"Clinics always running late"

The staff are great, but the system is not good and as a result of this the experience is very frustrating every time.

I attend regular surgeries every 2 month in the orthodontics department.

Appointments slots are every 15 minutes and I usually have to wait half an hour for my appointment, sometimes more, despite arriving always on time or early.

Reception staff are very patient and professional in what must be a frustrating situation for them as it is for the patients, but this doesn't change the poor experience I have as a result of the waiting.

It appears that the issue is due to previous patients being late, which causes progressive slipping of slots throughout the day.

Possibly, if a stricter system was adopted patients would make more of an effort to be on time, and other patients wouldn't lose out because of a few people who can't be bothered to be on time. Yes, other patients lose out because they may have taken time off work and their children out of school early in order to make a 15:00 appointment, only to have to wait till 15:30, which could have been achieved without disrupting the child's school schedule and without taking leave from work.

For example, patients who are not present when called could be sent to the back of the queue (or be fitted into an appointment that was not attended) instead of being called next.

This way the schedule could be adhered to more easily and the only ones having to suffer the consequences would be the people being late.

Of course a trust can't withhold care or issue fines in the same way a private orthodontist could do, but it's not fair to everyone including me who makes every effort to be respectful by being on time that the schedule is not adhered to on a regular basis.