What to change
Name the specific practical items required for the booked appointment. Confirm the list with the service team and separate it from any individually supplied clinical instructions.
A worked example
Illustrative example
A practice asks insured patients to have their confirmed authorisation details available and tells self-paying patients that this requirement does not apply to them. Other preparation remains in their appointment instructions.
Put it into practice
Keep this separate from instructions that require a practitioner's approval. Ask reception which missing items commonly cause confusion. A short, verified list is more helpful than asking everyone to bring every record they might possibly have.
Use the same document names in the booking message and preparation page. Small differences in wording can make patients believe they need two separate items when the practice means one.
What to agree before publishing
Ask reception to separate documents needed to identify or administer the appointment from any appointment-specific preparation instructions. Name each item as patients know it and explain the route for someone who cannot provide it. Do not turn a useful short list into a request for every record a person might possess. Compare the list with the confirmation email and any downloaded form. The same item should not acquire a different name in each place, leaving patients wondering whether they need several documents.
How to check the result
Each patient can identify the items relevant to their own route instead of following an undifferentiated checklist.
A mistake to avoid
Do not request additional identification or records simply because another service at the practice asks for them.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.
Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.
Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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