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SMS appointment reminders for UK medical and dental practices

Etisia adds SMS reminders, one-tap cancellations, and review follow-up to a Google Calendar workflow that stays simple.

Start sending appointment reminders

No credit card required. Free SMS included.

SMS Reminders, Google Reviews, Easy Cancellation

Google Calendar
TODAY
7
TOMORROW
8
09:00
Lisa Jones (SMS sent ✅)
10:00
Eva Davies (SMS sent ✅)
11:00
12:00
Jane Smith (SMS sent ✅)
13:00
14:00
Anna Wright (SMS ready ✅)
Click
15:00
16:00
07911 234567 (SMS sent ✅)
14:02
CHP
City Health PracticeToday, 14:02

The real impact of missed medical appointments

Every unused appointment slot leaves a gap in the diary. For a GP surgery, dental practice or private clinic, that can mean reception time spent rearranging appointments, clinical time left unused and another patient waiting longer than necessary. Etisia helps your team send clear SMS reminders from Google Calendar, with cancellation links that make it easier for patients to let you know when they cannot attend.

Fewer forgotten appointments A short text reminder can help patients remember the date and time of their appointment, especially when appointments are booked days or weeks ahead. For medical and dental practices, the message should stay neutral: appointment time, practice name and a simple link to cancel or change the appointment.

Easier cancellations before the slot is wasted Patients may know they cannot attend but put off calling because the phone line is busy or the practice is closed. A cancellation link gives them a simple route to tell the practice, giving the reception team a better chance of offering the appointment to someone else.

Less pressure on the reception desk Manual reminder calls can be repetitive, especially for small teams. Etisia adds automated SMS reminders to appointments already in Google Calendar, helping reception and admin staff focus on patients who need a more personal response.

Useful across several clinicians or rooms Many practices manage separate diaries for clinicians, treatment rooms, dental chairs, nurses or branches. Etisia can support Google Calendar-based workflows across multiple calendars, so reminders are linked to the appointment structure the team already uses.

Estimate the appointment time left unused

Your average appointment

~3 no-shows per week

That's

£0

walking out your door every year.

Per month

£0

Per week

£0

Wasted hours/year

0 hrs

Etisia brings them back.

SMS reminders recover up to 90% of no-shows.

Annual savings

£0

Appointments recovered

0

Hours saved

0 hrs

Start free trial

No credit card required · 3-day free trial · Free SMS included

Privacy-aware SMS for UK healthcare appointments

Keep healthcare SMS short and discreet. Appointment reminders should usually include only the practice or clinic name, the date and time, and a simple cancellation or change link. Avoid diagnoses, treatment details, medication details, test results or the reason for the appointment.

Document your lawful basis and privacy information. UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 require appropriate handling of personal information. Health data can be special category data, so practices should be transparent in privacy notices, minimise the data used and keep only what is needed for the reminder workflow.

Keep PECR separate from routine service messages. Simple appointment reminders are different from promotional SMS. If a message includes marketing, special offers, review-gating language or prompts to book extra services, practices should handle the additional PECR and consent considerations before sending.

How Etisia works with your practice diary

Etisia does not replace your clinical system, dental software or full practice management platform. It adds automated SMS communication to Google Calendar, so your team can keep using the diary workflow they already understand while adding reminders, cancellation links and optional review requests where appropriate.

  1. 01

    Connect Google Calendar

    Link the Google Calendar your practice uses for appointments, rooms, clinicians or treatment sessions.

  2. 02

    Add patient mobile numbers

    Etisia uses the mobile number connected to the calendar event or contact record. Keep the event details minimal and avoid adding sensitive medical or dental information that does not need to be included in the reminder workflow.

  3. 03

    Choose reminder timing

    Set when reminders should be sent, such as 48 hours before, 24 hours before or on the morning of the appointment. Different appointment types can use different reminder timings where needed.

  4. 04

    Send automatic SMS reminders

    Once set up, Etisia sends short appointment reminders automatically. The SMS can include the practice name, date, time and a cancellation or change link.

  5. 05

    Use cancellation links to update the team

    When a patient cancels through the link, the practice can be notified quickly, helping the reception team decide whether the appointment can be offered to another patient.

  6. 06

    Enable review requests carefully

    For practices that want feedback, Etisia can send an optional, neutral review or feedback request after an appointment. For healthcare and dental settings, keep requests voluntary, non-selective and suitable for your privacy and advertising responsibilities.

How Etisia works with your practice diary

UK SMS templates for medical and dental appointment reminders

These examples are designed to be short, neutral and privacy-aware. Avoid including diagnoses, test results, treatment details, medication details or the reason for the appointment in an SMS.

Standard appointment reminder

Template 1

Reminder: you have an appointment at {PracticeName} on {Date} at {Time}. To cancel or change it: {Link}
Day-before reminder

Template 2

Your appointment at {ClinicName} is tomorrow at {Time}. To cancel or change your appointment: {Link}
Same-day reminder

Template 3

Reminder: you have an appointment at {PracticeName} today at {Time}. Please contact us if you can no longer attend: {Link}
Dental practice reminder

Template 4

You have an appointment at {PracticeName} on {Date} at {Time}. To cancel or change it, please use this link: {Link}
Private clinic reminder

Template 5

Your appointment at {ClinicName} is booked for {Date} at {Time}. To cancel or change your appointment: {Link}
Cancellation link message

Template 6

Cannot attend your appointment at {PracticeName} on {Date} at {Time}? Please let us know here: {Link}
Appointment changed confirmation

Template 7

Your appointment at {ClinicName} has been changed to {Date} at {Time}. Please contact the clinic if this is not correct.
Neutral review or feedback request

Template 8

Thank you for visiting {PracticeName}. You can leave voluntary feedback here: {ReviewLink}

Ask for feedback in a careful, neutral way

After an appointment, some practices choose to ask patients for feedback. In healthcare and dental settings, the request should be voluntary, neutral and suitable for your privacy and advertising responsibilities. Avoid asking only "happy patients", avoid incentives, and do not ask for a particular rating or wording. Some practices may prefer to collect private feedback before, or instead of, directing patients to public review platforms.

