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Please be on time for your appointments!

We are seeing an increase recently in the number of patients showing up late for their appointments or not showing up at all...

And as we get closer to the Kirihimete and New Year period, appointments are fast becoming less and less available. 

Our clinicians work hard to run to time wherever possible here, and we have a strict policy regarding lateness:

If you are more than 5 minutes late for your appointment:

You will be asked to reschedule.

This is because the remaining time in your appointment is not enough for the clinician to discuss/address your concern with you, write up their notes, and complete any other tasks required, such as issuing prescriptions or medical certificates, without then impacting on the next person's appointment or essential administrative time. 

Depending on which clinician you wish to see, you may then have to wait until the New Year for a new appointment. 

If you are less than 5 minutes late:

The clinician will generally still be able to see you, but they will end your appointment at the scheduled time

An appointment going overtime has a snowballing affect: if the next appointment starts late, it will also run late, and so on, and it is unfair to impact other patients or to take away from the clinician's scheduled paperwork or break time. 

If you do not show up for your scheduled appointment, or show up after the appointment has already passed:

You will be charged a failed appointment fee, which is currently $33.50 for a standard 15-minute GP or Nurse Practitioner appointment, or $20.00 for a nurse appointment. The fee will be higher for longer appointments, such as for medicals or minor surgery. 

If you are unable to attend your appointment due to circumstances outside of your control, please let us know. 

See our other post for additional important information about appointments as we head towards Kirihimete:

Visit the post here