We understand that sometimes circumstances can make patients late for their appointments. However, 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. Patients are expected to arrive in good time for their appointments.

We appreciate the effort our patients make to attend on time and therefore do our best to run as close to booked appointment times as possible. Adhering to a Late Patient Policy assists us in doing so. However, due to the nature of a GP surgery, sometimes the doctor or nurse may be running behind. When the clinician is running late our reception staff will advise the patients upon arrival and apologise to them for the delay.

If patients arrive more than 10 minutes late, they have missed their appointment and will need to rebook. This is to prevent delays to the GP sessions and to ensure fairness for patients who have arrived on time.

When a patient is less than 10 minutes late:

The receptionist will book the patient in, but advise them they are late for their appointment and remind them that they must attend on time in the future.

If applicable, the receptionist may advise them that the doctor is now seeing the next patient and that they may have an extended waiting time, as the doctor will see patients who arrived on time first.

When a patient is 10 or more minutes late:

Patients who arrive 10 or more minutes late have therefore missed their appointment and this will be classed as a Did Not Attend (DNA). The receptionist will advise them to rebook a new routine appointment.

If the patient indicates that there is a medically urgent reason they need to see a doctor that day, the receptionist can ask the reason and if necessary book them an emergency appointment with the duty doctor. The usual criteria for emergency appointments will apply, the duty doctor will be consulted and the patient will need to take a seat and wait to be seen or return at a later time the same day.

Clinical Lateness

The practice is committed to clinics running to time where possible, yet also acknowledges that from time to time, delays will occur. In this case, the Practice aims to inform patients at the earliest opportunity from the point at which the delay becomes significant. The receptionist will inform each patient in reception that there is a delay and of how long.

There is also a poster and information on the screen in the waiting area asking patients that have waited for more than 20 minutes to be seen to inform the reception staff as soon as possible.