I'm mortified

Exactly. As someone who has worked in primary care, the times a patient would ring for a home appointment and when the health care worker arrived, the patient had gone out !

LOL I am surprised, dentistry or medicine cannot be timed accurately. Sometimes things turn out to be more complicated than expected, a patient can faint, etc, etc. When we go for an appointment and things turn out to be 'not so simple' we are all very grateful time is made to deal with the issue.

Our surgery sends a stern letter to say if we don’t turn up a second time we will be renoved from their list. I think it is utterley unreasonable when appointments are six weeks ahead they don’t send a reminder. The message when phoning tries to direct you any which way but the surgery :999, 111, the pharmacist, then after half an hour of listening to inane music you speak to a receptionist who will either tell you there are no appointments and to phone up when the next batch are released. Even if you have asked for a GP appointment you might end up with a nurse practitioner - who says you need to see a GP. Ours is a three location concern. One I can see from my back garden, but receptionists always try to push you to one or the other locations wich are not reasonably accessible by public transport (three buses and a one mile walk)

Some years ago my brother missed a dental appointment and received an invoice for the dentist’s time which he promptly paid. The appointment was rescheduled and when he arrived on time was kept waiting for over an hour. My brother,who is self employed, invoiced the dentist for his time and the dentist promptly paid!

biglouis

Last time I spoke to my GP she said I had two "missed appointments". I told her no you are wrong because I dont come into the surgery. I only have home visits. She then went on to say that the health visitor had twice called to take a blood test but got no reply.

No these are not APPOINTMENTS unless confirmed with me beforehand. An appointment is made by two parties who agree on a mutually convenient time, not by one calling at random on the other without confirmation.

I imagine the assumption is that if you can't go out to go to the surgery, you are at home. Perhaps?

I would apologise and explain that you got the day mixed up. You might then avoid getting a warning letter from the surgery.

I expect lots of people have forgotten a doctor's appointment at least once in their lives (I have, once) but it is reasonable, I think, for surgeries to give a bit of a telling-off, otherwise people may think it's no big deal.

B9exchange 👍 excellent points you made.

Supergran1946- you obvs havent met our dr's receptionist😅😂

Minimoon-😁

I had a call from the hospital saying ‘Are you coming to your appointment today? You’re already late!’

What appointment? If they want me to be there they could have the courtesy to let me know the day, time and place!

Without that I’m a bit stuck…

As an ex practice manager a courtesy call to say sorry was always appreciated. We all forget things at times and it will not be held against you 😂😂

I am not criticising anyone that has missed an appointment but am surprised at how many there are in a small group of people.

I do not understand why people are upset or annoyed at being reprimanded, the practice managers do not know if you forgot or couldn’t be bothered.

Really not such a big thing.
Phone apologise for missing app and ask for another. Happens so often.

Maggiemaybe

I'd booked a breast screening appointment for tomorrow. When I checked the confirmation letter today it seems the mobile unit isn't in the usual place, where I'd blithely assumed it would be (my fault entirely), and would have been difficult to get to. I hadn't even checked the confirmation details till today. I rang up with an apology to see if I could change the venue and date and they couldn't have been nicer. I did get a "bless you" though, which always makes me feel very, very old.

Hmm... Don't knock it!! I find that to act the dithery old bat has molto benfitio!! If I feel I'm going to get a ticking off or whatever and I'm not up for a face to face I'll put on my ' forgetful yet still beautiful old lady who's just lost the plot ' act....always comes up trumps!!

SNAP!!!! I did the exact same thing in December and another appointment attended in January but I still got a shot across my boughs! A quite rude letter from practice " manager" ( needs to manage her people skills more dear) warning me that- if I did it again I'd be struck off!!!!! I was incandescent with indignation!! ( A two words situation here) after over 40 years and hardly any visits , just let them ask my opinion in their next back patting survey.......

I turned up a day late!, I said no I'm sure it's 16th and receptionist said yes but that was yesterday!☺️☺️ so embarrassed, but staff were ok with it when I eventually turned up at rearranged appointment. I now put everything in my phone's calendar and it sends me reminders

What a relief!
And perhaps they will set up automatic reminders now.

The receptionist was lovely about it and thanked me for being honest, she has arranged for me to get a reminder on the day before in future. travellgran, she also promised I wouldn't be flagged up as a potential dementia patient

Maggiemaybe 😂

We'll all be on the Wall of Shame!

When he rang up and got an appointment for a couple of weeks later the Consultant said they'd been wondering why there had been so many missed appointments!

Helpful, Callistemon!

I've just remembered another daft failure on my part. I agreed to a 7.45am telephone physio appointment. Nobody'd rung by 8.30 and I was feeling a bit annoyed, when suddenly the landline rang. It was the physio, who'd given up on ringing my mobile, which I always have set to Do Not Disturb until 9am.

DH was sent a hospital appointment by text, email and letter.
All these arrived after the appointment time.

I'd booked a breast screening appointment for tomorrow. When I checked the confirmation letter today it seems the mobile unit isn't in the usual place, where I'd blithely assumed it would be (my fault entirely), and would have been difficult to get to. I hadn't even checked the confirmation details till today. I rang up with an apology to see if I could change the venue and date and they couldn't have been nicer. I did get a "bless you" though, which always makes me feel very, very old.

Grammaretto

How kind of that consultant Callistemon.

She's lovely, Grammaretto, but she has moved on now.

I turned up in time for my appointment, handed over my card, only to be told by the receptionist that I was at the wrong hospital! My fault entirely but I felt so stupid and mortified because I never miss appointments.
However, the receptionist was lovely, phoned the other hospital to explain and they agreed to see me. It involved driving on the motorway to another local authority which took about an hour, but I was still seen. I couldn't apologise enough.