Why do GP practices always require you to be there 10-15 mins early but always have you sat around for ages when there?
Posted by sachdamasta@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 64 comments
This one is for anyone who may work in a GP practice if they could enlighten me as sometimes it just seems daft, partner had to go get some bloods taken and was there in time for her appointment, despite there literally being no-one else in the waiting room they still made her wait like 20ish mins before seeing her.
Why are they like this?
Ill-Opportunity8918@reddit
And how do all the appointments go in 20 mins when there's one person answering the phone and three or four doctors. Plus when you get there it's common for you to be the only person in the waiting room. What are these doctors doing all day.
SeniorMoonlight21@reddit
Because most of the time most appointments are booked in advance and they are extremely busy and often oversubscribed. Being the only person in the waiting room literally means nothing. Doctors deal with a lot of telephone appointments, video appointments if their practice offers it and e consults.
Ill-Opportunity8918@reddit
It's just that my practice is a pretty big place. It's always deserted. Seems odd because pre covid it was always busy and appointments were easier to get
_FreddieLovesDelilah@reddit
I actually heard the receptionist getting annoyed with someone for being 15 mins early.
PsychologicalDish430@reddit
I hate this. They are quick enough to complain and even charge when a patient is late, but when it's the other way round they couldn't care less.
SeniorMoonlight21@reddit
No NHS GP surgeries in the UK charge patients if they are late to their appointments. If a GP surgery is doing so then its private and tbh if someone can afford to go to a private GP surgery and is late then that is down to them, and they can afford to pay the late charge.
Truewit_@reddit
It’s a prompt because plenty of people show up late otherwise and waste everyone’s time, not just their own.
sachdamasta@reddit (OP)
I totally understand that but why punish people who are actually punctual and respect other people's time? Seems counter-intuitive to make people who were on time wait extra to pay for the crimes of others if you get me?
missuseme@reddit
They don't punish people for not being early.
sachdamasta@reddit (OP)
My example was dramatic of course but technically if you are on time and made to wait an additional 15-20 mins beyond your appt time then you are being punished for the generic lateness of others no?
GFoxtrot@reddit
It’s not always because others are late, the GP may have tried to squeeze someone in for something urgent or maybe the patient before me is having a really terrible time and needs some more time from the staff.
Whilst it’s frustrating waiting past your appointment time I’ve been that squeezed in patient before in medical settings and I’m very grateful.
Ballbag94@reddit
I think we should do away with the time system altogether and just have a "turn up and take a number system"
It's easier to stomach a long wait when you aren't "late" and it would mean doctors don't feel compelled to get people done in their slot so people who need more time can just have it
newbracelet@reddit
Had this at my uni GP, no booked appointments you turn up and get a number and wait your turn. It was an absolute nightmare, there would be a scrum at the doors when the surgery opened and you'd often be waiting several hours to be seen. Meant you couldn't just go to the GP for a repeat issue between lectures, you had to clear your entire morning for it.
I believe in that case it was because too many people would be no shows with pre-booked appointments, which makes sense with a student population but I hated it.
Ballbag94@reddit
I mean, this can happen under the current system too, just with the added frustration of how late they are
Maybe a better solution is to keep the time slots so you can book ahead but have a virtual queue where you can see how many people are left until you get called, at least then people could wait at home instead of turning up at a time that's supposed to be convenient and then waiting until long past that convenient time to actually be seen
GFoxtrot@reddit
That just pushes medical care away from those who can’t afford to sit and wait all day and isn’t fair.
Ballbag94@reddit
That's a good point, but functionally it's not a lot different to how it behaves now
Like, your appointment might be at 10, so you turn up at 0959 and then your appointment is late and you wait until it actually happens which is unknown. You're still sitting and waiting for an unknown period of time during a work day
At least if it was a number system you'd know how many people were ahead of you and you could get in first by turning up super early
YourOwnDemise@reddit
First come first serve is a terrible idea for a healthcare system. Guarantees people with more severe illnesses or disabilities that might take longer will be arrive will be further down the queue.
