The NHS in England is losing over £216 million annually due to patients failing to attend GP appointments without notifying surgeries in advance. According to NHS Digital data, more than 15 million appointments are wasted each year out of approximately 307 million scheduled sessions with GPs, nurses, therapists, and other practice staff. One in 20 appointments is missed without sufficient notice to reallocate the slot.
At an average cost of £30 per appointment, the wasted funds could cover the annual salaries of 2,325 full-time family doctors, NHS England stated. The missed appointments also represent a significant loss of clinical time, with 7.2 million of them being with family doctors alone, equating to over 1.2 million GP hours wasted annually—the equivalent of more than 600 GPs working full-time for a year.
Dr Nikki Kanani, acting director of primary care for NHS England, urged patients to inform the NHS if they cannot attend, especially as winter approaches. “Patients can do their part by letting the NHS know if they can’t make their slot – freeing up doctors, nurses and other professionals to see those who do need care and attention,” she said.
The £216 million could alternatively fund 224,640 cataract operations, 58,320 hip replacements, 216,000 drug treatment courses for Alzheimer’s disease, or the annual salaries of 8,424 full-time community nurses. Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, highlighted that electronic reminders like SMS make it easier for patients to cancel in a timely manner, but urged patients to let practices know as soon as possible if they cannot attend.
NHS England noted that an estimated 9 million extra appointments have been made available at GP practices this year through weekend and evening slots since December. However, Dr Richard Vautrey, chairman of the BMA’s GP committee, stressed that every appointment remains precious amid rising demand, staff shortages, and inadequate budgets. “Ultimately patients do need to play their part,” he said.
