Missed appointments at the GP

[Tamega]

Our gp practice started to warn patients who have missed more than 3 appointments in a year. If they miss another they will be removed and a note added into their medical records.
What do you think about this?

The surgeries I know that do this are aware of difficulties with patients and exercise discretion

In ours you can get the note of a missed appt wiped for something like that so in theory you would never hit the target with genuine reasons

Well then a charge for a and e as well

Of course what happens is that the genuine and poor get harmed - probably waive the first few charges for those on benefits

But it is a model that is used in other countries

Sounds totally fair & reasonable to me!

My local surgery had a sign up about how many DNAs (did not attend) they had last month- ridiculous number and such a waste of valuable appointments

For whatever reasons this particular surgery now deems it necessary to do this.

NHS healthcare is for the many. And decisions will be made in this regard. Respect your service turn up or have the basic manners to cancel.

How many appointments do you allow for one patient who is too anxious to actually go? 3, 30, 300?

It's not like they are saying one missed appointment are they?

Every practice should do this! It takes me an absolute age to be able to get an appointment face to face. And when I do and I'm sat in the waiting room and the screen pops up that says there 485 missed appointments the previous month, it gives me the rage! There is no need for that at all. Repeat offenders should be flagged up after 3 missed appointments and booted off the system. I think it's one of the ways to get our GPs surgeries back to how they should be run.
I have a health problem at the moment that isn't getting better, but I can't get an appointment for love nor money. Probably because of all these time wasters!

Lots of ND have issues with time management or leaving the house on a bad day. Medical conditions can cause flairs that stop you getting out of bed think lupus, severe arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic lung conditions

So show manners and cancel.

They are saying missed, not cancelled.

That's not really the point though is it?

It's a total waste of a valuable appointment, that somebody else could have had!

A GP will always have a load of other tasks to do, they are super busy (not just seeing patients!)

My nephew has been unable to talk on a phone for 5 years he hardly leaves his house if he does it is a week build up and even though on the day it might not happen as he goes to the door. My sister's lungs meant some days she couldn't talk or move others she could get to her mobility scooter.

I do think it's fair however I could see this being something that my 19 year-old DD would do. She recently got removed from our NHS dentist for this reason. She is a lovely person, not lazy or selfish and is in fact very caring. But she has ADHD and forgets things as well as recording things wrongly in her calendar. She is working really hard at finding strategies to help her manage her butterfly brain.

Nothing to do with manners....you need to do a course on disability and issues.....how do you cancel if your brain doesn't tell you that you had an appointment or that when your alarm goes on your phone you need to look to see why, how do you cancel when your ability to time manage and your ticks prevent you from working out when you need to get ready or predicting that today the door is going to be a major barrier to go through that will take half an hour but yesterday it took 5 minutes. How do you cancel if you can't turn over in bed to reach a phone or if you can't speak because your gasping for breath? Ignorance of disabilities again.

(To add- DD completely understands why the dentist has removed her from the patient list and feels it is fair).

Ok so the poor can't access healthcare now then, great move. It's fine starve to see a GP or end up in hospital because you put off what needed treatment to feed your kids.

But they could both text someone to call surgery and cancel their appointment.

People will make excuse after excuse, instead of putting in a few simple measures to help towards wastage that many happily contribute to.

Asking their surgery to allow specified individuals to cancel appointments on their behalf, so say, you or someone else, just because they can't get to the appointment that day doesn't mean it shouldn't be filled with another equally needing patient that could.

There won't be a functional health service if thys continues then your nephew, sister, you, me, our kids are truly fucked or will have to pay per use. Which again will hit those in most need hardest.

People need to stop making excuses of why something shouldn't apply to them or their families and start being part of the solution.

I'm shocked that anyone would even miss three appointments given how hard they are to get in the first place.

So, yes, strike them off if they miss three.

I also think people should pay a nominal fee to use the GP, this works perfectly well in other countries.

That said, I think prescriptions should be free for all in England, I do wonder if administering them actually costs more!

I’m assuming you’ve got £10-£15 to spare and you don’t suffer from anxiety, ME, vertigo, claustrophobia or any other of the myriad ailments that might make you miss an appointment. Lucky you.

Our local hospital already has a 2 strikes and your out policy. Though, they've changed to telling you when your appointment is near the time, as people were missing them; rather than you making the appointment there and then. I preferred the first system as you know you haven't fallen off a list.

It’s why there should be a circa £10 - £15 fee for GP appointments.

I think it's likely the people who regularly miss GPs appointments don't have the funds for this. Most working people are short of time & only go to the GP when they absolutely have too.

Charge for missed not cancelled appointments

There are other people waiting it's just rude knowing how health services are stretched to not inform your GP you need to cancel.

Just cancel. So someone else can benefit.

It feels like many don't care about other people or the GPs knowing they could be seeing someone who is also in need. As long as they can piss about making numerous appointments and maybe turn up to one then sod everyone else.

I don't agree. Very little 'makes' you miss an appointment. And, yes, I do know and have experience of mental health and long term illness.

Also, unless you've died, there is nothing stopping you from phoning up or logging in to cancel the appointment. Then, no charge.

If I book an appointment I make every effort to attend.

Whilst I agree that people should show up to appointments, I'd be interested to know whether GPs and hospitals could actually cope if everyone showed up.

40% of new patient dental appointments are missed.

The research shows that males aged 18 to 35 and those who don’t pay for dental treatment are the biggest offenders .

My own personal experience over decades is that it is the same people who miss over and over again. In our practice failure rate went right down when we could charge for missed appointments , then went up again when we could no longer charge for missed NHS appointments .

Yes that failure rate includes toothache appointments when people have phoned an hour before and then failed.

The much publicised Bristol dental practice that had massive queues to register when it opened for NHS patients had 9 people not turn up on the first day.

It would seem missing appointments is a problem that becomes larger and larger unless there are consequences.

It should be a warning and then you’re removed unless you’re in hospital.

I don’t know how people can make them and then not turn up. It’s not as if they are really booked weeks in advance like they used to be.

You can cancel online. If a person is very, very incapable, then the person with carer’s allowance should call.

ibs? Lung conditions? And can’t cancel an appointment? That makes no sense whatsoever. And I think I know.

If something is free, many people do not value it.