Non-Attendance Policy

Why we have this policy.

Tyner Road Medical Centre is committed to ensuring that the best possible service is provided to all patients registered with the Practice.  We understand that it can sometimes be difficult to get a routine appointment with a GP or Nurse, however, one thing that makes this increasingly difficult to overcome is the problem of missed appointments i.e., DNAs (did not attend).

It is disappointing when an appointment is not utilised, when a patient does not turn up and has not contacted the Practice to cancel the appointment in order for it to be allocated to another.

Patient non-attendance at a booked appointment adversely impacts on practice staff and its patients in the following manner:

·         The DNA patient takes the appointment of another patient who could have attended.
·         Increases waiting time for appointments.
·         The time and personnel required to follow-up and rebook DNA Patients diverts Practice staff from other duties and is therefore a waste of resources.

Policy

 

As a Practice we are doing our utmost to reduce DNAs as much as possible. A text reminder message is sent out to all patients with a mobile phone number recorded on file, 24 hours prior to their appointment (unless booked on the day).

A DNA occurs when:

  • an appointment is not attended;

  • the patient has not contacted the Practice in advance to cancel it or

  • where the cancellation is so late that it makes it impossible to allocate that time to another patient who needs treatment.

DNA Fee:

Due to the high demand for appointments and number
of non-attendances and cancellations for GP appointments, we will charge a fee of:
$30 per single consultation or
$50 for a double consultation
for an appointment that is not attended or not cancelled prior to a minimum of 1 hour of appointment time.

If there is an outstanding account, unfortunately no further appointments will be made until this amount has been settled. There may also be the possibility of permanent suspension from the practice at the Doctors’ discretion for repeat offenders.

Avoid Becoming a DNA

If you cannot attend or no longer need an appointment, please let us know in advance.
We understand that mistakes do happen and that appointments can be forgotten or overlooked.  In such cases, the Practice will take into account the reason given by patients.  However repeated offences are unacceptable.

Preference, of course, is for the Practice to know in advance so we can offer the appointments to other patients in need.

If you need to cancel an appointment you can do this in any one of the following ways:
(1)   In person at the Reception Desk
(2)   Phone:  9801 7411
(3)   If booked online through HotDoc, cancelling online is an option.
(4) Reply N to appointment SMS reminder (sent 24 hours prior)

It is the Patient’s responsibility to:

  • Advise the Practice of any change to their contact details

  • Attend their arranged clinic appointment or reschedule with reasonable advanced notice.

To help us improve the system and make more appointments available for patients to book routinely, please adhere to our Practice Policy.