Here is how you can easily set up and manage your own custom cancellation reasons in Nursebuddy.
1. Open your cancellation settings
Head over to Settings → General Settings → Visit Cancellation Reasons. Here, you'll find a single, handy list of all your cancellation reasons, including our default system reasons and any custom ones you decide to add. It's your one-stop shop for keeping everything organised!
Only people with an Admin role user can edit/view/create cancellation reasons
2. Add a new custom reason
Every homecare team has unique scenarios, so adding your own reasons is super simple.
Click Add to create a new reason.
Type out a clear description (for example: "Family member cancelled visit").
Click Add and then Save.
Your new reason will instantly join the list, neatly sorted in alphabetical order.
3. Set up how your reasons behave
For cancellation reasons in your list you have control over how each of them works in the background. You can choose:
If it shows up automatically in your main cancellation dropdown.
If it should always pay your carers for their planned time.
If it should always pay for mileage.
We leave the new created cancellation reasons un-ticked by default so you can tailor the settings exactly to your company's policy.
4. Remember to save!
Before you jump out, make sure to hit that save button! This ensures your new cancellation reasons are ready and waiting the next time you need to manage a visit.
5. Put your new reason to work
Open the visit you need to cancel.
Start typing your reason—our smart search will show matching results after just three letters.
Select your reason and confirm the cancellation.
You can adjust billing details when cancelling the visit
3. How deleting works (don't worry, it's a "soft" delete!)
Want to tidy up your list? You can easily remove existing or default reasons. Click the 3 dots and select Delete. When you delete a reason, it’s just a "soft delete". This means:
The reason disappears from your active settings list.
It isn't permanently gone from the system.
If you ever recreate it later using the exact same name, it will pop back in the list
7. Deleting a reason that's already been used?
If you try to delete a reason that you’ve used in the past, Nursebuddy will give you a gentle heads-up warning first. Don't worry about your historic data—past visits will completely preserve their records. They will simply display the reason with a neat deleted label so you know it's no longer active. The reason will then slip away from your active dropdowns and settings page.
8. Bring a deleted reason back to life
Changed your mind? Bring it right back by adding the exact same cancellation reason again. Once restored, it becomes fully active in your dropdowns, and that old deleted label will automatically vanish from your past visits.
Top tips for keeping your list pristine
Because domiciliary care moves fast, keeping a tidy ship makes life easier for everyone. Here is our best practice advice:
Keep it lean: Only create the custom reasons your team truly needs.
Stay consistent: Keep your wording, spelling, and grammar uniform.
Limit access: Restrict editing and deleting permissions to just one or two Admins.
This keeps your workspace clean, relevant, and effortless for your hard-working staff to navigate!