Did not attend policy for patients

Dear Patients

Over the last few years demand has increased and with this in mind we have to implement steps to protect staff, patients and enable access for those that truly need it.

One of those steps was to introduce Did Not Attend (DNA) Policy which will take place from the 1st January 2023 onwards and enables us to review patients who have not attended their appointments and take preventative measures to ensure this service is not abused.

In summary our policy consists of:

  • Each DNA is flagged on a patients record
  • When a patient DNA’s 3 appointments they will receive a text or letter which states:

Our records show that you have not attended at least three appointments in the last 12 months. If you believe this to be incorrect, please contact us on 01493855672 to discuss. Appointments at The Park Surgery are at a premium and this missed appointment could have been used by another patient if you had provided the practice with adequate notice that the appointment was no longer required. During this last month, [insert number] appointments were recorded as “Did Not Attend” (DNA) which represents [add percentage] of appointments at [insert organisation name]. Please be advised that this organisation has a DNA policy which, for patients who repeatedly fail to attend, may result in them being removed from the organisation’s list.

  • If the patient DNA’s a 4th time within 12 months, a second letter is sent
  • If the patient DNA’s a 5th time within 12 months, a discussion will be had between the practice manager and the patients usual GP to review why this may have happened resulting in a very high probability that the patient will be removed from the practice list.

We fully appreciate that you may not always be able to attend your appointments. Please remember If you need to cancel or change an appointment, you can: