DNA Policy

Did Not Attend Appointments: Our DNA Policy

At Midway Surgery, we want to make sure appointments are available for patients when they need them. When an appointment is missed without being cancelled in advance, this is known as a Did Not Attend, or DNA.

Missed appointments have a direct impact on the surgery, our clinicians, and other patients. An appointment that is not attended could have been offered to someone else who needed care.

What is a DNA?

A DNA is when a patient does not attend a booked appointment and does not let the surgery know in advance that the appointment is no longer needed.

We ask patients to cancel or change appointments as early as possible, ideally giving at least 24 hours’ notice where they can. This allows us to offer the appointment to another patient.

Why missed appointments matter

Every missed appointment means valuable clinical time is lost. DNAs can:

• Reduce the number of appointments available for other patients
• Increase waiting times
• Put extra pressure on doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and the wider surgery team
• Affect the quality and efficiency of the service we provide

We understand that there may sometimes be genuine reasons why a patient cannot attend. However, repeated missed appointments without letting us know can make it harder for us to provide timely care to everyone.

How to cancel an appointment

If you no longer need your appointment, please cancel it as soon as possible.

You can cancel or change an appointment by:

• Calling reception on 01727 832125
• Following the instructions in your appointment reminder text, if you receive one

Please help us by cancelling early so another patient can be offered the appointment.

Appointment reminders

For many appointment types, patients may receive a text reminder before their appointment. These reminders may include information on how to cancel if the appointment is no longer needed.

Please note that reminders may not be available for every appointment type, so patients remain responsible for remembering and attending their booked appointments.

What happens if I miss an appointment?

If you miss an appointment without letting us know, this will be recorded on your medical record as a Did Not Attend.

If there is a genuine reason why you were unable to attend, please contact the surgery so we can update our records where appropriate.

Where patients repeatedly miss appointments without reasonable explanation, the surgery may contact them to discuss the issue. In some cases, repeated missed appointments may lead to a formal warning and could ultimately result in removal from the practice list.

This decision would never be taken lightly and would only be considered after careful review.

Telephone appointments

If you have booked a telephone appointment, please make sure you are available to answer your phone at the agreed time.

Sometimes calls may appear from a withheld or unknown number. Please ensure your phone is nearby, switched on, and able to receive calls.

If you miss a booked telephone appointment, this may also be recorded as a failed appointment.

Home visits

If a home visit has been agreed, please ensure someone is available at the property at the arranged time. If the clinician cannot gain access or contact the patient, this may be recorded as a failed visit.

If your circumstances change and the visit is no longer needed, please contact the surgery as soon as possible.

Children’s appointments

When a child misses an appointment, this is recorded differently. Children are not responsible for bringing themselves to medical appointments, so this is recorded as Was Not Brought, rather than DNA.

It is important that children attend booked medical appointments, including vaccination appointments, to support their health and wellbeing.

If you are unable to bring your child to an appointment, please contact the surgery as soon as possible so the appointment can be rearranged and offered to another patient.

Please help us improve appointment availability

We kindly ask all patients to attend their appointments or cancel them as early as possible if they are no longer needed.

By cancelling appointments in advance, you help us:

• Offer appointments to other patients
• Reduce waiting times
• Make better use of clinical time
• Provide a safer and more efficient service for everyone

Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Published on 29th May 2026