Introduction

  • This document outlines the policies and procedures regarding appointments for patients at Psychiatry UK.
  • The purpose of this policy is to ensure efficient and effective management of appointments, prioritise patient care, and minimise disruptions to service delivery.

Appointment Procedures

  • Appointment Booking: Patients can book appointments through various methods, including online self-booking, doctor requests, or with assistance from administrative staff.
  • Appointment Cancellation: Patients can cancel appointments through their MedQare account. Please refer to the Appointment Cancellation Policy section below.
  • Appointment Non-Attendance: Procedures are in place to address instances of patient non-attendance, including recording DNAs (Did Not Attend) and rescheduling appointments. Please refer to the Appointment Non-Attendance (DNA) Policy section below.

Patient Prioritisation & Waiting List Management

  • Patients are prioritised based on clinical need, risk assessment, referral date and checklist completion date.
  • Where demand outstrips capacity, the organisation implements waiting lists to support timely access to diagnostic services and prioritise patients accordingly.

Pre-Appointment Requirements

  • Information Requests: Patients may be required to provide information such as risk assessments, identification verification, and pre-assessment forms before being able to schedule appointments.
  • Pre-Assessment Checklist: Patients may be required to complete a pre-assessment checklist, including updating their patient profile, uploading proof of identification, proof of address and completion of any pre-assessment forms to be eligible for booking an appointment.

Appointment Booking Process

  • Booking Methods: Appointments can be booked through patient self-booking, clinician requests, or with assistance from administrative staff. Automated reminders are sent to prompt completion of pre-appointment checklists, where applicable.
  • Patients who are sent a ‘self-booking link’ will be required to book their own appointment from a list of consultants and their available appointments.
  • A reminder will be sent after 3 days by SMS if they have not yet made an appointment. If an appointment is not made within 21 days of receiving the link, this will result in the patient being discharged back to their GP/referrer.
  • Appointment Notifications: Patients receive automated email and SMS notifications regarding appointment booking links, appointment status and appointment reminders.

Appointment Review and Status

  • Clinician Review: Clinicians review appointment requests and pre-appointment information and endeavour to do so within 48 hours of initial booking, with appointments marked as provisional until reviewed.
  • Appointment Status Updates: Appointments are categorised as accepted, declined, or cancelled based on the clinician’s review, with notifications sent to patients accordingly.
  • Declined appointments: Occasionally a clinician will decline an appointment due to a conflict of interest, suitability or in exceptional circumstances. The patient will be informed of any declined appointment and in most cases be sent a new booking link to book with a different clinician.

Appointment Management

  • Rescheduling Limits: Patients can reschedule the same appointment type twice within the same episode of care (e.g., Initial assessment, or end of titration review) and will receive reminders of these rescheduling limits when attempting to cancel an appointment.
  • Short Notice Cancellations: Procedures are in place for handling short notice cancellations by patients, whereby appointments can be offered to other eligible patients to help reduce waiting lists.

To reschedule an existing appointment, the appointment must be cancelled via the PUK Platform, and a new booking link will be sent to allow you to re-book. If your appointment is due to take place in less than 48 hours, it will not be possible to cancel your appointment and it will be considered an Appointment Non-Attendance.

For Self-funded Private patients:

To reschedule an existing appointment please make contact using our web chat feature or phone through to our contact centre on 0330 124 1980 (Mon–Fri: 8am–6pm). Please note, our lines can be very busy and wait times can be quite lengthy.

Appointment Preparation

  • Identification: Patients are to present valid identification during their first appointment to verify their identity.
  • Technology Requirements: Patients require access to the internet and a device (e.g., computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone).
  • Psychiatry UK uses the MS Teams platform for video appointments.
  • Patients attending video appointments via a laptop or computer can access MS Teams using their browser.
  • Patients attending via mobile or tablet will need to download the MS Teams app.
  • Technical assistance is available via our web chat function or by creating a support ticket on our IT Support page. You may also call our contact centre on 0330 124 1980 (Mon–Fri: 8am–6pm).