Neutral by default

Send the same polite request to eligible patients, without filtering only for positive experiences or asking for a specific rating.

Private feedback option

For healthcare settings, private feedback can be useful when the practice wants to understand concerns without encouraging patients to share sensitive details publicly.

Review policy aware

Google allows businesses to encourage genuine reviews, but prohibits incentives, pressure, selective positive review requests and requests for specific review content.

Simple plans for small and midsize service businesses that don't want another complicated booking system

Google Calendar stays the working diary. Etisia adds discreet appointment reminders, cancellation links and optional neutral feedback requests without replacing your clinical system, dental software or practice management platform.

Starter

£19/month

ex VAT

For solo operators who want reminder coverage fast, without rebuilding how appointments get booked.

  • 100 SMS messages per month
  • 1 Google Calendar
  • Automatic + instant SMS on new bookings
  • Instant confirmation SMS for new appointments
  • 24/7 Monitoring
  • One-tap cancel links + instant alerts
  • 25+ templates with custom fields
  • Import contacts from iOS, Android & vCard
  • Full delivery logs & tracking
Start free trial
No credit card needed. Free SMS included.

Pro

Recommended

Try free for 3 days — extra SMS on us

£33/month

ex VAT

For busy businesses that want reminders and review requests included in one Google Calendar-first flow.

  • 250 SMS messages per month
  • 3 Google Calendars
  • Automatic + instant SMS on new bookings
  • Instant confirmation SMS for new appointments
  • 24/7 Monitoring
  • One-tap cancel links + instant alerts
  • Custom Alphanumeric Request
  • 25+ templates with custom fields
  • Import contacts from iOS, Android & vCard
  • Full delivery logs & tracking
  • Optional neutral feedback requests
Start free trial
No credit card needed. Free SMS included.

Team

From£125/month

ex VAT

Built for larger teams with multiple Google accounts and calendars or higher reminder volume. Pricing is tailored to your calendar setup, country, and monthly reminder needs.

  • Custom monthly SMS volume
  • Unlimited Google Calendars
  • 24/7 Monitoring
  • One-tap cancel links + instant alerts
  • Custom Alphanumeric Request
  • Optional neutral feedback requests
  • Multiple Google accounts if needed
  • Setup help
  • Priority support — we've got your back
Talk to us
No credit card needed. Free SMS included.

Frequently asked questions

The practical details before you try Etisia.

Do UK medical and dental practices need consent for SMS appointment reminders?
You need an appropriate lawful basis under UK GDPR and must be transparent about how you use patient mobile numbers. Consent is not the only possible lawful basis for all processing, but practices should document the basis they rely on and reflect SMS reminders in their privacy information. For health-related data, extra care is needed because health data can be special category data.
Are appointment reminders treated the same as marketing SMS under PECR?
Not always. A simple appointment reminder is usually a service or administrative message, especially if it only gives practical information about an existing appointment. However, if the SMS includes promotional content, encourages patients to book extra services, or is used for marketing, PECR considerations are more likely to apply. Routine customer service messages are different from direct marketing, but messages with significant promotional material can bring marketing rules into play.
What should a healthcare SMS reminder include?
Keep it minimal: practice or clinic name, date, time and a cancellation or change link. Avoid diagnoses, treatment details, test results, medication details, personal reasons for the appointment or anything that could unnecessarily reveal sensitive information.
When should practices send appointment reminders?
A common pattern is 24-48 hours before the appointment, with an optional same-day reminder for appointments that are frequently forgotten. The right timing depends on the type of appointment, how easy it is to refill the slot and how often the practice wants to contact patients.
Can patients cancel through the SMS?
Yes. Etisia can include a cancellation link in the reminder message. This helps patients cancel without waiting on the phone, and it helps the reception team see changes sooner. For sensitive settings, the cancellation page should also avoid showing unnecessary medical or dental details.
Does Etisia replace EMIS, SystmOne, Dentally, Exact, Cliniko or other practice software?
No. Etisia adds automated SMS reminders, cancellation links and optional review requests to Google Calendar. It should not be presented as replacing clinical records, dental software, patient portals, triage tools, safeguarding processes or regulated practice-management systems.
Can Etisia work with more than one calendar?
Yes. Etisia plans support multiple Google Calendars, which is useful for practices that separate diaries by clinician, room, branch, dental chair or appointment type. The pricing section shows the current calendar allowance for each plan.
Can medical or dental practices send review requests?
They can ask for feedback, but the wording should be neutral and voluntary. Avoid asking only satisfied patients, offering incentives, asking for 5-star reviews or suggesting what patients should write. Public review requests should also avoid encouraging patients to share sensitive details.

Free Tools & Resources

No-Show Cost Calculator

Calculate how much missed appointments cost your business

SMS Template Generator

Create professional reminder messages in 3 clicks

Compare Plans & Pricing

See all features side-by-side with full comparison

Add SMS reminders to the calendar your practice already uses

Send discreet reminders with only the practice name, date, time and cancellation link

Make cancellations easier with a patient cancellation link that helps reception see changes sooner

Ask for feedback carefully with voluntary, neutral requests where appropriate

Start sending appointment reminders

Keep Google Calendar as your diary. No credit card required. Free SMS included.