Did not attend (DNA) policy

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Purpose of policy

To ensure fair and effective use of appointments at [Your Surgery Name], we have implemented the following Did Not Attend (DNA) policy. This aims to improve access to appointments, reduce waste of clinical time, and promote responsible appointment attendance.

Definition of DNA

A DNA occurs when a patient:

  • Fails to attend an appointment without informing the surgery.
  • Arrives more than 5 minutes late for an appointment without prior notice.

Patients arriving more than 5 minutes late will not be seen and will be recorded as a DNA, unless there are exceptional circumstances, and the attending clinician agrees to proceed with the appointment.

Telephone calls

If a patient is scheduled for a telephone consultation with a clinician, we will make up to two attempts to contact them. If both attempts are unsuccessful, the appointment will be marked as a Did Not Attend (DNA), and the patient will need to contact the surgery to be rebooked.

Late arrivals

To maintain timely service for all patients:

  • Patients arriving within 5 minutes of their appointment time may still be seen at the clinician’s discretion.
  • Patients arriving more than 5 minutes late will be asked to reschedule. The appointment will be marked as a DNA.

Managing DNA’s

  • First occurance: A “Did Not Attend general practitioner appointment” (DNA) code will be recorded in the patient’s medical notes, including details of the missed appointment and the clinician they were due to see (e.g., GP or nurse). No further action will be taken at this stage. The code is available as an F12 under ‘DNA’.
  • Second occurance: An SMS reminder will be sent to the patient, or a letter if no mobile number is available. The following template below will be used.SMS Template: Dear [Patient Name], you did not attend your appointment at The Tutbury Practice on [Date] at [Time]. If there was a reason for this, please contact us. Repeated missed appointments may affect your registration with the practice. To cancel future appointments, please call 01283 812210.
  • Third Occurrence (within 12 months): The practice will review the patient’s registration status. In line with NHS guidelines, continued non-attendance without notice may result in removal from the practice list, following a fair and transparent process.

How to cancel an appointment

If you cannot attend, please cancel as soon as possible by calling the surgery or putting in an administration triage.

Exceptional circumstances

We understand emergencies and unforeseen events happen. If there is a genuine reason for non-attendance or lateness, please inform the surgery as soon as possible so we can review your case accordingly.

Monitoring

A monthly search will be conducted by the administration team to monitor DNA (Did Not Attend) appointments. If a patient has two recorded DNAs within a 12-month period, they will be sent an SMS or letter as outlined in the DNA policy. Should a third DNA occur within the same timeframe, the case will be referred to the Practice Manager for review and appropriate action.

Reception process

At the end of each day, the receptionist on the front desk will review the day’s clinic list and identify any patients who did not attend their appointments. These patients will be coded as “Did Not Attend general practitioner appointment ” using the F12 key. A comment will be added to indicate which clinician the patient was due to see e.g. Did not attend general practitioner appointment – Nurse Appointment.

Last update to policy May 2025