Most patients who use the telephone to book their appointments will most likely do so using the national number, 0345 6088888 detailed on their appointment request letter. This is the number that connects them to The Appointments Line (TAL), provided by NHS Direct.

TAL provides a telephone booking service for patients to book, check, change or cancel their appointments via Choose and Book. It also supports choice discussion with the aid of the NHS Choices website and the information held within the Directory of Services.

Where a patient tries to book an appointment with a specific provider, but no appointments are available, TAL will use the 'defer to provider' function to inform the relevant provider. The provider then has responsibilities to ensure that the patient is contacted, kept informed and given an appropriate appointment.

A guidance document, Appointment Slot Issues on Choose and Book (PDF 843Kb) explains how the entire process works. It is essential that everyone who uses Choose and Book within your organisation has read and understands this process. The TAL Call Scripts detail exactly what patients are being told and are essential reading for all users who are dealing with patient enquiries.

Detailed information on how to avoid slot unavailability can be found on the Slot Availability section.

Frequently Asked Questions about The Appointments Line and Choose and Book

1. How does The Appointments Line (TAL) work?

   The national Appointments Line (TAL) is available for all patients to make, change and cancel bookings. The telephone line is managed by NHS Direct, and the service is availableevery day of the year except Christmas day.
   
   With Indirectly Bookable Services patient cannot make or change their booking through the national appointment line (TAL) – they must contact the hospital directly in order to make or change their appointment. However, the TAL can still be used to assist a patient in making their choice, by providing information about the services on offer.
   
   The call cost of the 0345 number is only charged at a local call rate, no matter where the patient calls from.

2. Are all calls managed by The Appointments Line?

   No. Some local health communities have chosen to implement their own local telephone appointments lines with their own hours of operation. These local appointment lines must ensure their staff follows the same procedures and scripts as the national Appointments Line to ensure patients receive consistent service and information when choosing to book their appointment via the telephone.
   
   Also, if a patient telephones their local appointments line outside of its hours of operation,  the call will be diverted to the national Appointments Line.