Sift are very good about this
We are allowed time off for doctor/dentist/hospital appointments, although we tend to work extra hours here and there anyway so I think it works both ways. If I ever make an appointment, I try for the first available (typically 8.30am) or the last at around 5pm. But as Daffy says, it's not always possible to get these slots, it depends on the circumstances.
usually require early morning or late evening 1 thanks
If possible, however certain appointments are only available at the convenience of the hospital or practice. Dentsis however; I would expect these appointments to be booked in advance and thus early in the morning or late afternoon should be possible.
Whether they are paid for rather depends on the employee and their work ethic, a clock watcher would not get paid but if the member of staffs stays on to finish a job then i wouldn't expect them to lose any money when they need a couple of hours.
All day appointments are as above and then either book a days's leave if you are someone who comes in at 8.59 and leaves at 4.59, otherwise i would be flexible. You may wish to have something in the Ts & Cs explaining your policy and allowing "management discretion" to pay for time off. Watch out for all the discriminatory pitfalls if you have a mainly female straff for instance.
A real life example - and yes, a bit of a rant. 1 thanks
Becky Midgley "But as Daffy says, it's not always possible to get these slots, it depends on the circumstances ""
The doctor wants a routine blood sample from me, it is a "starving" sample so I am not supposed to eat or drink (not even a cup of tea) for 12 hours before the sample is taken.
No problem I thought, get an early appointment, have supper early the night before, and call for some breakfast on the way home from the doctors. Simples.
Except I forgot the idiocy of receptionists. When I rang to arrange for the sample to be taken it was the receptionist who reminded me it was a "starving sample", and who then proceeded to suggest that I go to have it taken tomorrow - at 2.35PM.
What planet are these people on? By 2.30pm my blood sugar would be so low that driving to the doctors would be akin to playing Russian Roulette with the other traffic. Unbelievable. Needless to say I politely suggested that either she find an appointment no later than 9.30am in the next few days, or, explain to the doctor why he was not going to get his sample, bearing in mind I see him most Fridays in the local hostelry.
I cant help thinking that the average doctor's receptionist thinks the surgery would be much more efficient if all those nasty sick people didnt keep insisting on seeing the doctor.
Employers fault - probably
It's hardly the employees fault that doctors generally are not open in the evenings or at weekends. Similarly, as we all know, appointments are made to suit the doctor's convenience, not the patients.
There is a good chance that the reason they are there is the employer's fault anyway. Stress is a major factor in many illnesses, probably half of all communicable diseases are caught in the workplace where employees are stuck in enclosed environments with others, or travelling to and from work, so my totally unscientific guess is that something like half of all doctors visits are in some way the employers fault.
In short, so long as it doesnt become a "habit" I think doctors (and dentists) appointments are something any decent employer will simply allow without any loss of pay/ holiday/ requirement to make up etc.