[Paultheparaglider]

Punctuality was drummed into me throughout my training years and professional life:

Surely in your profession it is better late than dead on time?

[Flyingfemme]

Lateness is bad manners, pure and simple. A late attendee is saying that your time is less important than theirs.

[Jim Jones]

Not a GP, then?

I know you added a smiley, however, from my GP’s website

REASONS THE GP IS LIKELY TO BE RUNNING LATE…
The most common reason for running late is that several patients have come with either very complex or multiple problems. Remember 10 minutes is all that is allocated and only one problem is realistic in that time frame – you should prioritise what really needs to be dealt with today. We are dealing with complex human beings who we are trying to do our best for – you are one of them!
Urgent extras happen every single day and need to be seen – these are squeezed into a non-existent time between appointments. They are never convenient!
Urgent house calls are sometimes needed and can be in the middle of a booked surgery. These often take a minimum of 30 minutes and disrupt the appointments.
We receive urgent phone calls throughout the day, either from patients, relatives, hospital doctors, district nurses, pharmacists, laboratories or care homes. Again these take time.
We are often in the position of breaking bad news to some of you. Maybe even the worst news of all. If that person was you, would you want us to get you out the door as quick as possible, when your world has fallen apart?
We do not just stop seeing patients because all of the appointments are full. Every single day each doctor and nurse sees multiple ‘extra’ patients with no appointment, and this often means that they are late home to spend time with their own family.


In my clinics I’m lucky! I get 15 minutes per patient.

[Charles Hunt]

Time is an illusion.

Sengupta time doubly so.

[Sooty25]

I really can't remember who said this to me, but it stuck.

"to be early, is on time,
to be on time, is late,
and to be late, is unacceptable"

[Bert Presley]

several patients have come with either very complex or multiple problems

In my experience (absolutely not medical), the 'walking out of the door' or the 'by the way' comment is usually the crux of the matter. Is this the same in medicine?

[Bill McCarthy]

My GP called me in as he hadn't seen me in years - took blood tests etc. Called me again to say that he had made a request for a Urologist(?) to see me in Inverness as my PSA results were slightly high. Letter arrived from Inverness for an appointment at 11.00, so set off at 07.30 to get down there, sat in the waiting room for him until about 12.30. Called up, sat down, he then "Googled" my results in front of me and announced that they were entirely OK - I was in there for around twenty seconds. So...... a 250 mile round trip, lost a whole bliddy day - and I could have googled the results myself !!

[flybymike]

several patients have come with either very complex or multiple problems

In my experience (absolutely not medical), the 'walking out of the door' or the 'by the way' comment is usually the crux of the matter. Is this the same in medicine?

That sounds just like “Columbo.”

[Lindsayp]

In my experience over the years on multiple contracts:

- private sector meetings generally start on time, except in the media sector where formal meetings are less cool
- public sector policy-type organisations, ie ones that don't have real customers, meeting attendance is rarely treated as obligatory and attendees are invariably at least 10 minutes late, the lateness depending on how important people think they are. So when I'm chairing, I start at t+2 minutes and if we are not quorate at t+10 I abandon the meeting and let everyone know why. People like my meetings because they rarely last more than 30 minutes
- Public sector service delivery organisations usually meetings start not more than a few minutes late and most people arrive there or thereabouts

[Lindsayp]

In regard to medical lateness: i get the reasons for lateness, but maybe Peter ar FD or another medical type can answer: surely if a person has multiple issues, it is better to treat holistically than a pill for each symptom issued on different days's appointments?

[Cowshed]

Back in the 1990s I worked in West Africa, particularly Ghana which is on the meridian line. So all appointments were made GMT - aka Ghana Maybe Time, which summed up the approach to time keeping. You would frequently turn up for an appointment to find the other person had 'gone away' i.e. back to their home area for a big family occasion (wedding , funeral etc)

My wife was working in the Spanish Embassy - a perfect blend of mañana and GMT

[cockney steve]

@Jim Jones said stuff why his GP ran late.

The local surgery, the local hospitals, likewise......the admin staff know , by the crammed waiting-room, that appointments are too closely -spaced . the collective cost of lost productivity, must be billions
Now, here's a revolutionary idea.

Book -in the first 3 slots, then leave a blank.....reasoning,- It's unlikely all 3 will be no-shows, or late arrivals...next patient -or the one after, are also unlikely to both be late. Amazing! people get seen early or on time, co they extend the courtesy and arrive earlier.

Recently phoned in to say I was stuck in traffic and would be late.

Dragon,- Your appointment was 10 min. ago.

I've been trying your engaged line for 20 min.

Well you will have to rebook 3 weeks hence.
Err, I'll slot in at the end of surgery.
No, you're too late.
Tell me how many are still queued for that doc?...my absence has merely saved 10 minutes off their wait.
Much bluster.

In 42 years, i have NEVER known this surgery to run any where near "on time" ...you can't kid a kidder, your waiting area is STILL jam-packed, isn't it ?
Well there's been an accident and the high St. is blocked.
Alternative route proffered...Worth a try, isn't it ? I'm 2 minutes walk up the same road,to home.

No, you're too late, rebook.
I console myself, if they were any brighter, they'd have a job where they'd have to use initiative and think.
blood test results were 6 weeks old by the time I got to see the doc.
waste of everybody's time.

[nallen]

Let me guess … you've got high blood pressure?

[Paultheparaglider]

What he needs is an emotional support peacock.

[Jim Jones]

“Recently phoned in to say I was stuck in traffic and would be late.”

That’s your problem, no contingency planning, traffic happens.

The real problem is 10 minute appointment slots, 40 consultations a day. No maximum hours safety rule. = No sympathy.