No-show patients cost the NHS £162m a year

Patients who miss doctors' appointments cost the National Health Service £162million a year, research reveals today.

Nine million GP sessions and four million practice nurse sessions are wasted each year.

Health education charity Developing Patient Partnerships and the Institute of Healthcare Management say 64 per cent of practices are in favour of charging patients to cut down on missed appointments.

However, the number missed is down 3.5 million since last year.

Of the 707 GP practices which took part in the survey, 67 per cent thought patients simply forgot their appointment, wh i le 26 per cent believed patients felt better and did not turn up.