Patient Responsibility:
The NHS Constitution explains that patients should “keep appointments or cancel within a reasonable time. Receiving treatment within the maximum waiting times may be compromised unless you do”.
It is a courtesy and expectation that patients inform this organisation as soon as possible if they are aware they will be late for an appointment.
Management of late arrivals:
To adhere to the appointment schedule and to ensure all patients receive an excellent level of service, late arrivals are to be managed as follows:
Less than 10 minutes late – staff will:
- Mark the patient as having arrived, advising them that the clinician may already be seeing the next patient
- Explain that the patient will be seen after the clinician has finished with their current patient
- If appropriate, remind the patient of the importance of attending appointments on time
More than 10 minutes late – staff will advise the patient that they have missed their appointment and offer the following as appropriate:
- Offer the patient an appointment later during that session or that day (if an appointment is available)
- Discuss the patient with the clinician and, if in agreement, and the patient is willing to wait, advise that they will be seen at the end of that session. The patient should be made aware that this may be some time.
- Should the above option not be possible, the patient should rebook for another appointment
It should be noted that it is at the discretion of the clinician whether the patient is seen or not; there may be a valid reason for being late and each patient will advise staff accordingly. Ideally, clinicians are to be informed of any late arrivals via a screen message.