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24/08/2004
Missed appointments cost NHS £162m a year: survey
Missed appointments are costing the NHS throughout the UK over £162 million a year as more than 911,000 GP consultation slots and over 264,000 practice nurse appointments are wasted every year because patients fail to turn up, a survey has revealed.
Findings from the latest Developing Patient Partnership (DPP) and Institute of Healthcare Management (IHM) survey of missed appointments revealed that the huge cost was incurred by almost nine million appointments missed every year.
Almost three quarters of GP practices surveyed said that missed appointments also increased waiting times for those people who need GP appointments.
Responses from GP practices across the UK show that 16-34 years olds were the most likely to repeatedly miss appointments whilst only 8.5% indicated the 55 plus age group.
The survey marks the launch of the DPP's annual 'Keep It Or Cancel It 2003' campaign which aims to reduce the number of missed appointments in general practice. The findings mark the launch of the annual Keep it or Cancel It campaign which includes new guidance for GP practices to help them manage missed appointments as well as posters to remind patients to cancel unwanted appointments.
Dr Greg Graham, a GP in Pontypool, said: "This figure is totally unacceptable. Missed appointments are a serious problem for all GPs throughout Wales. Every month, my practice alone has around 200 missed appointments from a list of 7,200. That is equivalent to one doctors' scheduled appointments for the whole week. The few that genuinely forgot apologise, but most are just dismissive of our remonstrations. We publish the numbers in our waiting areas and the 'good' patients are shocked and would have them fined! I find that young men are the worst."
Welsh Secretary of the BMA, Dr Richard Lewis and a former Maesteg GP said the staggering figures showed a "needless waste of time and resources when the health service is already stretched to its limits".
"They must assume responsibility not only for their own health but also for the National Health Service itself," he said.
"Considering the strain the NHS is under to meet demand, the cost of missed appointments is unacceptable. Each missed appointment robs a patient on the waiting list of an earlier appointment. Missed NHS hospital consultants and very late cancellations mean that staff and facilities go unused when they could be used to shorten waiting lists."
Dr Lewis said that the message for patients was simple – keep the appointment or cancel it in good time.
(gmcg)
Findings from the latest Developing Patient Partnership (DPP) and Institute of Healthcare Management (IHM) survey of missed appointments revealed that the huge cost was incurred by almost nine million appointments missed every year.
Almost three quarters of GP practices surveyed said that missed appointments also increased waiting times for those people who need GP appointments.
Responses from GP practices across the UK show that 16-34 years olds were the most likely to repeatedly miss appointments whilst only 8.5% indicated the 55 plus age group.
The survey marks the launch of the DPP's annual 'Keep It Or Cancel It 2003' campaign which aims to reduce the number of missed appointments in general practice. The findings mark the launch of the annual Keep it or Cancel It campaign which includes new guidance for GP practices to help them manage missed appointments as well as posters to remind patients to cancel unwanted appointments.
Dr Greg Graham, a GP in Pontypool, said: "This figure is totally unacceptable. Missed appointments are a serious problem for all GPs throughout Wales. Every month, my practice alone has around 200 missed appointments from a list of 7,200. That is equivalent to one doctors' scheduled appointments for the whole week. The few that genuinely forgot apologise, but most are just dismissive of our remonstrations. We publish the numbers in our waiting areas and the 'good' patients are shocked and would have them fined! I find that young men are the worst."
Welsh Secretary of the BMA, Dr Richard Lewis and a former Maesteg GP said the staggering figures showed a "needless waste of time and resources when the health service is already stretched to its limits".
"They must assume responsibility not only for their own health but also for the National Health Service itself," he said.
"Considering the strain the NHS is under to meet demand, the cost of missed appointments is unacceptable. Each missed appointment robs a patient on the waiting list of an earlier appointment. Missed NHS hospital consultants and very late cancellations mean that staff and facilities go unused when they could be used to shorten waiting lists."
Dr Lewis said that the message for patients was simple – keep the appointment or cancel it in good time.
(gmcg)
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