What happens if I miss an appointment?

(Please note the below is for appointments with an Indigo Clinician, the missed appointment policy for our Counselling and VCT services may differ, and you will be made aware of this if / when you access their services).  

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 indigo.carenavs@nhs.net  
 

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 the Care Navigator team to find out: 

  • Why you missed the appointment.  

  • If you would like to be rebooked, take a pause from the service or be discharged.  

  • If you would like to discuss any access requirements with a member of the team.  

If we are unable to contact you, we will then write to you and ask you to contact us. If you do not respond to this letter within 4 weeks, we will then 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 appointment with us, you will again be contacted by the Care Navigator team to find out: 

  • Why you missed the appointment.  

  • If you would like to be rebooked, take a pause from the service or be discharged.  

  • If you would like to discuss any access requirements with a member of the team. 

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 4 weeks, we will then 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.  
 

Third missed appointment 

If you miss a third appointment without giving us 2 working days' notice, you will again be contacted by the Care Navigator team to find out why you missed the appointment.  

You will then be discharged from the service in line with our missed appointment policy.    

Your GP will be copied into all correspondence.    
 

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, a Care Navigator will book an appointment for you and inform you of that appointment.   

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