Appointments – Did Not Attend Policy

Whitchurch Medical Centre is committed to ensuring that the best possible service is provided to all patients registered with the practice, and there may be extenuating circumstances as to why the patient failed to attend their appointment. To help reduce missed appointments we will complete the following :

  • Patient can ring or email the practice to cancel their appointments. It is even easier if you use My Health Online, as patients can manage their own appointments.
  • Patients are asked to write their own appointment card for their next appointments, rather than having this done for them. This encourages recall, thereby reducing subsequent DNAs.
  • Appointment reminders, patients are sent a text (if they have a mobile phone number on their clinical system) to remind them about a forthcoming appointment. The reminder includes an explanation of how to cancel the appointment if no longer needed.
  • The administrative ream will ask the patient to repeat the details of the appointment to them to check that they have remembered and recorded it correctly.
  • The Practice Manager will publish DNA information monthly and make this readily available in the waiting room and on the practice’s website.
  • Whitchurch Medical Centre will discuss the issue with the Patient Participation Group (PPG) to highlight the numbers and plans for improving the DNA rates.

The practice’s information leaflet will set out Whitchurch Medical Centre’s policy on dealing with patients who fail to attend their appointments.

 

If you cannot attend or no longer need an appointment, please cancel your appointment in advance.

 

 

 

Date published: 21st September, 2018
Date last updated: 9th May, 2023