The GP network, Wharfedale, Airedale and Craven Alliance (WACA), is calling on its patients unable to attend an appointment to ensure they cancel or change it in advance, after 2,084 missed GP appointments were recorded last month (October) across its seven practices.
The missed appointments equate to over 34 hours of lost clinical time which has led to the GP network reminding patients of the various ways and means available to cancel an appointment if unable to attend.
WACA is a collection of seven GP practices covering a population of 75,000 patients across its three areas of Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven.
Dr Caroline Rayment, a GP at WACA said: “We understand that appointments can be missed for many reasons, from a patient forgetting, difficulty with transport, not needing the appointment anymore, work and family commitments, and the appointment not being with their preferred clinician.
“However, our message to patients is clear: please let us know in advance so the appointment can be filled by another patient.“
There are several measures in place that can help patients, from reminder texts at the time of booking and prior to appointment, phone call reminders, and accessible ways to cancel such as online through the NHS App or a dedicated number to call. For appointments that are cancelled, there is also the option for other patients to take last-minute cancellations as some practices hold waiting lists.
On a national scale, it is estimated that five per cent of primary care appointments are missed each month.
“Wanting to see the same GP is a growing issue,” added Dr Rayment. “If you want to see a particular clinician, you need to book well in advance, but this can mean the patient forgets their appointment. Demand for appointments continues to be very high, so reducing the number of patients that fail to attend has never been more important.”
Latest data from Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership reveals more appointments have been provided in the last year, with an average of 418,000 appointments per month compared to a previous monthly average of 386,000 appointments. Of these appointments 45 percent are provided on the same day.
Helen Farmer, Director of System Transformation at Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership said: “We fully support the approach from the Wharfedale, Airedale and Craven Alliance and would encourage all patients registered with WACA practices to ensure they attend booked appointments or provide their local practice with as early notice as possible if they need to cancel. A missed appointment means busy practice staff could otherwise have seen other patients in need. As the NHS is funded by the public, everyone has a responsibility to use valuable NHS resources wisely.”
Offering car lifts and support to patients who have no transport can also help reduce missed appointments, with community groups and befriending services such as Ilkley Community Transport, Settle Community Car Scheme and Skipton Step into Action available to help.