Appointment types
Fixed time or token sitting: read your appointment correctly
Two ways clinics organise arrivals, and the details to check before you travel.
By DocZen · · 3 min read
A fixed time is a scheduled start
Some clinics offer a specific appointment time. That time helps the clinic plan its day, but actual consultation starts can change when earlier visits take longer. Read any arrival or check-in instructions on the booking.
If you are running late or need a firm finish time, contact the clinic. A confirmed slot is useful for planning, but it should not be treated as a guarantee that the consultation will begin or end at an exact minute.
A token belongs to a sitting
Other clinics organise visits in a morning, afternoon or evening sitting and assign a token. The sitting window and token number are more useful than treating the displayed time as a precise consultation start.
When a wait estimate is shown, it is an estimate based on the information available to the clinic. Check the current instructions before leaving and ask reception how arrivals are handled if the page does not answer your question.
Use the details on your confirmation
Keep the clinic address, date, booking reference and appointment type together. A doctor may use fixed times at one practice and tokens at another. Read the details for this booking rather than relying on a previous visit.
If your plans change, open the appointment page for the options available to that booking. Some changes may require contacting the clinic. Make sure the patient attending also has the updated details.
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