Outdated computer systems and administrative errors are costing the NHS millions of pounds due to so-called 'ghost patients', experts have warned. Figures reveal that NHS England has 63.4 million patients registered, despite the population being only 58.6 million. This discrepancy means practices receive approximately £130 per year for each ghost patient, totalling an estimated £650 million in extra funding annually.
Political and Expert Reactions
Conservative MP and shadow health secretary Stuart Anderson flagged the issue, stating: "Paper records, outdated computers and fragmented systems all contribute to the administrative nightmare our health service has become. Waste needs to be cut in the NHS, but that will be increasingly difficult without the technology to bear down on unnecessary administration. Ghost patients are exactly the kind of problem that follows. Until that happens, hundreds of millions of pounds will keep flowing out of the door to no one."
BMA Efforts and Concerns
The British Medical Association (BMA) is working to reduce the ghost patient list but acknowledges it will take considerable time. However, there are worries that legitimate patients may be removed during the process. In 2025, patient lists fell by around 300,000, depriving practices of approximately £40 million in funding. The BMA could not confirm how many removals were in error.
Dr David Wrigley, the BMA’s GP committee deputy chairman, told The Telegraph: "This aggressive list-cleansing exercise has reduced GP practice patient lists by over 300,000 over the past 12 months, equating to practices losing just under £40m in funding for essential GP medical services. This comes at a time when practices in England are already severely underfunded."
Risk to Vulnerable Patients
Dr Wrigley added: "While accurate patient lists are essential for planning and fair allocation of NHS resources, the pace and intensity of this exercise mean we cannot be sure that mistakes are not being made and patients being wrongly taken off their GP list. Patients may be wrongly removed from their local practice if they do not reply to letters within the required timeframe. This risk is greatest for vulnerable patient groups, including older people, those with learning disabilities, those living in houses of multiple occupancy and individuals whose first language is not English. Such removals could seriously disrupt their care, and also requires practice teams to spend significant time reviewing cases to prevent patients coming to harm."
Impact on NHS Funding
The ghost patient problem exacerbates existing financial pressures on the NHS. Critics have called for urgent action to update systems and ensure accurate patient lists, preventing further waste of public money.
