Clinicians often contend that there is insufficient time to meet the demands placed on them in their day-to-day work. This is true as every system is designed to get the results it achieves. If one reviews the way clinicians work and how we have designed our work patterns, it becomes apparent than most of what we do is wasteful, inefficient and not conducive to good time management. We need to place the patient at the centre and aim to decrease unnecessary waiting. This will require changes to traditional processes of working and use of modern technology. As we modernise the clinical micro-system, time will become available and we can deliver high quality care.