Hero keeps a copy of your free EMIS slots and refreshes it every few minutes (see How Hero syncs with EMIS). If reception books a slot in EMIS, or a session is changed, in the gap between refreshes, Hero may still show that slot. When the patient tries to book it, EMIS says no, and the patient sees:
"There has been a problem with your chosen appointment. Please select an alternative time to continue"
This is Hero working as intended. It stops two patients being booked into the same slot. In September 2026 it happened a few thousand times a week across EMIS practices. Faster syncing has cut how often it happens.
Tell the patient to go back and pick another time. Their first choice won't be booked.
At busy times (for example when appointments are released in the morning), you can expect a few of these, as slots are being taken in EMIS and online at the same time.
If every slot gives this message, or the same patient sees it again and again, the slots probably don't match EMIS. Check:
the slot type is still linked to the right appointment type
the sessions haven't been changed or moved in EMIS
your EMIS connection is working (see Reconnecting EMIS)
If you need to, book the patient into EMIS manually.
All patients get this message for an appointment type or location.
It started suddenly and keeps happening.
Tell us the appointment type, the location, the date and time chosen, and when it happened.
Why isn't my EMIS slot type or appointment showing in Hero?
What an "Incomplete booking" alert means
Reconnecting EMIS or fixing a locked EMIS account ~~~~
