Pendleton Medical Centre is seeing an increasing number of appointments being missed without cancellation.
In the last 28 days alone, 309 appointments were missed by patients who did not attend and did not let the Practice know in advance. This equates to over 7% of all appointments booked, with an average of around 11 appointments lost every day.
Every missed appointment is time that could have been offered to another patient waiting for care.
To help improve access and reduce wasted clinical time, Pendleton Medical Centre will shortly be introducing a formal Did Not Attend (DNA) and appointment cancellation policy.
What We Ask From Patients
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please cancel it as soon as possible so the appointment can be offered to another patient.
Where possible, we ask patients to give at least 24 hours notice of cancellation.
Appointments can be cancelled:
- Via the NHS App or online services
- By telephone
- By replying to reminder text messages where available
- In person at reception
What the New Policy Means
The policy is intended to support fair use of appointments and improve access for all patients.
Where appointments are repeatedly missed without cancellation, the Practice may contact patients to better understand whether there are any difficulties attending appointments or any additional support that may help.
The Practice may also review future booking arrangements where appropriate to help reduce further missed appointments and improve appointment availability for all patients.
A Fair and Supportive Approach
We understand that there are many genuine reasons why appointments may be missed, including:
- Illness or emergencies
- Mental health difficulties
- Caring responsibilities
- Work or family emergencies
- Vulnerability or safeguarding concerns
Individual circumstances will always be considered fairly, compassionately, and on a case-by-case basis.
The purpose of this policy is not to penalise patients, but to help reduce wasted appointments and improve access to care for everyone in our community.
Thank you for your support and understanding.
Pendleton Medical Centre