New photo Missed doctors appointments cost NHS £216million a year, one in every 20 patients failing to turn up

Missed doctors' appointments are costing the NHS £216million a year – the equivalent of nearly 225,000 cataract operations.

Around one in every 20 GP sessions goes to waste because patients fail to attend or cancel without sufficient notice.

NHS England figures show that overall more than 15million appointments with doctors, nurses, therapists and other practice staff were missed last year. 

Around 7.2million of those were with busy GPs, which meant more than 1.2million hours were wasted.

The missed GP appointments alone, at around £30 each, cost the same as 216,000 drug treatment courses for Alzheimer's, 58,000 hip replacements or the annual salary of 8,424 full time community nurses, analysis by NHS England found.

Dr Nikki Kanani, acting director of primary care for NHS England, said: 'Our message is clear – if you cannot make it to your appointment or no longer need a consultation, please let your GP practice know in advance so the appointment can be filled by another patient.'

Missed doctors' appointments are costing the NHS £216million a year – the equivalent of nearly 225,000 cataract operations. File image used 

Rising demand and falling GP numbers mean it is increasingly difficult for patients to see their family doctor, with missed appointments adding to this pressure. 

Latest figures show one in ten patients face a wait of three weeks or more to see someone at their local practice. 

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: 'When patients miss appointments it can be a frustrating waste of resources for GPs and our teams, but also for other patients who are struggling to secure an appointment for themselves.'

There are almost a million appointments a day carried out in England, with numbers highest during winter months.

Additional evening and weekend appointments were also made available over the festive period to cope with rising demand.

Around one in every 20 GP sessions goes to waste because patients fail to attend or cancel without sufficient notice. File image used 

Dr Richard Vautrey, of the BMA union, said: 'Every appointment at a GP practice is precious, especially at a time when GP services are struggling to cope with rising patient demand, staff shortages and inadequate budgets.

'Practices will try many ways to address this problem, but ultimately patients do need to play their part.'

Patients who fail to return crutches, walking sticks and wheelchairs cost the NHS millions each year. 

Data shows four out of five walking aids are never returned. But some hospitals admitted they did not keep track of equipment or record how many crutches they issued. 

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News Pictures Missed doctors appointments cost NHS £216million a year, one in every 20 patients failing to turn up

You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!

TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st

To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.

Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”

Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”

kim cattrall

Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb

SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.

Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
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