Reminder to Mum, child brought by Dad
A thirteen-year-old is in treatment for a long time. Appointments are sometimes attended with one parent, sometimes the other, sometimes a grandparent. The reminders go to the mobile number on the record, which belongs to the parent who registered the child. The other parent, who brings them on Thursdays, does not get reminders. Payment messages go to whoever set up the direct debit, who is not always the person reading appointment reminders.
When parents live apart, this becomes a source of missed appointments and tension that lands at reception.
Reception often knows the family situation informally, from conversations at the desk, but that knowledge is not in the system. When a different receptionist is on duty, the family has to explain again, which is uncomfortable for everyone.
Why family communication is awkward
- Records usually hold one main contact.
- Different adults bring the child to different appointments.
- Payment and appointment responsibilities may sit with different people.
- Staff are unsure who can be told what, and when.
- Changes in family circumstances are not always passed on.
What getting it wrong costs
Missed appointments when the person bringing the child was not reminded. Parents feeling excluded. Awkward conversations at reception. And real risk if information is shared with someone who should not have it. What can be shared, and with whom, is for your practice's policies and advice; our part is making sure the preferences you record are followed.
Teenagers complicate it further. Older patients may attend alone and want reminders on their own phone, while a parent still pays and wants to be kept informed. What a young person can agree to on their own is a question for your practice's policies and advice, but the system needs to be able to record the answer.
The family contact preferences we build
- Each patient can have several contacts, each with a relationship and the types of message they should receive, such as appointment reminders, treatment updates, payment messages, or none.
- Preferences are captured at registration and can be updated by the family through a secure link, subject to your practice's checks.
- Reminders, updates and payment messages are routed to the right contacts automatically.
- Any restriction your practice has recorded, for example a contact who must not receive information, is respected by every message.
- Reception can see at a glance who is authorised for what.
- Every message sent is logged with the recipient.
| Message type | Sent to |
|---|---|
| Appointment reminders | Contacts marked for reminders |
| Treatment updates | Contacts marked for updates |
| Payment messages | Contact responsible for payment |
| Restricted contact | Nothing sent |
Decisions about parental responsibility, consent and information sharing are for your practice and its advisers. The system applies what you record.
Families who all hear what they should
The adult bringing the child on Thursday gets the Thursday reminder. Payment messages reach the person paying. Restrictions are applied every time. Reception stops guessing. And the practice has a clear log if a question arises.
When family circumstances change, for example after a separation, the change is made once and applies to every future message, rather than relying on each member of staff to remember a note on the file.
Parents can also choose their channel, so one gets SMS and the other email, which cuts down on messages being missed or ignored.
Does this happen at your practice?
- Only one parent receives reminders.
- Appointments are missed because the wrong parent was reminded.
- Staff are unsure who can be told what.
- Payment and appointment contacts are mixed up.