Policy Purpose
A ‘DNA’ (Did Not Attend) is an occasion where a patient does not attend a booked appointment with a member of the practice team without contacting the surgery to cancel prior to the appointment time. In 2023, 1337 appointments were missed, that is over 100 missed appointments, or over 19 hours of wasted clinical hours, each month. There is huge demand for GP Practice appointments and when patients miss appointments this puts even greater pressure on and increases the time patients have to wait to see a clinician.
The loss of this clinical time has a detrimental effect on the service that we provide to patients and we wish to keep this to a minimum. We feel that it is reasonable to ask patients to let us know in advance if they do not intend or are not able to keep their appointment.
Patients who are experiencing ongoing difficulties in keeping their appointments should discuss this with the surgery.
Where patients have been declined appointments because clinicians are fully booked, it is extremely disappointing when one of those booked appointments does not turn up and has not contacted the Practice to cancel the appointment so that it can be released and allocated to another patient.
Policy Process – Adults
Each time a patient DNA’s an appointment, this is coded in their medical record and the patient is contacted regarding the missed appointment. If a patient misses four appointments in a rolling year following the previous DNA and there are no extenuating circumstances, the patient will be removed from the practice list and have to register with another practice.
The process below will be followed:
1St DNA – the patient is sent a text message with a link to this policy information on our website
2nd DNA – the patient is sent a letter advising if they miss any further appointments without extenuating circumstances their suitability to remain a patient at the practice will be discussed with the Practice Partners.
3rd DNA – the patient will be sent a further letter advising if they miss any further appointments, they will be removed from the practice list.
4th DNA – patient is sent a letter advising they have missed a further appointment and they are given 30 days to register with another GP Practice before they are removed from our list.
At each stage the patient is:
- Sent a text message with a link to this policy on our website
- Advised reminders are sent via text message and to ensure we have their correct mobile number
- Advised of how to cancel appointments (by phoning the surgery on 01709 812827 opt 1 and leaving a message on the cancellation line or online through the Systmone or NHS app) and
- Advised to contact us if they have any circumstances which affect their ability to attend scheduled appointments so that appropriate support and accommodations can be made
Exclusions
No patient will be removed from the practice list without due consideration of their individual circumstances and reasons for non-attendance. The purpose of this policy is not to penalise patients with valid medical reasons for non-attendance.
If the practice is aware of special circumstances surrounding a patient’s non-attendance, for example, patients who have been admitted to hospital or have dementia, the medical team reserve the right to exclude the patient from management under this policy.
Patients concerned regarding their management under this policy or who are having problems attending should speak to the surgery. Lack of organisation or forgetting is not an acceptable reason for non-attendance.