Clinical Strategies to Maintain Patient Progress Through Christmas and New Year

As pelvic health physiotherapists, we know that treatment momentum is crucial for patient outcomes. A three or four-week gap during the Christmas and New Year period can set patients back significantly, undoing weeks of progress and leaving you with an empty diary in January.

However, the holiday period actually presents unique opportunities for treatment continuity. Many patients have time off work, making it easier to attend appointments than during regular weeks. With the right clinical strategies and systems in place, you can maintain patient progress while ensuring your practice remains viable.

Strategy One: Block Booking for Treatment Plans

When you see patients in November, book their December and January appointments before they leave. Frame it clinically: "Based on where we are in your treatment plan, I'd like to see you next week and then once more before Christmas, and again in the first week of January to maintain your progress. Let's lock those dates in now."

Create clear treatment plans that extend through the holiday period. For example: "We're targeting your pelvic floor strength progression over the next six weeks. If we break for three weeks over Christmas, we'll likely see regression. Let's schedule appointments on December 23rd and January 2nd to keep your momentum going."

Book strategically around key dates (December 25-26, January 1). The week between Christmas and New Year is often quieter socially, making it ideal for appointments.

Strategy Two: Don't Let Holidays Interrupt Progress

The biggest mistake practitioners make is treating the holiday period as a default treatment break. Instead, position continued care as the professional standard.

Reframe holiday availability as an advantage: "Many of my patients actually find this time easier for appointments since they have time off work and fewer commitments. You won't need to rush from the office or use your lunch break."

If you are in control of your clinic scheduling (as an owner or decision maker) this might apply: rather than closing for two weeks, stagger leave over strategic days off while keeping the clinic open. For instance: normal schedule December 2-20, closed December 24-26, reduced hours December 27-31, closed January 1, normal schedule resumes January 2.

Be direct about what happens when treatment is interrupted. Use specific examples: "The bladder retraining we've been working on requires consistent reinforcement. A three-week break means we'll spend our January session rebuilding what we've already achieved."

Strategy Three: Motivation Check-Ins

Schedule brief 10-15 minute phone or video check-ins for patients you won't see during the holidays. Use these to review home program compliance, address concerns, troubleshoot challenges, and book the next in-person appointment.

In early December, identify patients at critical treatment points: those mid-treatment plan with clear goals, making excellent progress that could be lost, with complex cases requiring consistent monitoring, or who've expressed concerns about maintaining progress. These are your priority contacts.

Strategy Four: Optimise Appointment Utilisation

Use lower-demand periods (after Boxing Day, the week between Christmas and New Year, first week of January) for comprehensive reassessments, complex manual therapy sessions, extended exercise prescription, or challenging treatment conversations.

For appropriate patients, offer intensive treatment blocks: "Since you're off work December 18-29, would you benefit from appointments on the 19th, 21st, and 28th? This would really advance your progress before the new year."

Identify patients who've been difficult to schedule due to work conflicts. The holiday period offers opportunities to get them back on track.

Implementation Timeline

Early November: Review caseload, create December/January schedule, discuss holiday appointments during sessions, set up waitlist system, ensure mobile access to booking system.

Mid-November: Communicate holiday hours to all patients, start block booking, create tiered waitlist, set up template messages.

Late November/Early December: Confirm December appointments, contact patients who haven't booked, prepare mid-holiday check-in list.

During Holidays: Can an admin team member be on the roster to check booking system daily, process cancellations within 24 hours, work through waitlist promptly?

Early January: Contact patients who didn't attend during holidays to re-engage for the new year

Conclusion: Clinical Care Doesn't Take Holidays

The most important mindset shift is recognising that pelvic health issues don't pause for Christmas. Your patients' symptoms, challenges, and treatment needs continue regardless of the calendar. By implementing these strategies, you're not just protecting your practice income—you're protecting patient progress and providing the continuity of care that leads to better outcomes.

The difference between returning to an empty January diary and a full one comes down to proactive planning, clear communication, and systems that work efficiently even during your time off. Start in early November, and you'll set yourself up for clinical and business success through the holiday period and into the new year.