Objective: An audit of referrals to a child psychiatry clinic is described. The process of asking families to confirm appointments and offering appointments to other families if no confirmation is received was analysed.
Method: Referral information on those refusing appointments offered, whether by declining the offer or by default, was compared with that of families attending first appointments.
Results: Longer waiting times and referral for treatment as opposed to assessment or advice were associated with higher likelihood of appointment refusal
Conclusion: The referral process resulted in a reduction in wasted professional time.
