Blocking out time in the diary

Not everything in your day is a patient. Lunch, training, admin and personal errands all deserve space in the diary so nothing gets booked over them.

Creating a block

1. On the Calendar, click the empty diary space at the time you want to block.
2. In the New appointment drawer, tick Blocked time / no patient (title only).
3. Give it a Title, for example Lunch, training or admin.
4. Set the Duration (min) and press Create appointment.

The block sits in the diary like any appointment, so the time is visibly taken and protected against another booking for that practitioner.

Changing a block

Click the block to open its drawer. You can change its Date, Time and Duration (min); the drawer shows when it will end. Press Save changes.

What blocks do not do

• No patient is attached, so no confirmation email or forms are sent.
• Blocks without a treatment are not offered to the waitlist if you move or cancel them. Leave the treatment unset when blocking out your own time.

Blocks or shifts?

Use a block for a one-off gap inside a working day. If you are away for a whole day, or your hours change, use time off or an extra shift on the Shifts page instead; time off removes working availability, while an extra shift adds working availability.

Closing for whole days or weeks

To close for whole days, add time off on the Shifts page instead: set the day and times for each person affected. Use First day and Last day (optional) for up to 92 days, and manage a grouped holiday with Show days, Edit all and Delete all. Appointments already booked are not moved or cancelled. Check the diary first and read any warning shown before confirming a change.

Closing the whole clinic? Add time off for each person who works that period. Use time off for a whole-day closure, so the working hours are removed without filling the diary with a long block. Patientless blocks are excluded from patient appointment reports. See Shifts and time off.