Cancellation protection

Cancellation terms define the notice period an organisation must give before cancelling a confirmed booking. If the organisation cancels inside the notice period, you may be entitled to charge a cancellation fee — typically the full session rate or a percentage of it.

Setting clear cancellation terms protects your income when bookings are cancelled at short notice, leaving you unable to fill the slot. They are standard practice across locum healthcare work and are expected by most organisations.

Each booking can have cancellation terms attached. The terms specify:

• Notice period — the minimum number of days’ notice required before the booking date. If the organisation cancels with fewer days’ notice than this, the cancellation falls inside the protected period.
• Fee percentage — the proportion of the session value that can be charged as a cancellation fee. This is typically 100% (the full rate) but can be set to any percentage.

For example, if a booking on 20 May has a 14-day notice period, the organisation must cancel by 6 May to avoid a cancellation fee. If they cancel on 10 May (only 10 days’ notice), the cancellation falls inside the notice period and you can raise a fee.

Sessional provides preset cancellation templates so you do not have to configure terms manually for every booking. You can choose a default that applies to all new bookings:

• Standard— uses the profession-specific default notice period (see below). This is the recommended option for most locum professionals.
• 14-day notice— the organisation must give at least 14 days’ notice. Common for longer or higher-value bookings.
• 48-hour notice— the organisation must give at least 48 hours’ notice. Suitable for short-notice or ad-hoc shift work where longer notice periods are impractical.
• Custom— set your own notice period (in days) and fee percentage. Use this if your standard terms differ from the presets.

Your default terms are applied automatically when you confirm a new booking. You can override the terms on any individual booking if you have agreed different conditions with the organisation.

Each profession has a recommended default notice period based on typical market practice and the difficulty of finding a replacement at short notice:

• GP — 28 days for regular bookings, 7 days for ad-hoc sessions. GP sessions are often booked well in advance and are harder to backfill at short notice.
• Pharmacist — 3 days. Pharmacy locum shifts are typically arranged closer to the date, so a shorter notice period reflects market norms.
• Nurse and paramedic — 24 hours. Shift-based work with agencies and trusts commonly operates on very short notice periods.
• Dentist — 7 days. Dental sessions usually require advance planning for patient lists and chair time.
• Other professions — 7 days. This applies to physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, speech and language therapists, radiographers, dietitians, midwives, optometrists, dental hygienists, hospital doctors, psychiatrists, and physician associates.

When you select the “Standard” template, Sessional uses the default for your registered profession. You can always change this per booking or set a custom default.

When an organisation cancels a booking that has cancellation terms:

1. Sessional checks the notice period — it compares the cancellation date against the booking date and the notice period to determine whether the cancellation falls inside or outside the protected window.
2. If outside the notice period— the booking is cancelled with no fee. The organisation gave sufficient notice and no charge applies.
3. If inside the notice period— Sessional flags the cancellation and gives you the option to generate a cancellation fee invoice. You are not obliged to charge the fee — it is your decision.

When a booking is cancelled inside the notice period, a “Generate cancellation invoice” option appears on the booking detail page. Clicking it creates an invoice with:

• The organisation as the recipient
• A line item for the cancellation fee, calculated from the session value and the fee percentage in the terms
• A clear description noting that this is a cancellation charge, including the original booking date and the notice period
• Your standard payment terms and bank details

The cancellation invoice follows the same format as a regular invoice and can be sent directly to the organisation via email, downloaded as a PDF, or synced to Xero if connected.

You are never obliged to charge a cancellation fee. If you choose not to pursue the charge — perhaps due to a genuine emergency or to maintain a good relationship with the organisation — simply do not generate the cancellation invoice.

If you have already generated the invoice but decide to waive the fee, you can void the invoice from the invoices page. The booking record will still show that it was cancelled inside the notice period, but no charge will be outstanding.

Your default cancellation terms are applied to every new booking, but you can adjust them on a per-booking basis. When viewing a booking, click Edit cancellation terms to:

• Change the notice period for that specific booking
• Adjust the fee percentage (e.g. 50% instead of 100%)
• Remove cancellation terms entirely if the organisation does not accept them

Changes to an individual booking do not affect your default terms or other bookings.