I recently had occasion to visit a consultant in my local hospital. I was given a 9:00am appointment time, which suited me and my work situation, and I arrived in good time for the appointment. The waiting area for the clinic was empty when I arrived apart from a receptionist, a nurse and one other patient.
I sat down to await my appointed time. The seat I took was directly outside the consultant's office, and the door was open. No-one was in the room.
After a few minutes, I was called to be weighed and measured. Standard procedure for outpatient clinics, but I'm not sure they ever do anything with the results. I returned to my seat, with 10 minutes to go before 'my' time.
At 9:15, with no consultant in view I decided to ask the receptionist (politely) what time the consultant was expected, as after all, I'd managed to get there on time and it would be the least I could expect that they would be too. She replied in a very snotty manner that she hadn't heard but it might be an emergency that had kept the doctor away. I said that was fair enough, but did she have any idea what time she would turn up, as I had to get back to work as soon as possible.
You'd have thought I'd poked her eyes out! She snappily told me that the consultants are all important and very busy people. I replied that for all she knew, I also was important and busy - or would be if I wasn't waiting for someone who was nearly 20 minutes late for work! I stated that if I turned up for work late, without letting anyone know I was delayed, then I'd be in trouble. And my job doesn't involve meeting members of the public who have potentially put themselves out to come see me at a time not of their choosing.
I returned to my seat to continue the wait. The nurse approached me, looked at me as if I were the spawn of Satan and said that I shouldn't worry - there was someone in front of me with an 8:45 appointment. I was the only person in the waiting area by this time! And only my notes were on the desk awaiting the consultant.
At 925, the consultant arrived and swept into the room, closing the door. Five minutes later I was called in. There was no word of apology, nothing to indicate she was running late, or that she thought there was anything wrong with her behaviour.
Is it me? Good manners cost nothing, as my mother used to say. NHS buildings are full of posters threatening that rudeness, aggression or violence towards their staff will not be tolerated. There's nothing that says rudeness to the patients will not be tolerated.
Maybe it's time for a change? After all, without the patients, those important and busy consultants wouldn't have a (ludicrously highly paid) job!
