When you add a patient block, you choose between two ways of matching: last name + date of birth, or mobile number. Each catches some patients and misses others. Use the option that best fits how the patient typically books.
Last name + date of birth
Best for: patients whose phone number changes (e.g. they use a parent's number for one booking and their own for the next).
Catches: any future booking where both the surname and DOB match.
Misses:
- Bookings under a different surname (e.g. after a name change, marriage, or a parent booking under their own surname for a child).
- Bookings where the DOB is entered differently (rare, since the booking form requires DOB).
Mobile number
Best for: patients whose name details might be entered with different spellings or capitalisations, but who consistently use the same mobile number.
Catches: any future booking using the same mobile number.
Misses:
- Bookings made from a different number — which is the most common workaround.
- Bookings where the mobile is entered with a typo.
Which should you use?
If you've experienced the problematic behaviour from someone with a stable mobile (most common), use mobile number. If they tend to switch phones or share family numbers, use last name + date of birth.
You can only have one match type per block. The form switches between the two — picking one disables the fields for the other.
Validation rules
- For name + DOB: both last name and DOB are required.
- For mobile: the mobile number is required.
Tips & things to watch for
- Notes are common to both match types — use them to explain why the block exists.
- Blocks don't propagate across practices. If the same person should be blocked at two of your practices, add the block at each.
- A determined patient can usually find a way around any block. The patient block is a defensive control, not a guarantee.
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