Booking, Cancellation & Rescheduling Policy

Oriah Clinics is committed to providing a fair, transparent and consistent approach to appointment bookings, cancellations and rescheduling.

The clinic recognises the importance of protecting clinical appointment availability while ensuring that patients are treated fairly and understand the terms associated with their bookings.

A booking fee is required to secure appointments and is deducted from the cost of the consultation or treatment when the patient attends. Patients may reschedule their appointment without losing their booking fee, provided a minimum of 72 hours' notice is given.

Late cancellations, rescheduling requests and missed appointments may result in the booking fee being retained, subject to individual circumstances and applicable consumer rights.

This policy establishes the procedures and responsibilities necessary to ensure these arrangements are communicated and administered consistently.

The purpose of this policy is to:

• Establish clear procedures for managing appointment cancellations and rescheduling.
• Ensure patients receive accurate booking information before making payment.
• Minimise disruption to clinic operations and the loss of clinical appointment availability.
• Promote fairness and consistency when applying booking fees.
• Provide guidance for managing exceptional circumstances and refund requests.
• Support compliance with relevant consumer protection and data protection legislation.
• Establish accountability for decisions relating to disputed fees and cancellations.

This policy applies to all individuals involved in managing appointments on behalf of Oriah Clinics, including:

• Clinic Directors and management.
• Medical and aesthetic practitioners.
• Administrative and reception personnel.
• Self-employed contractors and external administrative support providers acting on behalf of the clinic.

The policy covers consultations, treatment appointments, cancellations, rescheduling, non-attendance and associated booking fees.

Treatment courses, prepaid packages and memberships may be subject to additional terms and conditions, which must be communicated separately before purchase.

This policy applies across Oriah Clinics locations, subject to the consumer protection legislation applicable in each jurisdiction.

4.1 Clinic Director

The Clinic Director holds overall responsibility for the implementation and oversight of this policy.

Responsibilities include:

• Ensuring the policy is communicated and applied consistently.
• Approving booking fee arrangements and cancellation terms.
• Reviewing exceptional circumstances and disputed refund requests.
• Authorising deviations from standard procedures.
• Ensuring relevant consumer protection requirements are met.
• Reviewing and approving policy amendments.

4.2 Practitioners

Practitioners are responsible for:

• Maintaining accurate appointment and treatment records.
• Informing administrative personnel of appointment changes.
• Assessing whether treatment can safely proceed when a patient arrives late.
• Identifying circumstances where clinical suitability may affect an appointment.
• Referring disputes concerning clinical treatment or outcomes to the Clinic Director.

4.3 Administrative Personnel and Contractors

Individuals responsible for appointment administration must:

• Communicate booking and cancellation terms accurately.
• Process cancellations and rescheduling requests in accordance with this policy.
• Maintain accurate records of patient communications and booking changes.
• Refer exceptional circumstances and disputed fees for management review.
• Ensure refunds or discretionary adjustments are appropriately authorised.

Administrative personnel and external contractors must not independently accept clinical liability, authorise compensation or make decisions outside their delegated authority.

5.1 General Requirements

• A booking fee is required at the time of booking to secure an appointment, unless otherwise agreed by the clinic.
• The applicable fee must be clearly communicated before payment is taken.
• The booking fee is deducted from the total cost of the consultation or treatment when the patient attends the scheduled appointment.

5.2 Retention of Booking Fees

• Booking fees are generally non-refundable when a patient chooses to cancel an appointment outright.
• Where a patient requests to reschedule with at least 72 hours' notice, the booking fee will be transferred to the rearranged appointment.
• Where less than 72 hours' notice is provided, the booking fee will be retained and will not be transferable.
• All decisions concerning fee retention must remain fair, proportionate and consistent with applicable consumer rights.

6.1 Rescheduling with at Least 72 Hours' Notice

Patients may reschedule appointments without forfeiting their booking fee when at least 72 hours' notice is provided.

Patients should use the rescheduling link in their appointment confirmation email or contact the clinic directly.

Administrative personnel must ensure that:

• The original appointment is updated or cancelled within the booking system.
• The new appointment is confirmed.
• The existing booking fee is transferred correctly.
• The patient is sent updated appointment confirmation.

6.2 Rescheduling Within 72 Hours

Where a patient requests to reschedule within 72 hours of their appointment, the original booking fee will be retained.

A new booking fee will be required to secure the replacement appointment.

Requests involving exceptional circumstances must be referred to the Clinic Director or authorised manager.

6.3 Appointment Cancellations

Patients should notify the clinic as soon as possible if they wish to cancel an appointment.

Where a patient cancels rather than reschedules, the booking fee will be retained, subject to the applicable terms and consumer rights.

Administrative personnel must:

• Record the cancellation date and time.
• Update the booking system.
• Confirm the cancellation with the patient.
• Refer any disputed booking fee or refund request to management.

7.1 Non-Attendance

• Where a patient fails to attend an appointment without providing notice, the booking must be recorded as a non-attendance.
• The booking fee will be retained.
• A new booking fee will be required for any subsequent appointment.
• Repeated non-attendance may be referred to the Clinic Director for consideration of future booking arrangements.

