Punctuality Policy

Why introduce a Punctuality Policy?

We recognise Time is a precious commodity for everyone.  Loss of Time or insufficient time to do a job properly can cause stress, generate mistakes  and have a negative effect.

We wish to

• Create a climate where everyone is treated with dignity and respect
• Improve patient experience by offering an efficient well run service
• Reduce risk of stress caused by lateness
• Reduce disruption to the service
• Manage day to day activities properly
• Take positive action to deter lateness (where appropriate)

Examples of Lateness

Arriving 5 or more minutes after appointment time

Telephoning to inform surgery you will be late within 10 minutes of appointment

Telephoning to cancel appointment after the appointment time has gone or within 30 minutes of appointment time

What will happen if patient is late for appointment?

• Less than 5 minutes – you will be advised that you are late. The doctor/ nurse will see you as planned (workload permitting). You may be advised regarding future appointments and lateness.
• Less than 10 minutes late – you will be advised that you are late.  Dependant of the workload you may be asked to reschedule
• More than 10 minutes may impact on our ability to see you and dependant upon our workload you may be asked to reschedule

What will happen if you telephone beforehand to notify likelihood of lateness?

• We always appreciate being kept up to date with your situation and understand that unforeseen circumstances can happen. We shall advise if the appointment can be kept on hold, or whether to reschedule.  Dependant upon circumstances.

What will happen if you telephone to notify lateness or cancel after the appointment is due?

• This will be classed as a missed appointment. Please note it is our practice policy to deregister any patient who misses 3 appointments. Patients who have missed two appointments are advised that a further breach will result in deregistration from the practice

Repeated Lateness

We aim to be reasonable and fair towards our patients and genuine reasons for lateness will always be taken into consideration, however repeated lateness for GP and nurse appointments is not acceptable behaviour. You shall be advised by letter if punctuality is a concern and the intended action.

What if the doctor or nurse is running late?

As far as is possible we always aim to run our appointments to time, however due to the nature of our business, this is not always possible.  It is inevitable that at times we will run late in surgery. If this occurs

• You can expect to be informed when presenting for your appointment if the doctor or nurse is running 10 minutes or more late
• If your wait is expected to be > 20 minutes. We appreciate your time is precious and therefore you will be offered choice of following; continue waiting, transfer to another doctor/nurse practitioner ( if available), or opportunity to reschedule your appointment.
• You may be offered a telephone consultation as alternative

To avoid errors may we suggest that patients request an appointment card from receptionist or keep a diary of their appointments.

Mix ups and mistakes do happen, where we are at fault, we will always own it and attempt to reach an acceptable outcome with you