Help Us Reduce Missed Appointments
22 July 2026
Help Us Reduce Missed Appointments
Between April and June 2026, our practice reviewed almost 10,000 appointments.
During these three months:
- 598 appointments were missed without being cancelled.
- This represented a 6% DNA (Did Not Attend) rate, which is above the national average of around 3–5%.
- These missed appointments resulted in the loss of approximately 158 hours of clinical time—the equivalent of almost 20 clinician working days.
- The estimated cost to the NHS was approximately £23,920.
Every missed appointment is time that could have been offered to another patient waiting to be seen.
How You Can Help
If you no longer need your appointment, please cancel it as soon as possible. This allows us to offer it to another patient and helps reduce waiting times.
Appointments can be cancelled quickly and easily using:
- The NHS App
- By telephoning the practice
- Via the cancellation options if you have received an appt reminder text.
Even reducing missed appointments by just 10% could make around 60 additional appointments available for patients.
Thank you for helping us make the best use of NHS resources and ensuring appointments are available for patients who need them.