7.2 Late Arrivals

• Patients are expected to arrive promptly for their scheduled appointments.
• Where a patient arrives late, the treating practitioner must assess whether the appointment can safely proceed within the remaining allocated time.
• Where treatment cannot safely proceed, the appointment may need to be rescheduled.
• Any decision regarding retention or transfer of the booking fee must be considered fairly, taking account of the circumstances and applicable booking terms.

Patient safety must always take priority over operational or financial considerations.

Oriah Clinics may occasionally need to cancel or rearrange appointments due to practitioner availability, operational circumstances or clinical considerations.

Where this occurs, patients must be informed as soon as reasonably possible.

Patients must be offered:

• An alternative appointment at a mutually convenient time; or
• A refund of the booking fee for the cancelled appointment.

Booking fees must not be forfeited because the clinic is unable to fulfil an appointment.

Where treatment is deemed clinically unsuitable, the practitioner must explain the decision and ensure the patient's clinical records are updated.

Any refund entitlement must be assessed fairly, taking account of the services and time already provided and applicable consumer rights.

Oriah Clinics recognises that patients may occasionally be unable to attend appointments due to circumstances outside their reasonable control.

Examples may include:

• Acute illness or medical emergencies.
• Bereavement.
• Significant unforeseen personal circumstances.
• Childcare issues.
• Other exceptional events affecting attendance.

Requests for exceptions must be considered individually.

Any discretionary decision must be authorised by the Clinic Director or designated manager.

The decision and supporting rationale must be recorded.

Patients attending appointments as part of a prepaid treatment course, package or membership are subject to the clinic's 72-hour cancellation and rescheduling policy.

Where a patient cancels or reschedules with less than 72 hours' notice, or fails to attend their scheduled appointment, the following may apply:

• The scheduled treatment session will be forfeited and deducted from the patient's remaining course, package or membership entitlement; or
• A cancellation charge of £50 will be payable to retain the treatment session for a future appointment.

Any applicable cancellation charge must be settled before a further appointment is confirmed.

All refund decisions must be consistent with applicable consumer protection legislation.

A booking fee described as non-refundable does not automatically remove a patient's statutory rights.

The clinic must consider the fairness and proportionality of any fee retained, including relevant circumstances and any applicable statutory cancellation rights.

Refund requests must be reviewed by an authorised decision-maker.

Where a refund is approved:

• The decision must be recorded on their patient record including who authorised it.
• The amount must be confirmed.
• The refund should ordinarily be processed through the original payment method.
• The patient must receive confirmation.

Oriah Clinics ensures that patients are informed of the booking, cancellation and rescheduling conditions before confirming an appointment.

The Cancellation and Rescheduling Policy is made available to patients through the following channels:

• Clinic Website: The policy is published and accessible for patients to review before booking.
• Online Booking System: Patients are required to acknowledge and agree to the clinic's Terms and Conditions, including the Cancellation and Rescheduling Policy, when completing an online booking.
• Booking Confirmation Emails: A copy of the policy is provided within the appointment confirmation email for patients to retain and refer to.

The clinic is responsible for ensuring that the policy remains accurate, up to date and consistent across all patient communication channels.

Any amendments must be reflected across the website, booking system and automated patient communications.

Any patient complaint or dispute relating to booking fees, cancellations, rescheduling or non-attendance must be managed in accordance with Oriah Clinics' Complaints Handling Policy.

All concerns must be handled professionally, fairly and consistently, with matters escalated to the appropriate person in accordance with the clinic's established complaints procedure.

Staff and contractors must not independently authorise refunds, compensation or exceptions outside their delegated authority.

Accurate records must be maintained to support transparency, accountability and the appropriate management of disputes.

Records should include:

• Appointment and booking details.
• Booking fee payments.
• Applicable terms and evidence of acceptance.
• Cancellation and rescheduling requests.
• Dates and times of relevant communications.
• Non-attendance records.
• Refunds, transfers and discretionary adjustments.
• Management authorisations.
• Relevant complaints and outcomes.

All records must be stored securely within approved clinic systems.

Personal information must be processed in accordance with the clinic's Privacy Policy, data protection procedures and applicable legislation.

Access to patient information must be restricted to authorised individuals with a legitimate operational or clinical need.

All personnel involved in appointment administration are expected to understand and follow this policy.

The Clinic Director is responsible for ensuring appropriate guidance is provided and that the policy is implemented consistently.

Failure to follow this policy may result in corrective action, additional training or a review of delegated responsibilities, as appropriate to the individual's contractual or employment status.

The Clinic Director is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of this policy.

The policy must be reviewed at least annually, or sooner where necessary due to:

• Changes in applicable legislation.
• Changes to booking systems or operational procedures.
• Patient complaints or identified areas of risk.
• Changes to the clinic's services or locations.
• Recommendations arising from legal, insurance or compliance reviews.

All amendments must be approved before implementation and communicated to relevant personnel.

This policy should be read alongside the following Oriah Clinics documents, where applicable:

• Patient Terms and Conditions
• Website Cancellation and Rescheduling Policy
• Complaints Handling Policy
• Privacy, Data Protection and Confidentiality Policy
• Records Management and Retention Policy