The County Practice Did Not Attend statement
The practice aims to ensure fair access to appointments for all patients and has implemented a DNA (Did Not Attend) policy. The policy aims to encourage patients to inform the practice if they are unable to attend their pre booked appointments. The policy will raise awareness by informing patients the impact of not attending their appointments and the consequences of continued failure to attend without notice.
Background – On average the practice offers 730 GP and Nurse appointments per week, in a standard week 30 of these appointments’ patients didn’t attend and didn’t inform the practice to cancel. Appointments can range from 10 minutes per appointment to 30 minutes per appointment, the non-used appointments therefore could range from 5 hours per week to a maximum of 15 hours per week lost.
Patients who fail to attend a routine appointment without prior notice, will on the first occasion, receive a written warning letter/text reminding them of the importance of attending or cancelling appointments in advance. A second DNA will result in a formal warning outlining ongoing concerns and the potential consequences of further non-attendance. A third DNA will lead to the non-attendance being reviewed by a GP and removal from the practice list where deemed appropriate.
We kindly ask that you cancel your appointment in advance to help reduce unused appointments. You can cancel your appointment by calling the practice on 0116 295 0500, via your NHS app, or by emailing us at county.practice@nhs.net. We understand that sometimes events occur outside of your control, and there may be occasions when you are unable to contact us to cancel; these circumstances will be taken into consideration.