Over 10,000 GP appointments missed every year in Harlow

Health / Tue 25th Feb 2020 at 09:11am

THOUSANDS of GP appointments across Harlow are being missed every month.

Health bosses were only able to supply YH with partial figures relating to missed appointments but even these statistics expose a dreadful trend of Harlow residents not turning up for appointments.

Missed appointments between July and October 2019

Lister: 735
Ross: 624
Church Langley: 538
Hamilton: 407
Old Harlow: 350

That is a total of 2116 DNAs (Did Not Attend) in a four month period in just half of the GP surgeries in Harlow.

It is estimated that a total of 12,000 appointments at GP surgeries could have been missed in 2019 alone.

With many residents now facing a four week wait to see a doctor, health bosses have made an appeal to residents who are not turning up for their appointments.

A spokesperson for West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group said: “We really would urge people to keep to their appointment and to let us know if one is no longer required.

“While we are looking at ways of sending reminders, and to make it easier for an appointment to be changed, such as online, all we ask is that people let us know.

“Missed appointments not only waste our time, increasing pressures on already busy services, they hold up treatment and care for those that need it.”

5 Comments for Over 10,000 GP appointments missed every year in Harlow:

jarrett

2020-02-25 13:10:10

Given the trouble getting through on the phone for whatever reason is always a time consuming job and i can understand people giving up the cancellation, i use System Online for ordering scripts and making appontments and it does work but never once have i heard a receptionist offer this service to anyone and do think it should be offered to patients.

MickyB77

2020-02-25 14:02:25

Any missed appointments should 6arry a £10.00 fine and risk of 6an6ellation of registration, at least. Ignoran6e, that's all it is with a disregard for the NHS.

jhumphreys84

2020-02-25 14:05:36

It explains why i haven't been able to see my own GP since 2016! Perhaps it's time to start charging people for missed appointments if there is no good excuse, or run a three strikes and out rule like dentists do. But agree with comment above, there should should be easy ways to cancel an appointment. The GP surgery i'm at do give a number to text and an email address if an appointment can no longer be made. But i guess if so few appointments can be got in the first place, people may be more willing to take a chance and get what they can even if they know they might not be able to make it!

Dandy

2020-02-26 11:18:10

Maybe they all died or were so ill they could not attend due to way the practices are run? It is an atrocity trying to get an appointment especially by phone (so cancelling will be the same) and near impossible to get dealt with if you have several things (which may all be related) going on. I have been told several times now 'pick one' !! You wouldn't treat an old car like that. one symptom may have hundreds of possible causes, half a dozen symptoms maybe one or two. There is no direct way to contact my surgery 'Lister House' even by email to complain about the care we get. The best I found was a public complaints forum, where posts do get answered but you have to put all your ailments in the public domain !!