A group session is one class with several patients in it: a Pilates class, a back-rehab group, a falls-prevention class or an antenatal session. You create the session once, then add the people coming.
Group sessions are included on the Clinic and Practice plans.
How it works
Each person in a session has their own appointment, linked to the session. So everything you already do for one patient still works for each attendee:
- they get the usual booking confirmation and reminders (by email, and by text if your clinic sends texts)
- you mark them arrived, attended or no-show
- you write their clinical note on their own appointment
- you can invoice them, and the appointment shows in their patient record and patient portal
The session itself blocks the practitioner's time. No 1:1 appointment can be booked inside it, and your online booking page won't offer that time for 1:1 appointments.
Set up a group service (optional)
Go to Settings → Services, edit a service (or add one) and switch on Group session (class). Set the Default places you usually run with.
Group services are listed first when you create a session. They're never offered as a 1:1 appointment on your online booking page.
Let patients book classes online
New group services are staff-only. To let patients book a place themselves, edit the group service in Settings → Services and switch on Bookable online.
Your online booking page then gets a Classes tab listing that service's sessions for the next six weeks: the class name, day and time, practitioner, location, price and how many places are left (for example 4 places left, or Full). If you only offer classes online, the page opens straight on the list.
When a patient books a place:
- They pick a class and enter their name, date of birth, email and phone, the same details as a 1:1 online booking.
- Their place is held for 10 minutes while they confirm, so nobody else can take it. If they don't confirm in time, the place is released.
- Once confirmed, they get the usual booking confirmation email (and text, if your clinic sends confirmation texts), and you get a New online class booking notification.
In the session, people who booked themselves have a Booked online tag. A place that's held by someone part-way through booking counts towards the total, and the session shows it.
Places can't be overbooked: staff adding attendees and patients booking online all take places from the same count.
There's no online payment for classes. The page tells patients that payment is taken at the clinic.
Patients cancel their place the same way as any appointment, from their patient portal or the link in their confirmation text, if your cancellation settings allow it. The place is freed straight away.
Turn Bookable online off again at any time. The classes disappear from your booking page, and anyone already booked keeps their place.
Create a session
- On the calendar, click Group session (next to Book appointment).
- Pick the service, the practitioner and the location. The session name starts as the service name; change it if you like ("Tuesday Pilates").
- Choose the date, start time, length and number of places.
- Click Create session.
If the practitioner already has an appointment or another class at that time, Atlacare tells you and doesn't create it.
The session shows on the calendar as one block with its name and how many places are taken, for example 6 / 8. Click it to open the session.
Add and remove attendees
In the session, click Add attendee and search for the patient, or choose New patient to add someone who isn't on your list yet. The count goes up as you add people. When every place is taken the session is full; edit the session and raise the number of places to add more.
To take someone off the list, click the X next to their name. Their appointment is cancelled in the normal way, and if Let the patient know is ticked they get the usual cancellation email (and text, if your clinic sends cancellation texts).
You can change the session name and number of places with Edit name or places. You can't set fewer places than the number of people already booked. To change the time of a class, cancel it and create a new one.
On the day
Each attendee has the same buttons as a 1:1 appointment: Arrived, Attended and No-show. After the class, Mark everyone attended marks everyone still booked as attended in one go.
Notes
- Each patient's note: click Write note next to their name. It opens their own appointment, where you write the note as usual.
- Session note: the box at the bottom of the session is for the whole class (what you covered, equipment, anything for next week). It's internal and is never shown to patients. Receptionists can't see it.
Cancel a session
Open the session and click Cancel session. Anyone part-way through booking it online can't finish. Everyone still booked has their appointment cancelled and, if Let the patients know is ticked, gets the usual cancellation email and text. Attended and no-show records are kept.
Who can do what
Anyone who can book and change appointments can create sessions, add and remove attendees and mark attendance. Writing notes follows the usual note permissions.