There is a huge pressure on Heaton Road Surgery to provide appointments in a timely manner for patients. On average 100 patients each month do not attend their appointments, which equates to around 23 hours worth of appointment times being wasted. By not cancelling the appointment, we are unable to offer these appointments to another patient that needs it.
Heaton Road Surgery has a DNA policy which, for patients who fail to attend 3 appointments within a 12-month period, may result in them being removed from the Practice list. This is not a decision that will be taken lightly but it is imperative that we provide an efficient service for all of our listed patients, and we are unable to do so if a patient repeatedly fails to attend scheduled appointments.
If you need to cancel or change an appointment, you can:
- Call the Surgery on 0191 265 5911 and select line 1 for reception.
- Text CANCEL to the number stated on your reminder text.
- Cancel via the NHS app.
If the Practice does not hold an up to date mobile number, please contact the Practice to allow for reminder texts to be sent going forward.
