A request made on the phone, and forgotten by Thursday
A patient rings to book with your pelvic health physio. She asks to see a female clinician, would like a chaperone available, and asks that appointment reminders say only 'physio appointment' because she shares a phone. Reception note all of it in the booking comments.
On Thursday, the regular pelvic health physio is off sick. Another physio covers, without seeing the note. No chaperone has been arranged. The reminder that went out the day before used the full appointment type name. The patient arrives uneasy and leaves unhappy, and the clinic has let her down on the things she asked for most clearly.
Why preferences do not survive the journey
Pelvic health is a specialist area where patients often have strong, reasonable preferences, and where the appointment itself needs extra preparation. But booking systems treat these like any other appointment. Preferences go in a free-text comment, which does not affect which slots are offered, what messages say or what the covering clinician sees.
Chaperones need to be arranged in advance, which means someone else's diary. Pre-appointment information and consent forms your physios provide need sending ahead. Reminder wording is set per appointment type, not per patient.
When things change, such as sickness or a rebooking, the preferences are the first thing to be lost.
Online booking makes it harder still. A patient booking late in the evening may not want to ring and explain their preferences to a receptionist the next morning. If the online form has nowhere to record them, many patients simply hope for the best, and some decide not to book at all.
What missed preferences cost
| Missed preference | Effect |
|---|---|
| Clinician preference | Patient uncomfortable or appointment rebooked |
| Chaperone not arranged | Appointment delayed or not what was promised |
| Reminder wording | Private information shown on a shared phone |
| Information not sent in advance | Consultation time spent on paperwork |
| Cover clinician unaware | Trust lost at the first visit |
For many patients, getting these details right is what decides whether they come back, and whether they recommend the service to others who need it.
How we carry preferences through
- Booking, online or by phone, captures preferences as structured fields: clinician preference, chaperone request and how the patient wants to be contacted.
- Only slots that meet the clinician preference are offered. If none are available soon, the patient is offered a waitlist rather than a mismatched slot.
- A chaperone request books time in a chaperone's diary alongside the appointment, and flags if nobody is available.
- Reminders use neutral wording for patients who asked for it, whatever the appointment type.
- The pre-appointment information and forms your clinicians provide are sent in advance, with a reminder if forms need returning.
- If the appointment has to move or the clinician changes, the preferences are checked again and the patient is contacted before anything is confirmed.
What happens in the appointment, and how chaperoning is carried out, are set by your clinicians and policies. The system makes sure what the patient asked for is known and planned for.
What patients and physios notice
Patients get what they asked for, without having to repeat it. Chaperones are arranged in advance. Reminders say only what the patient agreed to. Covering clinicians see the preferences before the patient arrives. And the pelvic health service gains a reputation for being careful with the details, which matters in an area where many people are hesitant to seek help at all.
Does this happen in your pelvic health service?
- Preferences are written in booking comments
- Online booking offers any clinician for pelvic health
- Chaperones are arranged on the day
- Reminders show the full appointment type to everyone
- Covering physios have missed a patient's requests