What happens if I miss an appointment?

Missed clinical appointments have a direct impact on our service. Not giving prior notice of missing an appointment means that we cannot offer these appointments to other service users and results in a loss of clinical time. By giving notice ahead of time, you are supporting us to reduce our waiting times for other service users. 

If you are unable to attend your clinic appointment you are required to give us 2 working days' notice, either by calling us on 0161 710 1196 or emailing hello@indigogenderservice.uk. 


Our working days are Monday to Friday, excluding English bank holidays. 

If you do not give us two working days' notice, then we will follow our missed appointments policy. 

First missed appointment 

After your first missed appointment, you will be contacted by your Care Navigator who will discuss with you why you missed the appointment, the impact on the service and next steps. 

The outcome of this conversation will mean we will either: 

  • add you to our appointment reallocation list 

  • support you in taking a pause from accessing Indigo services or 

  • discharge you from the service if that's what you request. 

If we are unable to contact you, then we will write to you and ask you to contact us. If you do not respond to this letter within 2 weeks, we will discharge you from the service.  

Please note if you are discharged from the service and you are on a hormone treatment plan, this may have implications for you as your GP may not continue prescribing without a shared care agreement with Indigo. If you are on a surgical waiting list, you will also be removed from this. 

Second missed appointment  

If you miss a second clinical appointment, without giving us 2 working days' notice, then we will write to you and ask you to contact us and speak to either the Care Navigator Supervisor or the Service Lead. 

This conversation will be to remind you of our policy and advise that you are at risk of immediate discharge from the service if a further appointment is missed and the implications this may have on any hormone treatment plans and surgical referrals.  

If you do not respond to this letter within 2 weeks, we will discharge you from the service.  

Third missed appointment 

If you miss a third appointment without giving us 2 working days' notice, then we will immediately discharge you from the service.  

You will be contacted by letter to advise that you have three missed appointments and will be discharged from service in line with our missed appointment policy.  

Your GP will be copied into all correspondence.  

Please note that our Counselling and Voice and Communication Therapy teams have separate policies for missed appointments and these will be discussed with you when you access those services. 

Self-booking  

Indigo is now using self-booking for some appointments. If you are sent a link to self-book an appointment, you have 7 days to respond and book in. 

If you do not book in for an appointment using this link, then your Care Navigator will book an appointment for you and inform you of that appointment. 

If you miss this appointment, then the missed appointment policy outined above will be followed.