Missed Appointments Posted or Updated on 2 Feb 2026

Every year, thousands of GP appointments are missed without notice. At all our surgeries, a significant number of patients regularly fail to attend or notify us that they will be unable to keep their appointments. This not only affects your care but also impacts other patients and the NHS as a whole.

Each missed appointment costs the NHS around £30 to £40. This amounts to nearly £600 million annually—enough to fund thousands of extra nurses and doctors, millions of prescriptions, and additional community health services.

On a local level, available appointments are at a premium, and each missed appointment is time that could have been used for another patient to see a clinician. This can lead to longer wait times for patients hoping to book an appointment with their chosen clinician. With this in mind, we implore patients to contact the surgery as soon as possible if you are unable to attend your appointment.

Whilst the more notice we have, the better, even as little as an hour before your scheduled appointment could be the difference between someone else being seen that day or having to wait weeks to see their chosen clinician.

Visit the North Arden Primary Care Network website for further information.