"Appointment cancelled, but not notified"

I rang today to confirm my Oral Surgery appointment at Probus, after arranging lifts and time off work, only to be told that the list had been cancelled and someone should have called me to inform me of the change.  Nobody has made contact and no new date provided. 

The person I spoke to today was very apologetic and helpful, but I wonder how many other people on that list have not been contacted and now may make an unnecessary trip to Probus.

Maybe this should be confirmed with all those cancelled patients as a matter of urgency? Aren't all patients supposed to be notified in either writing or by telephone, if close to the appointment date, if there is a hospital cancellation?