An NHS doctor has issued an urgent plea to the public, asking them to help free up millions of vital healthcare appointments by taking one simple action.
The Doctor's Direct Appeal
In a video shared on TikTok, NHS GP Dr Suraj Kukadia made a direct request to patients: "If you no longer require an appointment with your GP, please cancel it." He explained that he frequently encounters patients who attend appointments for issues like leg pain, back pain, coughs, or colds that have already resolved themselves by the time of their scheduled slot.
Dr Kukadia expressed his bewilderment at this trend, drawing a comparison to car maintenance. "People wouldn't take their car to a garage and say there's a bit of a weird noise when I was turning your corner a few weeks ago, but it's working better now and everything seems completely normal, would they?" His core message was clear: if your symptoms have resolved, cancelling your appointment frees it up for someone who genuinely needs it.
The Staggering Scale of Wasted NHS Resources
The impact of patients not showing up is far from trivial. According to NHS England data from 2019, the health service faces a massive challenge with missed appointments.
Over 15 million general practice appointments are wasted each year because patients fail to attend without cancelling. This staggering figure represents approximately one in every twenty scheduled sessions with GPs, nurses, and other practice staff.
Of these, an estimated 7.2 million are appointments with GPs, equating to more than 1.2 million hours of GP time wasted annually. To put this into perspective, that is the equivalent of over 600 full-time GPs working for an entire year. The financial cost was also substantial, with each appointment costing around £30, leading to a total loss of more than £216 million for the NHS.
When You Should Still See a Doctor
Dr Kukadia was careful to clarify that his advice does not apply to more serious symptoms. He emphasised in the comments section of his video that if you have experienced severe issues such as coughing up blood or chest pain that has since stopped, you should still keep your appointment and speak to a doctor. His plea is specifically aimed at minor, self-resolving ailments.
Alternative Routes to Care
For many common health concerns, a GP appointment may not be the quickest or most appropriate solution. The NHS website advises people to consider other services before booking with their surgery.
You can:
- Visit a pharmacy for advice and treatment for common illnesses and aches that don't require a prescription.
- Call NHS 111 if you have an urgent medical problem and are unsure what to do.
- Use 111 online for urgent medical advice for those aged five and over.
- Visit a sexual health clinic for STI testing and contraception advice, with no appointment or registration needed.
By using these services appropriately and cancelling unneeded GP appointments, the public can play a direct role in alleviating pressure on the NHS and ensuring that care reaches those who need it most.
