GPS receiving millions in funds for 3.6m ‘ghost patients’

A WARNING has been issued after it emerged that 3.6million people are registered with family doctors despite being dead or no longer living in the UK.

People who have died or moved away are still registered at practices across the country, with the number of so-called “ghost patients” rising by nearly 6,000 a week.

GP practices in England are reported to receive an average of £151 a year per patient on their books, whether they attend appointments or not.

Meg Hillier, a Labour MP and chairman of the Commons’ public accounts committee, said as much as £550million was being wrongly allocated to GPS for the “ghost patients” on their books.

Data from NHS Digital shows 59.2million people are registered with a GP in England, the Mail on Sunday reported, but the Office for National Statistics says the current population of England is 55.6 million – leaving a gap of 3.6 million.

In July 2016, it emerged NHS England had employed private firm Capita to carry out “list cleansing” – meaning patients who do not visit their GP for five years face being axed from practice lists.

A spokesman for NHS England, which says it factors ghost patients into budget allocations, said: “GP practices work hard to keep registered patient lists as accurate as possible and NHS England is working with Capita and GP surgeries to transform this process … Any savings identified will be ploughed back into the NHS.”

Last night Department of Health sources said the ministry had pledged to address the issue. Matt Hancock, the Health and Social Care Secretary, is understood to believe that the way in which the NHS currently uses data is outdated.

The Government is expected to take action as part of its long-term plan for the NHS that is scheduled to be set out in the autumn.

3.6m The number of suspected ‘ghost patients’ still registered at family doctors across England