Patients have a duty to attend for pre-booked appointments promptly, and to take into account logistical difficulties or the time involved in travelling to the surgery.
If a patient has attempted to contact the Practice to inform us of their lateness, we will aim to see that patient as soon as we can during the surgery, however if they are going to be more than 10 minutes late, we will encourage them to re-book the appointment, within reason.
The practice will, as far as practicable, see patients who arrive late, however this may be at the end of surgery and will therefore involve a considerable wait for those who do not wish to re-book.
The following general provisions will apply:
Less than 10 minutes late
The patient will be marked as an arrival in their pre-booked "slot". The Receptionist will give the patient a number disc at the first available opportunity. The patient should be advised of this and that there may be some delay while they are fitted in.
More than 10 minutes, less than 20 minutes late
The patient will be advised that as they are a late arrival the doctor/nurse will have to see punctual patients first, and that they will be added on to the end of the surgery list, and will therefore have a considerable delay (depending on the time). They may be seen during the surgery only if the doctor has an unexpected gap, in which case they will be called in. The patient should be encouraged to re-book. In all cases, the doctor will be sent a message advising them that the patient has reported late.
More than 20 minutes late
The patient has clearly missed the appointment, and should be encouraged to rebook. The practice will not, at this stage, differentiate between patients who are persistent late attendees and others. This will be dealt with, should the need arise, by individual letter.