GP Chairman Comments On Missed Appointments, UK

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 24 Aug 2007 - 1:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

Commenting on the survey on missed appointments, published yesterday 23/08/07 by Developing Patient Partnerships, Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the BMA's GPs Committee representing all UK family doctors, said:

"Whilst we understand the frustrations that other patients and doctors feel when some people persistently fail to turn up for GP appointments, we think it is important that practices find out why this is happening before taking precipitant action. Many practices have a process to deal with the situation and help these patients use NHS services more appropriately. Removing a patient from a list for misuse of the service should be absolutely the last resort taken after the patient has had some opportunity to explain what has happened.

"As for the idea of charging patients who do not attend, the majority of GPs do not support charging patients who miss appointments. They have demonstrated this by repeatedly voting against the idea at their annual conference."*

*The annual conference of Local Medical Committees.

http://www.bma.org.uk