Dnas At The Gp Practice

[boxtops]

Whilst loitering at the GP practice this afternoon, waiting for my appointment which was late..... I started reading the notices on the wall.

In the last 3 months,

242 patients didn't keep their appointments with the GP - over 5% of the total
433 patients didn't keep their appointments with the nurse - 13%

What a shocking waste of NHS resources, that people can't be bothered either to turn up, or to ring the surgery to say that they can't make it. No wonder we wait over a week to see someone, if the appointment books have so many people not turning up.

Should the surgeries start charging for DNAs, who are wasting precious time and resources?

[woofgang]

yes if the GP's will pay patients who have to wait for their appointments because the doctors are running late.

[horseshoes]

They've probably died while waiting for the appointment!

[ummmm]

Because the appointments are booked so far ahead people feel better by the time the time of the appointment and have forgotten about it

[ummmm]

Watching TV and typing don't go hand in hand :-)

[hc4361]

My GP is wonderful. He called three times a day, seven days a week to my neighbour who was terminally ill and being cared for at home.
Appointments overrun because he takes the time to listen; sometimes because he's had to attend a patient at home unexpectedly.
Very few of his patients complain but I'm sure we would if he were penalised for not running to schedule.

I am all for charging non-attendees, with a common sense approach. If a patient makes an appointment but is rushed in to hospital beforehand, for example, it would be unfair to charge.

[ubasses]

Our Gp has started texting a reminder of the appointment. Apparently it has made a big difference.

[mazie]

At our GP's you can only make the appointment on the actual day, they wont make you an appointment other than that, not even for a follow up..which seems crazy to me! You have to ring up at 8.30am, spend up to 20 minutes redialling and if all the appointments have gone you have to wait until the next day to call again

[marval]

Our practice send texts as well. One when you have booked and one the day before to remind you.

[boxtops]

That's a good idea, ubasses, but obviously needs someone in the GP practice to do it (unless of course there is some whizz computer programme...)

I don't mind waiting to be seen (it was 40 minutes today) if the GP is dealing with something urgent and running late for that reason. It's people not turning up at all - I think it's awful.

[boxtops]

Mazie, ours used to be like that, but you can now make appointments up to a week ahead, or even further if the GP has asked for a repeat or sent you a letter. Our practice still uses snail mail to ask you to make an appointment (e.g. following tests) - I wish they'd give us the option for email.

[tonyav]

ubasses
Our Gp has started texting a reminder of the appointment. Apparently it has made a big difference.


My dentist does that and also sends an email.

[ummmm]

My doctors text. I think it's computer generated.

[Prudie]

Some of those may well be appts the surgery makes without asking first - health checks and so on. No I don't think thy should charge therefore. The dentists do (well mine does) but those are appts made by the patient.

[boxtops]

They don't specify, prudie - but our GP practice doesn't normally send you dates of their choice, they contact you asking you to make an appointment.

[ubasses]

I wouldn't be surprised if the texts were computer generated. Our surgery is getting very techie now, we can order our repeat prescriptions and book appointments on line. On arrival book yourself in on a screen in the waiting room.

[Prudie]

I dunno boxy, my OH has just been sent a letter completely out of the blue for a health MOT with a date and time specified, He'll probably go but I wouldn't.

[woofgang]

The texting system can be computer generated, at my dentist you can opt in for it or not. Gp surgeries aren't strictly part of the NHS, they are contractors who are paid partially by performance.
Jus a thought, but if all those people had kept their appointments then the rest of the patients would have had to wait even longer!
My surgery send invitations out for things like MOT's and well women checks. If surgeries are just booking appontments willy nilly and expecting people to turn up I an not surprised that some people don't and don't phone to cancel, i wonder if that is in the DNA stats

[boxtops]

Your OH is lucky, prudie - I asked the GP tonight about the timetable for Health Checks as OH wants to have one, the GP replied that unless there was a health problem, he'd have to wait until he was called.