Free resource

Osteopathy hours-back checklist

For UK osteopathy practices that want reminders, waitlist follow-up and patient intake to run more consistently without making communication feel impersonal.

Work through the sections when reviewing your booking system, diary, patient forms and follow-up process. The aim is to automate routine prompts while keeping clinical judgement with the practitioner.

Appointment reminders that reduce no-shows

Set the reminder sequence once, so patients have clear appointment details and a simple way to confirm or rearrange.

Choose the reminders you will send before each appointment, such as 48 hours and 24 hours before the booked time.
Include the appointment date, time, practitioner, location or video details, and a clear route for cancelling or rearranging if needed.
Pause reminders for patients or appointment types that need manual handling, then log each message against the patient record.

Cancelled slot and waitlist follow-up

Fill suitable cancelled slots from a waitlist without turning the front desk into a call list.

Keep a simple waitlist with patient name, preferred days or times, appointment type and any practitioner preference.
When a slot is cancelled, message the next suitable patient with the available time and a clear reply or booking link.
Stop the sequence as soon as the slot is taken, so patients do not receive messages about appointments that are no longer available.

Lapsed patient reactivation

Review patients with no future appointment and send appropriate prompts that are helpful rather than pushy.

Define when a patient becomes lapsed for your practice, such as 8 weeks after their last appointment with no future booking.
Draft a short message that refers to the existing patient relationship and invites them to book a check-in if they feel it would be useful.
Exclude patients who should not receive a routine prompt, including discharged patients, sensitive cases and anyone who has opted out.

Diary review for patients with no next step

Make gaps visible before patients drift away because no one has reviewed the diary.

Create a weekly report of patients seen recently who do not have a future appointment, completed care plan note or clear discharge note.
Group the report by practitioner, appointment type or last-seen date so each person can review their own patients quickly.
Require a person to approve the next action before any message is sent where clinical judgement or context matters.

New patient intake before the first consultation

Collect the information needed for a careful first appointment before the patient arrives.

Send intake forms automatically after a first appointment is booked, with enough time for the patient to complete them at home.
Collect health history, consent, pain assessment, relevant goals and any practical access needs in one structured form.
Store completed forms in the practice system before the appointment, and alert the practice if a form is still missing the day before.

First-appointment desk admin

Reduce avoidable admin at arrival so the first consultation can start with the right information already in place.

List the checks currently handled at the desk, including contact details, consent, forms received and appointment payment status.
Move repeat questions into the pre-appointment form where it is appropriate, then keep the in-practice check to exceptions and confirmations.
Review the process monthly to remove questions that patients answer twice or that no longer support the consultation.

Want a hand setting it up

We can wire this up so it runs itself

On a free 20-minute fit call we will look at your booking system, reminder process, waitlist, diary review and patient intake steps, then tell you which of the steps above to automate first.

Book a free fit call