Commenting on new figures on the number of hospital appointments being recorded as a “did not attend”, Prof Derek Bell, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said:
“There are many understandable reasons why patients are unable to make their hospital appointments. However, missed appointments create additional costs for hospitals and have a knock on effect on staff time. A joint approach is needed to address this.
We would encourage patients to inform their hospital as soon as possible if they are unable to attend to avoid wasting resources and ensure that other patients can be allocated these much-needed appointments. In addition, hospitals need to look at how they use technology, such as text messages, effectively to remind and prompt patients to attend appointments.”
ENDS
Contact: Sara Collier, RCPE - 0131 247 3658 / s.collier@rcpe.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
