Physio practices: booking back and balance class places

Let patients book a place in the exercise classes a physiotherapy assistant runs for the practice: a back care class, a balance group for older adults, a post-rehab strength class. Create one service per class, set the places the room and supervision allow, and say in the description who the class is for, what to wear and whether a physiotherapist's referral is needed. Patients book their weekly place without calling reception, the assistant knows who is coming before setting out mats, and the physiotherapists free up individual slots by moving suitable patients into groups.

A balance group for people at risk of falling and a strength class after knee surgery need different exercises and pace. On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page, and each slot belongs to one service, sits within one day and has its own capacity.

Durations and places are examples: set your own, and state the practice's fees in the description of each service.

Set places from the space, the equipment and how closely the assistant needs to watch each person: fewer for a balance group, more for a general core class. When a class is full, it leaves your page, so patients choose another day or time instead of arriving to a crowded room. If a physiotherapist joins for a session, the places can go up for that date.

Some classes work as a course, such as six weeks of back care, others as a drop-in each week. Say which in the description.

Slots repeat each week on the weekdays you choose until an end date, so set the end date to the course's last week. Each slot sits within one day, so a course is a series of weekly slots, not one long booking.

If a class needs a physiotherapist's assessment first, say so clearly in the description, so people outside the practice don't book by mistake. The physiotherapist can also book the patient's first class directly from the calendar at the end of an individual session; first and last name are required, email and phone optional, and the patient receives a confirmation with a calendar file if you enter their email.

The booking form takes first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note that reaches you in the new booking email and appears in the patient's calendar file. Say in the description what to wear, whether to bring a water bottle or a towel, and to arrive a few minutes early. Since the note appears in the calendar file, ask patients not to write health details there; the assistant checks anything relevant at the start of the class.

Slots of different services can overlap, so if the gym is also used for individual rehab, give classes their own times. Evening and early-morning classes suit patients who work, and a Saturday class can help those who care for children during the week. Book has one booking page per business and no staff field, so if several people lead classes, give each their own services.

Put the booking link in the waiting room, on the practice website and on the exercise sheet the physiotherapists hand out. Patients finishing a course of individual treatment can then book a class before they leave, and keep up the exercises with a group once their individual sessions end.

Patients can't move or cancel bookings online: they call reception, and you move them to another class from your bookings list. If a class is cancelled, cancel the bookings and tell each patient yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. Bookings sync with Google, iPhone or Mac calendars. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.