Bannockburn Medical Practice notice: There are two distinct issues at the moment - both of which are impacting the practice’s appointment availability.

-The number of patient failing to attend for booked appointments. The practice has changed its failure to attend policy to allow it to remove patients who continue to fail to attend after three missed appointments. Letters will be sent out after each failure to attend and on the third letter patients will be removed from the practice register. Additionally, patients are being encouraged to update their records with their mobile phone numbers to allow the practice to text them the day before their appointment is due in an attempt to reduce the failure to attend rate.

-A reduction in available appointments due to the national shortage of GPs available to cover absences when current doctors are off sick or on annual leave. This problem will become more intense from mid-march when the practice will have a reduction in GPs due to two retirements. The practice has been actively trying to recruit replacements, but have had no suitable applicants to date. The practice will continue to seek locum GP cover to increase the available appointments as much as possible, but it is envisaged that there may be a reduction in the number of appointments available until the vacancies are filled.

Bannockburn Medical Practice notice: There are two distinct issues at the moment - both of which are impacting the practice’s appointment availability.

-The number of patient failing to attend for booked appointments. The practice has changed its failure to attend policy to allow it to remove patients who continue to fail to attend after three missed appointments. Letters will be sent out after each failure to attend and on the third letter patients will be removed from the practice register. Additionally, patients are being encouraged to update their records with their mobile phone numbers to allow the practice to text them the day before their appointment is due in an attempt to reduce the failure to attend rate.

-A reduction in available appointments due to the national shortage of GPs available to cover absences when current doctors are off sick or on annual leave. This problem will become more intense from mid-march when the practice will have a reduction in GPs due to two retirements. The practice has been actively trying to recruit replacements, but have had no suitable applicants to date. The practice will continue to seek locum GP cover to increase the available appointments as much as possible, but it is envisaged that there may be a reduction in the number of appointments available until the vacancies are filled.