Wasted Appointments Posted or Updated on 8 Nov 2023

Wasted Appointments

Did Not Attend (DNA) policy

An excessive number of our appointments are wasted every week.  Patients book appointments and then fail to attend (DNAs).

Due to the exceptionally high demand for our appointments we cannot allow patients to continue to waste appointments in this manner.

Going forward, if you are unable to attend an appointment that you have booked we will expect you to cancel it in a timely manner to enable us to offer it to other patients.

Patients can cancel appointments in the following ways:

In person at our reception desk.
Over the telephone by speaking to one of our Receptionist (during our opening hours)
In writing ( via Royal Mail or by hand delivered letter - we have letter boxes inside and outside the building) 
Using our automated telephone system ( this is available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year)
Using our on line facility ( this is available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year) - please asked our Reception team for details.

The GP Partners at the Surgery have now decided that they will consider whether consistent failure to cancel appointments that are not attended constitutes a breakdown in the relationship between the Patient and the Surgery.  Where there are no extenuating circumstances (clinically or non- clinically) it may be determined that the patients should be removed from the Practice List.  

We will now be monitoring the use of our appointments and will be writing to patients who have more than 3 DNAs in the last 12 months