Overview
When patients are linked as a family, you can review and action appointments for more than one family member from a single patient’s Appointments tab, book those appointments together using the calendar Clipboard, and print a combined list of upcoming appointments.
You can:
Use the Family filter on the Appointments tab to show unbooked and booked appointments as well as waiting lists for selected family members
Filter Booked appointments by Appointment status
Add appointments for different family members to the Clipboard, and Group by family on the clipboard
Print upcoming appointments for one patient or several linked family members from the calendar
Patients must already be linked as family members. The Family filter only appears when the open patient has linked family members.
How to view appointments for family members
Open the patient record and go to the Appointments tab.
In the Family filter, open the family menu.
Select the linked family members whose appointments you want to see.
Review the Unbooked appointments and Booked appointments tables. They show appointments for the selected patients only.
When two or more family members are selected, a Patient column shows who each appointment belongs to.
To return to a single-patient view, remove family members from the selection until only the open patient remains. The open patient stays selected and cannot be removed.
Selected family members appear next to Patients. You can remove an additional family member by clicking their name.
The summary at the top of the Appointments tab shows appointment counts for the current selection, including completed, cancelled, and missed. When only one patient is selected, an Arrives average is also shown.
Your family member selection is kept while you stay on that patient’s Appointments tab.
If the family has 20 or more active members, the family filter is unavailable. A message explains this, and you need to view each member individually.
How to filter booked appointments by status
Open the patient record and go to the Appointments tab.
In Booked appointments, open the Appointment status filter.
Select one or more statuses. Statuses include Pending, Confirmed, Arrived, In surgery, Completed, Cancelled, and Did not attend.
The table shows only booked appointments that match the selected statuses.
To clear the filter, remove the selected statuses or use Reset filters when no matching appointments are shown.
Status filtering works for a single patient and when multiple family members are selected.
How to add family appointments to the clipboard
Use the Appointments tab family filter together with the calendar Clipboard when you want to book appointments for more than one family member in sequence.
Open a linked patient’s record and go to the Appointments tab.
Use the Family filter to select the family members you are booking for.
In Unbooked appointments, add each appointment you want to book to the clipboard using Add to clipboard icon
Open the calendar and select the Clipboard and Group by family
Drag each clipboard appointment onto a suitable diary slot, as you normally would when using the clipboard.
Each clipboard item shows the patient's name, so you can see which family member the appointment belongs to. Booked appointments that are already on the clipboard show an On clipboard label on the Appointments tab.
The clipboard remains site-scoped: appointments appear on the clipboard for the site you are viewing in the calendar.
How to group clipboard appointments by family
Open the calendar and select the Clipboard.
Turn on Group by family.
Appointments for linked family members are listed under a family heading, with an appointment count.
Appointments that are not part of a family group appear under Other patients.
Turn off Group by family to return to a flat list.
Group by family only changes how clipboard items are displayed. It does not change how you book appointments from the clipboard, and it does not merge clipboards across sites.
How to print upcoming appointments for a family
In the calendar, find an appointment for the patient.
Right-click the appointment and select Print.
The Upcoming appointments window opens with a document preview.
Under Include patients, choose who to include:
Use All to include every listed family member
Use Just this patient to include only the patient whose appointment you opened
Or select or clear individual family members
Review the Document preview. Only future appointments are included.
Select Print to print the document, or Cancel to close without printing.
The open patient is always included and cannot be cleared.
Only family members who have upcoming appointments are listed for inclusion. A patient with no upcoming appointments is left off the document.
When more than one patient is included, the printed document is titled Upcoming appointments, lists who it is for, and groups appointments under each patient’s name. Each appointment shows Date & time, Appointment, With, and Duration.
If the family has 20 or more active members, family selection in this window is unavailable. You can still print for the open patient.
If none of the selected patients have an upcoming appointment, a message explains this and Print is unavailable.
Notes
Linking patients as family members is required before the Family filter or family print selection is available. See Family members.
The family filter and family print selection are unavailable for families of 20 or more active members.
Group by family on the clipboard is presentation only. Booking from the clipboard works the same way as for a single patient.
The clipboard is shared with your team for the site you are viewing. Only add appointments when you are ready to book them.
FAQs
Why can I not see the Family filter on the Appointments tab?
The filter only appears when the open patient has linked family members. If the family has 20 or more active members, the filter is unavailable and a message explains why.
Does selecting family members change the patient record I am in?
No. You stay on the open patient’s record. Selecting family members only changes which appointments are shown on the Appointments tab.
Can I remove the open patient from the family selection?
No. The open patient remains selected. You can add or remove other linked family members.
Does Group by family change which appointments are on the clipboard?
No. It only groups the list for easier reading. Items stay on the site clipboard you are viewing.
Can I email the upcoming appointments printout from this window?
No. This window is for previewing and printing only.
Why is a family member missing from the print window?
Only family members who have upcoming appointments are listed. Members with no future appointments are not shown and are not included on the document.