Missed appointments cost NHS £180 million
Over £180 million of NHS money is being wasted every year as a result of patients missing GP appointments.
A survey published today reveals that 10 million GP appointments a year are being missed.
Patients who fail to turn up for an appointment are leaving surgeries with no time to fill the vacant slot, and so the £18 cost of a GP appointment is typically wasted.
The survey by Developing Patient Partnerships also reveals that five million practice nurse appointments a year are being missed.
Nearly 70 per cent of surgeries believe the main reason patients miss appointment is because they forget, while a further 22 per cent think it is because they feel better and so choose not to attend.
DPP spokesman Dr Terry John said: “These results are a disappointment, especially if we consider that each GP appointment costs £18”.
Surgeries are considering radical action to tackle the problem, with over 70 per cent saying they would consider removing patients who repeatedly miss their appointments from their lists.
Two thirds of surgeries would support charging patients for missed appointments as a way of recouping the wasted resource.
But many still believe the answer is raising public awareness about the impact and costs of missing GP appointments, and urging patients to cancel them where they are no longer needed.
Mr John added: “On the bright side, most practices (65 per cent) believe that this figure can be reduced through effective communication about the impact of missed appointments. This is why DPP urges patients to remember to keep or cancel their appointments and urges practices to ensure that their patients are getting the message.”
Jayne Tabor from the Institute of Healthcare Management added: “Missed appointments impact on all of us. Almost everyone is likely to have difficulties booking an appointment to see their GP at some point. These difficulties are exacerbated by missed appointments.
“Cancelling unwanted appointments frees them up for other patients who need them.”
