Cancel Your Appointment

Cancel through the NHS App

If you are unable to keep your appointment, please give us as much notice as possible so that your appointment can be offered to someone else.

CANCEL THROUGH THE NHS APP

NHS App image

GP appointment? Don't need it? Cancel it!

We know people forget things, cancelling GP appointments being one of them. Remember to cancel your appointment if you don't need it.

 

How to Cancel an Appointment

If you are unable to keep your appointment, please give us as much notice as possible so that your appointment can be offered to someone else.

If you are cancelling please telephone us on 01623 623600 as soon as possible, and at least 30 minutes before your appointment time. This will enable us to offer your appointment to someone else.

Alternatively you can cancel your appointment online using The NHS App if you have downloaded the app.

Please remember that there may be a shortage of appointments and when you fail to attend you have prevented someone else from being seen in your place. On average about 230 appointments are missed each month

Cancellations notified less than 30 minutes before the appointment time will be recorded as failure to attend (DNA).

Repeated failure to attend booked appointments is a significant waste of NHS resources

Did Not Attend Policy

Approximately 120 appointments per month are ‘Did Not Attend’ (DNA), i.e. the patient does not turn up for the appointment and does not contact the surgery in advance to cancel/change appointment.  The effect of these are:

  • An increase in the waiting time for appointments
  • Frustration for both staff and patients
  • A waste of resources

If a patient fails to attend two or more pre-booked appointments in the last 12 months, an informal warning letter will be sent to the patient, advising them that a further occurrence could risk removal from the Practice.

If the patient fails to attend another appointment, the matter will be discussed at a Practice Meeting and a majority agreement will be reached as to whether the patient will be removed from the Practice list. In which case a formal warning letter will be issued.

Warning letters are valid for a period of 12 months. Removal based on warnings greater than 12 months old will be invalid – in this case a further formal warning and period of grace will be required.