Ballbag94@reddit
I mean, that would depend entirely on the time the doctor opens and you could also have a series of numbers to allow accommodations for people in those scenarios who presumably are a minority
Ultimately there isn't going to be a perfect system but I don't think any answer involves the current system which simultaneously means that people with complex needs don't get everything addressed due to the time pressure and also everyone's appointments happen at completely different times to the ones allotted so people are left waiting with no idea how long they might be there
Lunaspoona@reddit
Thats all well and good if you have time to sit in the doctors all day. If you are working or have kids a time would be needed. Not all illnesses require time off work, but still may require a GP appointment.
Ballbag94@reddit
This is a good point, although I do have a rebuttal here
TheNecroFrog@reddit
If you don’t have a victim complex no, just accept that sometimes things don’t always happen on time you’ll be much happier in life.
missuseme@reddit
That isn't a punishment.
If your bus is late because passengers were slow to get on/off at a stop before you that doesn't mean the bus driver is punishing you.
EnterShakira_@reddit
They don't do it to punish everyone, they do it so that people are (theoretically) more likely to be there on time for their appointment, and then the only thing holding the queue up is individual appointment length rather than sitting around waiting for someone to turn up.
Later day appointments will basically always be late because of compound effects of delays.
Jazs1994@reddit
You do realize some people go over their time slots and some people finish early. So if the person before you finishes early they can get to you sooner.
I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS@reddit
They're not doing it on purpose. There's an argument to be made for making appointments longer, but then there would be fewer available per day and people already complain as it is.
Truewit_@reddit
I mean I get seen early regularly at my GP when I show up early. I guess it’s just a matter of demand. If you’re unlucky enough to be going in days when they’ve got a lot on them the befits will be invisible to you. From their perspective though it’s definitely better to get people early than to have to kick a load of people out because of how behind they are at the end of the day.
geeered@reddit
Because it's more work for them to single people out, likely gets them a load of flak and even worse if it's a group with a protected characteristic that is more likely to be treated differently.
Original_Document748@reddit
Lol . They're not " punishing " you . The whole world doesn't revolve around you and your appointment. Stuff happens. Its not like they turn up everyday and plan to get behind .
Adanar01@reddit
It's not punishment it's just how it works out. If they didn't and just asked everyone to arrive right as their appointment was due the waits would be even worse.
At least this way the people who would just be 5 minutes late because of traffic, left a bit too late, poor planning etc don't further add to the pile. The people that are really late but still need to be seen are where the problem likely arises from but no amount of "please arrive x amount of time before" will make a difference to them for a variety of reasons.
Don't take something to be punishment when it's really just unfortunate circumstances of ths system, it's really not as personal as you think.
SeniorMoonlight21@reddit
This is such an entitled take.
Its medicine, shit happens. For example, patient takes a funny turn, dr has to break back news to someone, running behind because of urgent results that have came in, slightly behind on telephone appointments, etc. There are a whole bunch of reasons why they run behind, and most GP surgeries do have notices up saying this.
Another thing people always say which means literally nothing. Just because you do not see any other patients in the waiting room doesn't mean the doctor isn't busy with telephone appointments, e consults, general admin or meetings.
SuboptimalOutcome@reddit
My worst example of this, appointment with an orthopaedic consultant. The clinic called me and asked if I could come in an hour early, so x-rays could be taken and not delay the appointment. Turned up early and sat waiting 80 minutes for the staff to do the paperwork for me to take to x-ray.
