Missed appointments

I was sitting in the waiting room at my GP's today, and they have got one of those 'roll-around' big telly screen things, that they put the next patient's name up on, or various other announcements.
One thing it said was 197 patients never turned up for appointments in February alone. I think that's disgusting.
How many minutes does it take to pick the phone up and let someone know if you know longer want the appointment? It also made me think of all the people complaining because they can't get in to see a Doc, and there are idiots like that who just don't bother to turn up. How selfish is that.

Re: Missed appointments

This is what happens when people Get well Soon.

Re: Missed appointments

I agree but sadly it's not always so easy. We book appointments using emis an on line service but it's down so often you can find yourself unable to cancel. And I have known people die or go into hospital in the time between booking an appointment and the time they should be there. Not 197 obviously but I would want to know how the numbers add up. We have a hand written notice at our surgery which oddly the numbers never change so they have same number of people fail to arrive January through to December which puzzles me

Re: Missed appointments

The Wife works for a Doctor, it is a thankless task trying to maintain order.

Re: Missed appointments

Well two things come to mind there Julie.
One is I also make online appointments, but if the system was down and I couldn't cancel, I'd just pick the phone up instead.
Secondly, I agree, if the figures at your surgery are always the same, I would certainly think that was fishy too.

Re: Missed appointments

Mum needs transport to get her to appointments. They give you a time slot normally about an hour before your appointment for transpaort to pick you up.

She had an appointment at 3,15 so at about 2pm she got her coat on got in her wheelchair and locked her door and waited and waited and waited, In the end she was so cold that she went back indoors to find that she had been sitting outside for an hour and 10 minutes..
She did phone to explain but it was obviously too late to give her appointment to anyone else.

Her transport finally turned up at 4pm. Its not always the patients fault , although most of the time it is.

Re: Missed appointments

Some of the waiting times that people experience its quite possible that they ended up recovering or went elsewhere to find a solution. Another thing to factor in, my practice was constantly making appointments for me for checkups on my various conditions, these were often inconvenient and despite phoning them up to say i could not make it, they still sent letters saying i had not attended. It took a personal visit where i said if i need an appointment i would make it myself.

I still get letters, mentioning i no longer take medication they proscribed or come for check-ups, much off this is box ticking for a financial benefit (QOF), and there seems to be a movement to try and get payments for both an appointment or a failure to attend, call me cynical if you wish.

Re: Missed appointments

That sounds like sloppy practice too, Nom. I'd get cross about that.

Re: Missed appointments

I saw a similar message on the screen in my Doctors surgery Mups .
I book my appointments online and it is so easy to change or cancel one should I need to, I guess some people can't get through on the phone so just don't bother and that is very wrong of them .

Re: Missed appointments

I do try Mups but deaf for months now from my fabulous GPs treatment. Possibly after I see the specialist I may be back using the phone.

Something else occurred to me with appointments you have to book a month or so ahead now at our surgery it isn't beyond possibility people get better and just forget to go.

I know a couple now who book an appointment just in case they need it so if they get ill in the 4 weeks they don't have so long to wait - that can't be unique and can't be helping the system.