PATIENTS who fail to turn up for their GP appointments are putting an additional strain on an already over-stretched sector.

This week, the Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group released figures showing that more than 15,000 appointments have been missed in the last three months alone.

That is equivalent to 516 days of general practitioner time resulting in wasted time and often incurring costs to the surgery.

Swindon’s Clinical Commissioning Group does not collate the figures for missed appointments in the same way, but anecdotal evidence suggests that GPs in the town are facing similar problems to their Wiltshire colleagues.

Dr Peter Mack, acting clinical chair of Swindon CCG, said: “We are aware that across Swindon, GP practices have a number of non-attendances each day where patients don’t cancel appointments.

“At a time when surgeries are already stretched, this causes unnecessary delays in other patients getting much needed appointments.

“We understand that people lead busy lives, that plans often change and quite often many people feel better by the time of their pre-booked appointment.

“Needing to change or cancel an appointment is not a problem, please just remember to let your surgery know.”

While the problem poses a challenge to GPs, one veteran Swindon doctor says it is difficult to come up with a way of effectively tackling the issue.

Dr Peter Swinyard, the practice quality lead at Phoenix Surgery in Toothill, said: “It is a real problem, in some surgeries more than others.

“We try to help patients by sending text reminders but people do forget things - we all do.

“It’s when someone makes a habit of it that we try to do something about it - if someone misses three appointments we will write them a letter.”

Dr Swinyard explained that not only did missed appointments result in a waste of time for the practice staff, but that there was also a cost element - particularly when the appointment was due to involve a procedure or time with a nurse.

If GPs need a nurse in attendance for a booked appointment the extra cost has to be met by the practice.

“There is a significant cost to the practice which can’t be recovered,” said Dr Swinyard.

“But I’m not sure there is really much we can do - charging patients wouldn’t make a scrap of difference, it just adds another layer of bureaucracy and inevitably some people wouldn’t pay so you end up penalising the conscientious.”

He said that the final option is to tell people to find another doctor and that was usually the only action that worked.