The book
Altrincham · Tuesday 25 August 2026 · a chair that sits empty is the one thing you can never sell twice
Empty chair today
4h 30m
£1,840
Cancelled after 08:00
3
Two the same patient
Standby list
41
Would come at short notice
Waiting with treatment planned
214
Diagnosed, not booked
Four and a half hours of empty chair, forty-one patients who said they would come at short notice, and 214 patients with treatment already diagnosed. Matching those three lists is a five-minute job when they are in the same system and an afternoon of phone calls when they are not — which is why, in practice, nobody does it.
Tuesday 25 August
Hatched slots are unbooked or cancelled
Examination & consult
Treatment
Hygiene
Time
Surgery 1Dr Aruna Mehta
Surgery 2Dr Marcus Vane
Surgery 3Ffion Llewellyn
AestheticsRosa Bellini
09:00
J. PembertonExamination
L. OyiboComposite bonding
R. CastellanoHygiene
H. DraperAnti-wrinkle, review
09:30
A. WhitehouseExamination
L. Oyibocontinued
M. FerrersHygiene
H. Drapercontinued
10:00
S. AhmadiAligner review
K. NwosuCrown prep
T. BagshawHygiene
45 min free
10:30
S. Ahmadicontinued
K. Nwosucontinued
30 min free
P. SowdenDermal filler
11:00
D. RidleyNew patient exam
K. Nwosucontinued
C. MbekiHygiene
P. Sowdencontinued
11:30
G. FarrantExamination
60 min free
12:00
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
14:00
90 min — cancelled 08:40
B. IyerImplant placement
N. PrakashHygiene
V. OkaforAesthetics consult
14:30
continued
B. Iyercontinued
E. LindqvistHygiene
V. OkaforAnti-wrinkle
15:00
R. TolhurstExamination
B. Iyercontinued
J. AmankwahHygiene
15:30
R. TolhurstExtraction
B. Iyercontinued
S. DuffyHygiene
16:00
W. SandersonExamination
F. AchebeOnlay fit
K. OduyaHygiene
45 min free
16:30
M. GillardExamination
F. Achebecontinued
continued
The 90-minute hole at 14:00 in Surgery 1 was cancelled at 08:40 this morning. It is Dr Mehta's most valuable slot of the day and it has been sitting there for six hours.
Who could fill the 14:00
Ranked by clinical need first, then by how likely they are to say yes
| Patient | Waiting for | Planned | Value | Fits | Last asked | Likelihood |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Fairbrother | Extraction & implant · active infection | 22 Jul | £2,950 | Yes | Never | Needs a call first |
| J. Okereke | Unrestorable tooth · extraction | 5 Jul | £3,200 | Yes | Never | Needs a call first |
| T. Bagshaw | Crown prep · already accepted | 12 Aug | £895 | Yes | 12 Aug | On standby, said yes |
| C. Mbeki | Onlay · accepted, awaiting slot | 18 Aug | £795 | Yes | 18 Aug | On standby |
| S. Duffy | Composite bonding | 2 Aug | £1,240 | Partly | Never | Needs 2 hours |
Two patients on the standby list have already accepted treatment and are waiting for a slot. Either one turns a £1,840 hole into an £895 or £795 appointment, today, with one text message.
Why the chair sits empty
1,842 lost appointments over 12 months
| Cause | Appointments | Chair hours | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancelled under 24h | 684 | 598 | £104,200 |
| Failed to attend | 518 | 466 | £88,600 |
| Never rebooked after recall | 322 | 241 | £41,800 |
| Clinician absence | 186 | 198 | £33,400 |
| Lab work not back | 132 | 94 | £16,000 |
518 patients simply did not turn up. Bramfield sends one reminder, 48 hours ahead, by text. Practices that confirm rather than remind — asking for a reply — typically halve that number.