My Girlfriend Kate works as an audiologist (performing hearing tests and fitting hearing aids), her appointments regularly overrun, different patients have different needs and you can’t turn around to someone in need and tell them ‘That’s it, your time is up you will have to leave’. Combined with increasingly tighter (Government imposed) deadlines, it can be very difficult for our medical personnel to keep to their appointed times. Kate often runs through her lunch break to catch up, and rarely has time to even get herself a drink. So I would appeal to your readers who have been inconvenienced for half an hour or so to spare a thought for the medical professional who has just missed their lunch to make sure someone like your granny can get the most from their hearing aid or medicine.

However I don’t like waiting in those places as much as anyone and I would appreciate something like what you propose. I imagine the doctors etc would rather see happier patients too.