A perennial problem for general practice is the issue of missed appointments or ‘did not attends’ (DNAs) – and it’s not getting any better. A recent study published in the British Journal of General Practice found that rates of missed GP appointments have not changed much at all over the past 20 years. According to…

With over “14 million missed doctors’ appointments occurring every year across England”* it’s more important than ever to engage with patients in a way that’s guaranteed to help drive responses. Research shows that over 65% of people find postal mailings to be particularly informative**, and this is why letters remain one of the most popular…

It’s ten past nine, you glance at the clock and look at the appointment list – Miss Millennial is late for her appointment again. Maybe she is running late? No, it turns out she has missed a booked appointment again. The third time. You sigh and shake your head! You have just turned away three…

Recent media headlines have stated: “Over 15 million GP appointments missed per year!” “This costs the NHS £216 million per year”, followed by “the equivalent of employing over 2,000 new GPs!” The problem is, DNAs are a very sticky subject. Okay, perhaps not quite as polarising as the never-ending Brexit debate, but trust me when…

DNAs are undoubtedly a big problem for GP practices. More than 10 million GP appointments are lost to DNAs each year, according to the GPC, while surveys conducted by the likes of GPonline suggest the figure could be as high as 14 million. While DNAs can have positives – some practitioners argue that a DNA…

(Time to read: 4 minutes) £162 million apparently. The financial cost of DNAs – accounting for an average of £108 for every single missed appointment. Getting to grips with DNAs can be the difference between your GP practice flatlining and being given a clean bill of health. Overcoming high DNA rates can help reduce costs…