audigex@reddit
There's kinda two things here. Why are they usually running late? A combination of old people chatting for ages, government pressure meaning they have to squeeze more appointments in than really fit into the time, and a mother phoning up with a concern about their baby that the doctor tries to fit in as an extra appointment because nobody wants to take any chances with infants
The clinician's time is incredibly valuable, and if everyone turns up a few minutes late then that can waste several appointments across a day - so they ask you to be early to ensure that if you're held up, you're still on time. It makes far more sense for each patient to turn up a little early rather than to risk having a doctor or nurse sitting around twiddling their thumbs when they could have fit an extra patient in
Plus if you're 10-15 minutes early and the person before you didn't show up, you can take their appointment and the doctor can be ahead of schedule for when they're inevitably held up later
Think about how hard it is to get an appointment - clearly it's better for every patient to waste 10 minutes once a year, rather than for the doctor or nurse to waste 10 minutes a couple of times a day
Defiant-Insect-3785@reddit
I’m not a GP but I do work 1:1 with people on an appointment basis. You’d be amazed how many people are “a couple of minutes late” because the traffic was bad, or there was a queue in the car park, or I had to pop to the loo, there was a queue at reception to check in etc. If you’ve only got short appointments then those couple of minutes add up and later appointments become delayed. 3 minutes late doesn’t seem a big deal to the customer but once 3 people have been 3 minutes late that’s a 9 minute delay on everyone else’s appointments.
I always ask people to arrive at least 5 minutes early, I still have people turn up late multiple times a day. You also get the people who just don’t turn up. If the next client is 15 minutes early they can be seen earlier and everyone after you can either be seen early or are more likely to be seen on time.
lovesorangesoda636@reddit
Telling people to get somewhere early means there's a greater chance they'll actually be on time. Those extra 10 minutes give you more wiggle room to find parking or wrestle a child.
An empty waiting room doesn't mean the staff aren't busy. Phone appointments, writing up notes, prepping the room, liaising with other members of staff... these things all take time. Then throw in the patients who do arrive late but who are seen or the patients who have a 10 minute appointment but end up needing 20... you can see how the schedule slips.
DigitalStefan@reddit
Probably because people like me rock up and get seen quickly with a same-day appointment.
To be fair it was pretty urgent both times and resulted in me having a minor op recently.
MrReadilyUnready@reddit
Appointments very often do not run on time. NHS appointments are theoretically 10 minutes long, but in practice it's almost always never that quick. You being late would make us run even further behind time.
teekay61@reddit
I think it can happen when appointments run late and they try and avoid this by making sure people are actually on time once they've dealt with traffic and parking.
My practice is thankfully pretty ruthless with timekeeping - I've been seen early before where the previous person hasn't turned up on time and they've moved on to the next appointment.
GordonLivingstone@reddit
I don't work in a GP practice but I have spent plenty of time attending appointments and my father was a GP.
Just spent twenty minutes waiting for an appointment this morning.
It is pretty obvious that appointment lengths (except for things like routine blood draws) are inherently unpredictable - unless the doctor is going to regularly cut the patient off before he has come to a diagnosis or made a referral. Plus, urgent requests for appointments will come in on the day for things that can't wait - like chest pain, breathing difficulties or apparent infections.
So, if I was scheduling appointments, I would book a certain number at a standard time and leave a number of slots free for urgent on-the-day cases.
Regardless, things are likely to go wrong and appointments start to slip as the morning goes on. Or slip from the outset if a really ill patient arrives first thing.
You could avoid slippage most of the time by taking fewer bookings - but, demand nearly always exceeds supply, and you don't want to waste scarce medical resources by having doctors sitting twiddling their thumbs.
On balance, I would rather sit a bit longer waiting for the doctor than not be able to see anyone when really necessary and/or be unable to get an appointment for months ahead.
Laura_the_scorer@reddit
I have been the patient before you expecting a short visit with the doctor. Not multiple questions and which tests and then phone calls to different A&E departments to work out where was best to send me before making my way out nearly half an hour later. Sorry to have delayed your appointment
Timely_Egg_6827@reddit
Having been one of those really annoying people who queue jump because someone has likely called the doctor that someone has to be moved to just in case meds and the paperwork is both urgent and complicated or please could a nurse attend my house-bound father as he may have an infection as he thinks he is a butterfly and about to jump out the window.
