My GP called me last night about a recent blood test. I’ll need another one in a months time.

“Can you please post the blood test form to me?”

GP ” No”

“Why not.”

GP “We don’t post things to patients.”

“But it’s really not convenient to make a special journey to collect a form.”

GP “Can you not come in.”

“I could but it will take 40mins of my time, has to occur when you’re open which is when I’m at work versus the cost of a second class stamp.”

GP “We don’t post things to patients”.

“Could you email me the form and I print it out.”

GP stunned silence.

“It’s really easy to email a PDF document for example”

GP continued stunned silence.

“You really don’t have any stamps.”

GP continued stunned silence.

“So I guess I’ll have to make a special trip and change my working day.”

I hate public services that treat members of the public time with such contempt. In my case the cost of an NHS stamp is 40 minutes of my time and a reorganised work day.

What stories do you have where public services are designed and configured as if from the Stalinist era state?