Appointment Policy
At Spinal & Sports Care, our appointment policy exists to ensure fairness for all patients and to make certain that those in need can access timely care. Appointment availability is often limited, and late cancellations or missed appointments prevent other patients from receiving the treatment they require. Our policy is firm yet fair, never punitive. Its purpose is to maintain respect for both our patients’ time and our practitioners’ commitment to providing high-quality, uninterrupted care.
We understand that unexpected events occur and schedules change. However, keeping appointments or providing adequate notice when rescheduling allows us to reallocate valuable time to other patients awaiting treatment. In this way, our appointment system remains efficient, equitable, and responsive to the needs of everyone in our care.
Appointment Lengths:
Appointment lengths and the way appointments are scheduled throughout the day are carefully planned and managed by our clinicians to deliver the best possible care for each patient. These times are curated to meet clinical goals, support management plans, and ensure that treatments are delivered safely and effectively.
Our front office staff play an essential role in this process. They work closely with our clinicians to assist patients in managing bookings, coordinating appointments, and supporting the delivery of treatment plans. Their goal, along with our clinical team, is to help every patient achieve their healthcare objectives as efficiently and smoothly as possible.
While we allocate specific time slots, this is not a time-based service. It is a quality-based service. Our focus is always on delivering the care required for your condition, not simply filling time for the sake of it.
At times, some appointments may run longer because the clinical situation requires it. On other occasions, the necessary treatment may be completed sooner than expected. Both scenarios are completely normal, and the time spent with patients will vary from treatment to treatment as they progress through their management plan and along the healing and rehabilitation pathway, as we strive to return every patient to pre-injury function. What matters is that we always allow enough time to provide the treatment you need on the day, with safety, quality, and effectiveness as our priorities.
Appointment Cancellation:
Appointment lengths and the way appointments are scheduled throughout the day are carefully planned and managed by our clinicians to deliver the best possible care for each patient. These times are curated to meet clinical goals, support management plans, and ensure that treatments are delivered safely and effectively.
Our front office staff play an essential role in this process. They work closely with our clinicians to assist patients in managing bookings, coordinating appointments, and supporting the delivery of treatment plans. Their goal, along with our clinical team, is to help every patient achieve their healthcare objectives as efficiently and smoothly as possible.
While we allocate specific time slots, this is not a time-based service. It is a quality-based service. Our focus is always on delivering the care required for your condition, not simply filling time for the sake of it.
At times, some appointments may run longer because the clinical situation requires it. On other occasions, the necessary treatment may be completed sooner than expected. Both scenarios are completely normal, and the time spent with patients will vary from treatment to treatment as they progress through their management plan and along the healing and rehabilitation pathway, as we strive to return every patient to pre-injury function. What matters is that we always allow enough time to provide the treatment you need on the day, with safety, quality, and effectiveness as our priorities.
Missed Appointments/No Shows:
Our clinic has a zero tolerance policy for no-shows.
Our front office staff and clinicians work tirelessly to ensure that patients receive well-structured management plans designed to help them achieve their goals. We provide multiple appointment reminders, including email confirmations at the time of booking, reminder emails leading up to the appointment, and often a personalised phone call from our team.
A failure to attend an appointment without notice compromises our ability to provide care for patients on waitlists, including post-operative patients and those in significant pain requiring urgent assessment and management. It disrupts treatment plans, delays rehabilitation, and prevents our clinicians from allocating time to patients who need care most.
No-shows are the most common reason for Spinal & Sports Care to discharge patients and discontinue care prematurely before patients and clinicians reach the desired treatment goals. Any missed appointment without notice will be charged the full appointment fee, all future appointments will be cancelled, and patients may be required to justify continuing treatment with our clinic before further bookings are considered.
We make no excuse for this firm stance on no-shows. Failure to attend appointments impacts not only our clinic but also the broader network of healthcare professionals and access for their patients, compromising recovery timelines, delaying continuity of care, and restricting access for those in urgent need, including post-surgical patients requiring immediate assessment and management.
How to Cancel:
To cancel or reschedule, please contact our reception team during business hours. We understand that situations may sometimes arise outside of office hours. In these cases, please send an email as soon as possible so that we can record your cancellation and make the appointment time available to another patient.
Late Attendance:
We appreciate punctuality and request that you arrive 5–10 minutes before your scheduled appointment. Appointment times are carefully selected so that practitioners can provide the required treatment safely, effectively, and without rushing. If you arrive late, we may need to reschedule your appointment to prevent delays for other patients and maintain fairness for all. Shortened appointments may compromise the quality, safety, and effectiveness of your care, and we will not compromise these standards.