If Mrs X before you has to go to clinic Y for suspcicion of cancer, best doctor write up the referral then. If lot of complicated cases, then it back logs.
I do empathaise as hate waiting too. Thankfully bloods is usually quick as nurse does them.
Pristine_Health_2076@reddit
They might be running late with phone appointments. My surgery starts calls really early in the morning.
MouseAgreeable9970@reddit
Being a bit early also means that if someone is late for their appointment, they could see the next person waiting instead and then see the one who was running late. But usually if the clinic is running late, they’re not doing nothing. They’re making a referral or doing bloods labelling, or having a phone appointment or chasing something up.
LauraHday@reddit
See also: why are GP practises always boiling hot in the waiting area with no fans or ventilation while the staff are sat in a fully air conditioned office
Eyoopmiduck@reddit
My GP doesn’t. I just need to be checked in by my appointment time. Takes about 10 seconds to check in. I have been with 3 practices in the past two years and none have required me to be 10 minutes early so it’s not universal.
GreenyRed@reddit
Because your time is not as valuable as theirs.
Lazy-Limit-8684@reddit
It’s much better for everyone to be early for an appointment and any delays be caused by actual medical issues rather than any delays be caused by late arrivals.
terryjuicelawson@reddit
I have never seen this as a requirement, it is probably as if they ask people to be early, it is more likely they will be on time even if running late. Some people seem to take an appointment at 2pm meaning pulling into the car park at 2:01.
TheKnightsRider@reddit
Arriving at your appointment time, isn’t on time. You should be there before to check in, etc.
Ok_Aioli3897@reddit
Because they are doing paperwork from the last visit etc.
A lot of doctors also do telephone appointments now
weallcomefromaway3@reddit
I'm a GP, we never ask people to come early for their appointment, just to be on time. The person doing your appointment might be running late for all sorts of reasons. Not only do they have in person appointments, they likely have admin tasks to do and from time to time emergencies/ urgent issues crop up that need to be dealt with.
ClimbsNFlysThings@reddit
Five minutes before the five minutes before
swordoftruth1963@reddit
We want our health care to improve efficiency. The best way to do this is to get patients lined up so there are no gaps. People who moan about public services needing to increase productivity never understand the downside. Making it harder to access GPs also weeds out those who don't really need their appointment, although there is a argument about creating problems down the line on this one
Zubi_Q@reddit
Dentists are the same. I need to get back to work, FFS
KeldornWithCarsomyr@reddit
Same reason airlines overbook flights.
They know 10% of people won't show up, so they overbook to correct for this. But due to how variability works, some days there will be more than they can handle.
Original_Document748@reddit
They don't " always " do this . They do it when they get behind for whatever reason. Usually ppl being late or an emergency .
YouSayWotNow@reddit
I've never been asked to do this by any of the GP surgeries I've been registered with.
Key-Sir7532@reddit
I don't think this is a universal thing. I've never had to do this, or been asked to do this.
buttpugggs@reddit
Because far too many people turn up late to appointments so they build in a bit of a buffer. On top of that, sometimes things take longer than expected and appointments get pushed back a bit.
Silvagadron@reddit
Do they? The last two I've had have explicitly said not to show up earlier than the time you're scheduled to be seen.
Etheria_system@reddit
Because people tend to run late - if they’re aiming for 10-15 minutes early, it means people will arrive on time. If they’re aiming for being on time, a lot of people will end up being late.
Historical-One2407@reddit
I don’t ask patients to be early - just on time - if you’re five minutes late then that leaves five minutes for the appointment - if I’m running late I always apologise but it’s usually because someone is particularly unwell and needs way longer than ten minutes 🤗
notthedoodaa@reddit
My dentist is like this. Tells me to arrive 10 mins before my appointment, then I'm always sat waiting long after my appointment.
AirlineSevere7456@reddit
Mine has never told me to be 10-15 minutes early. I arrive with a few minutes to spare and use the touchscreen to "check in". That's it.
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