or workshy tosser.

I work closely with GP's every day and they, like other groups, range from the brilliant to some who I wouldn't trust to tell me the right time.

Overall I quite like the NHS

I think Derek must be in now getting his Viagra

dickydutch - Member
What bugs me is when you turn up for an appointment at 0800 and theyre already late. How is it possible to be late, when I'm the first in?!

This gets me. I used to go to a dentist in Cambridge and aim to get the earliest appointment possible; 8:30 or so.
Every time, there would be a 30 mins or so delay, and my car would be outside on the meter, getting ever closer to running out of change.

The one time I turned up late (about 3 mins), I was told I had missed my slot and would have to re-book. When I kicked up a fuss about it, I was told that actually they could see me, but they were running about 30 mins behind schedule (so me being late, hadn't actually made any difference!!).

It has already past my appt. time

So you've turned up late and you're moaning that the DR is running late?

Doesn't take much for delays to occur because alloted times are too short. As already said, someone saying 'Oh and can you have a look at this as well?' instantly causes a delay.

I don't believe in NHS dentists

I have gone into to see the GP for a "5 minute" "emergency" appointment before and been in there for an hour with three GPs, before being rushed to hospital in an ambulance. It may come as news to you, but some people who go to see the doc are actually pretty ill.

I have heard that they overbook the slots too, as so many people don't turn up. Prolly cos it's free, so people don't value the service.

To clarify: my appt was 15:40. I got to surgery at 15:30. I have just got out clutching my prescription. Not my chest !

Oh and no semblance of an apology.

and did you have to put your hand in your pocket? in every other eu country you'd be 25 quid down now.

Oh no. Quick get on the phone for some compo!

Oh and no semblance of an apology.

I expect they'll write you

get over it.

dickydutch - Member
What bugs me is when you turn up for an appointment at 0800 and theyre already late. How is it possible to be late, when I'm the first in?!

My GP's has been pretty on time on the few times I;ve been there. My missus goes a fair bit more regularly than I do and she finds the same.

A clinic at the local hospital though... we had the first appointment of the day once for the other half, we were seen an hour late. We were the FIRST appointment. Amazing... the queue must have been a nightmare by the end of the day.

You do realise that GPs and healthcare staff do other equally important stuff in the morning before they see patients dont you?

I think the answer you are looking for is.. All doctors are complete utter timewasting bastards that have no intention of looking after your personal health or wellbeing. Is that ok? Is that what you want to hear? wait a bit, you're not gonna die!

I think they're all lurking on STW.

210 patient just turned up at 347. Still seen though, despite no apology in sight.

Kevevs

I knew it!

Chandler, Friends series 4

At last, kevevs has called it. I thank you sir.

To be honest I was bored waiting to see the doc so I posted this to see if it's a nationwide thing.
I don't mind waiting for free stuff and the NHS can be outstanding.

210 patient just turned up at 347. Still seen though, despite no apology in sight.

Well that patient is a douche, should consider themselves lucky to be seen and apologise profusely. I don't think anyone would disagree with that.

He won't recognise the new "Mr Skinny" Starship.

hmm...

My doctor kept me waiting an hour last week, but she was apologetic and I got three prescriptions for heavy-duty painkillers, an X-ray and a physio referral out of it - so it was worth the wait I think.

SBZ, was that the vacuum cleaner/willy incident?

I have gone into to see the GP for a "5 minute" "emergency" appointment before and been in there for an hour with three GPs, before being rushed to hospital in an ambulance.

It took 3 different GPs an hour to realise you needed to be "rushed" to hospital?

Remind me never to use your local surgery if i'm seriously ill 🙄

I'm a GP who normally runs to time. Some GPs (there's at least one in every practice) always run late - just like any other person it's caused by a mixture of things like being generally disorganised and talking too much. Their patients often love 'em though because they'll always take the time to make their patients feel special...

Genuine medical emergencies happen of course and it only takes one to get an hour behind. Have you ever tried calling a hospital switchboard to speak to the on call doctor to get a patient admitted?! Ambulances normally take more time to pick patients up from a GP's surgery too so that guy on oxygen aint going anywhere until the ambulance turns up and carts him off.

Unfortunately though most of the time it's the buggers booked in before you who turn up late (even 2 or 3 minutes which is really common quickly adds up in a standard 18 patient surgery booked at 10 minute intervals which aren't quite long enough for most patients anyhow), can't find your room, don't understand the patient call system (so sit in the waiting room wondering what that buzzing noise is), don't check in, etc then have half a dozen problems. Also, apologies often get met with some sort of expectation of an explanation which adds another minute or 2. Some practices and GPs are better at managing this than others but there's a balance to be struck.

Ultimately the system has no slack in it at all (apart from the golf and drinks at lunchtime of course...).

Minor rant over.

I run to time or early most of the time and apologise to anyone I keep waiting more than 15 minutes. It isn't that hard to organise things. But there are colleagues, just as there are people in life who cannot be punctual. And that includes patients...

Crikey - not that time. This was the tungsten cock ring incident. Or it might have been the meningacoccal meningitis incident.