Down in the mouth

If you follow me on twitter, you'll know that I've just been to the dentist.  And you'll know that it didn't all go to plan.

The "you are no more than a number" welcome from the receptionists is par for the course.  As is the 15 minute wait.  As is the new dentist - the third new dentist in three visits.  As is me having to ask the dentist his name, rather than him introducing himself to me.  And let's not even dare to suggest anything as ridiculous as the dentist addressing me by my name.

The bit I wasn't ready for (having psyched myself up for a bit of discomfort) was that I'd only be in there two minutes, and would have to come back next week.

The scale and polish machine is broken.  So I have to come back.  I suggested to the dentist that I'd wasted my time.  He ignored me.  I asked the receptionist why someone couldn't have rung me to re-arrange the appointment.  She looked down at her keyboard.  I asked her again.  She ignored me again.  So I asked her a third time.  She said that I was due to just have a check up.  But one glance at my records would show that every check up includes a scale and polish.  No-one, at any stage, said sorry.  

What's the wider point here?  I read yesterday that dentists are doing rather well, since they re-negotiated their contracts.  Average income is around £90k.  Not bad.  

It's easy to have a go at them about their income, as I have just done.  But I actually don't mind people earning decent money.  I recognise that dentists take risks - buying equipment, renting premises, employing staff.  

But what I do mind is people earning good money and giving crap service.  And today I got crap service.  I'll wait til after next thursday's appointment, and then contact Patient Opinion.  After all, you don't want someone with a drill in their hand offering you feedback on the complaint you've just made.  

Comments

[Rob Greenland]

Writing this reminded me that i've meant to blog for a while about this excellent piece about public services by Jenni Russell in the Guardian. i suppose the point I'm making above is about people (in this case me) not mattering in the way public services are often delivered. That's why I'm angry.

http://bit.ly/uuAdB

[Liam Black]

hey grouchy greenland! my dentists - all sikhs, all first class - are great communicators and i always leave thinking that this nhs thing is pretty bloody good. they are so good that they can get away with the receptionist who is comically basil fawlty-esque is her olympian levels of miserablism and bugger-you customer disservice! i miss no opp to wind her up and see what she'll do.

also have had reason to use the nhs a lot recently for someone close to me - scans, consultants - and apart from the quite horrendous cafes and the Carry On signage the quality of care and the admin around it has been really good. encouraging.

[Rob Greenland]

Yes I'm well aware that I'm turning into miserable old social entrepreneur!

I accept that it's partly about me - there's part of me looking for the faults that I know are there in the NHS. But they don't make it hard for me to find fault. And for all the money that's spent on the NHS - and I'd say that investment is a good thing - it's often the basics that are so wrong. The standard of service you get is an indicator of the culture and attitude towards the people they serve.

I live in a poorer part of Leeds (we moved here when I worked for next to nothing at the fair trade shop!) It's time to move. What annoys me is that when we rented in nicer parts of Leeds we had great doctors and great dentists. I'm sure it's not always the case, but poorer people tend to get poorer public services, and that's not on. The people - from the receptionist to the dentist - wouldn't have dared talk to their nice middle class customers in the way they talked to me and the other people I saw them talk with in the 20 minutes I sat grumpily in the waiting room. They treat their customers as welfare state fodder, who should be glad that a professional is kind enough to treat their rotten teeth. And most people just accept it. I don't - which is why I'm a grumpy bugger!

[John Craig-Sharples]

I was very surprised to learn from our place survey results that dentists are more popular, at least in Sutton, than council staff and police officers. What is it Oscar Wilde said about dentists spending their time making false impressions!!