Face to face consultations with the clinician is one of the most effective ways to help our patients. Due to the high demand for appointments there are certain times when patients cannot get their preferred time and day to see the clinician, unless in an emergency. 

Patients that repeatedly do not attend their appointments cause unnecessary strain on the practice system and affect other patients that could have seen the doctor otherwise. That is why the practice has a very strict policy about patients failing to attend or to cancel their appointments. It is incredibly important that when patients cannot make it to their appointments they let the practice know at the earliest possible opportunity and ideally no later than 24 hours before the appointment time so that appointment can be offered to another patient. 

Due to the considerable number of wasted appointments, through patients failing to cancel or attend, it has now become necessary to implement a ‘did not attend’ policy. After three unjustified missed appointments within a 12 month period patients will receive a notification of their automatic removal from the practice list and be advised to find a new surgery.