Appointment Cancellation Policy

  • Patient Cancellation: Instances of patient cancellations are recorded as cancellations.
  • A patient can only cancel the same type of appointment twice. The third appointment cannot be changed and if missed will be considered a non-attendance.
  • A patient cancellation within 48 hours of the appointment will be considered a cancellation and a DNA.
  • Appointments cannot be cancelled within 24 hours. Failure to attend will result in a DNA being recorded.
  • Clinician Cancellation: A new booking link will be sent to the patient without it affecting the patient’s cancellation record.

For Self-funded Private patients:

You may cancel a booking by using our web chat function or by phoning 0330 124 1980 (Mon–Fri: 8am–6pm). If your cancellation is successful, you will receive an email confirmation. If you do not receive one, please contact us again.

If you cancel with seven or more days’ notice, you will receive a full refund. If you cancel between two and seven days before, a 50% fee will apply. If you cancel within 48 hours, the full fee is payable.

Appointment Non-Attendance (DNA) Policy

  • Instances of patient non-attendance are recorded as a DNA (Did Not Attend) for the following reasons:
    • A patient informs Psychiatry-UK that they will be unable to attend the appointment with less than 48 hours’ notice (e.g., due to sickness, emergency, or extenuating circumstances).
    • A patient is unable to confirm their identity with photographic ID at the start of the appointment and has not provided it in advance.
    • A patient attends in a location unsuitable for a confidential discussion (e.g., public space).
    • A patient has technical difficulties that prevent the clinician from effectively carrying out the appointment.
  • Two instances of patient non-attendance within a single episode of care will result in discharge from Psychiatry UK.
  • First appointment non-attendance: The patient’s GP or referrer will be informed. A new appointment will be arranged.
  • Second appointment non-attendance: The patient’s GP or referrer will be informed of discharge due to the second non-attendance.
  • Clinician DNA: Appointments will be rescheduled without consequence to the patient. A new booking link will be sent automatically.
  • Technical DNA by Clinician: Technical failures on the clinician’s side will result in rescheduling without consequence to the patient. A new booking link will be sent automatically.

For Self-Funded Private Patients:

Missed appointments occur when either you or a clinician is not present in the video consultation by the appointment start time (published on the P-UK platform), with a grace period of up to 10 minutes. The following rules apply:

  • Cancelled more than 7 days in advance: Full refund.
  • Cancelled 2–7 days in advance: 50% of the invoice total is payable.
  • Cancelled within 48 hours: Full invoice amount is payable.
  • If a clinician misses your appointment, the charge will be refunded.
  • To request a refund, contact us with consultation details and a full description of the issue.

Appointment Notifications

  • Booking Link Email & SMS: Sent once the pre-appointment checklist is complete or the patient reaches the top of the waiting list. Initial links expire after 21 days; follow-up links after 42 days.
  • Booking Link Reminder: Sent 3 days after the initial booking link if no booking has been made.
  • Appointment Pending Email: Sent while the clinician reviews the appointment request and pre-appointment information.
  • Appointment Declined or Cancelled Email: Sent if the appointment is declined or cancelled by the clinician or admin staff.
  • Appointment Confirmation Email & SMS: Sent once the clinician confirms the appointment.
  • Appointment Reminder Notifications: Sent 96 hours (email) and 24 hours (email and SMS) before the appointment, with instructions and policy information.

Key Facts and Considerations

  • Record Keeping: All appointment actions are logged in Psychiatry UK’s electronic care records.
  • Reasonable Adjustments: Support is available for alternative communication or accessibility needs.
  • NHS-Funded Patient Discharge: May occur after repeated non-attendance. Re-referral is possible.
  • Self-funded patients are not discharged due to repeated non-attendance.
  • Other contract-funded patients may follow different, contract-specific procedures.

If you have any questions not covered in the above policy, please check our FAQ section or use our Live Webchat to chat with one of our agents.