NHS stricken by £350m loss from missed appointments
THE NHS lost about £350million in the first six months of this year due to missed appointments, figures have revealed.
Between January and June, almost 2.9 million people either did not show up for an outpatient appointment or arrived too late to be seen, data from NHS England shows.
With the NHS struggling for funds amid budget cuts, the British Medical Association has now said it is crucial appointments are not wasted while the health service is “under incredible stress”.
The average outpatient appointment costs the NHS £120, according to the latest figures.
Dr Robert Harwood, chairman of the BMA’s consultant committee, said: “It is important that no appointments are wasted at a time when the NHS is under incredible stress.
“We should not stigmatise patients who may for legitimate reasons be unable to attend.
“However, we do need the NHS to emphasise, through clear publicity to the public, that given the current unprecedented pressure patients should make every possible effort to rearrange their appointment so that another person is able treatment in their place.”
Out of the 33 million outpatient appointments used in the data, 8.6 per cent of patients did not show up.
The figures show 934,123 people failed to make their first appointment while 1.9 million did not appear for a subsequent meeting.
Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the healthcare sector, said: “The NHS is short of funding, short of staff and faces ever rising demand for its services.
“With modern communication, the excuses for missed appointments are running out. There will always be some unforeseen circumstances, but in most circumstances it should be possible to cancel appointments.
“Our members across the NHS are doing their bit. Many hospitals and other services send out email and text reminders, and increasingly patients can check, book and cancel appointments online.”
He added: “Making the NHS as efficient as it can be is in everyone’s interest.” to receive