We've changed how appointment bookings, reschedules, and cancellations are confirmed for NHS practices & services. From this release, an appointment is only marked as confirmed once it exists in your EHR. And if something can't be completed, we guide the patient through what to do next, so it doesn't end up as a surprise for your team.

What's changing

Previously, a booking showed as confirmed the moment Hero accepted it, with the EHR sync happening afterwards in the background. That worked most of the time, but it meant a confirmed booking didn't always exist in your EHR yet. When the sync failed, the result was an incomplete booking: a patient who believed they were booked, with no matching appointment for your team to see.

Now, a booking is only confirmed once your EHR has confirmed it. If it can't be completed, it's never shown as confirmed, and the patient is told what to do next.

More reliable confirmations

When an appointment shows as confirmed, it's genuinely in your EHR. That closes the gap where a patient thought they were booked but nothing reached your system, so your front-desk team can trust what they see.

Fewer incomplete bookings, less chasing

Because a booking only counts as confirmed once it's in the EHR, the incomplete booking scenario (confirmed in Hero, missing from the EHR) goes away. For your team that means no more patients arriving for appointments you can't find, and no reliance on after-the-fact reports or email alerts to catch bookings that didn't sync.

Patients are never left wondering what to do

If a booking, reschedule, or cancellation can't be completed straight away, the patient is guided through it rather than left guessing:

• While the booking is being confirmed, they see clear progress, and if it's taking longer than usual, a message letting them know that rather than wait, they can choose to be notified by email once there's an outcome.

• If it succeeds, they're told, with their confirmation details.

• If it can't be completed, they're told what's happened and given clear next steps, so they don't simply turn up or call the practice.

The same applies to reschedules and cancellations, so a patient always knows where they stand.

What you need to do

This is handled automatically for NHS practices & services using Hero, and applies to appointments booked through Hero and the patient booking experience. You'll simply see more accurate confirmations, and fewer bookings landing that were never really booked.