NHS Forth Valley says missed appointments cost more than £4 million a year

The staggering figures were described as “concerning” by bosses, who revealed that in the past year, around 11 per cent of people did not attend their appointments.

More than 20,000 patients failed to turn up for appointments at consultant-led clinics, a further 5500 did not attend nurse-led outpatient clinics and nearly 1000 missed their appointment with allied health professionals, such as physiotherapists.

The average cost per patient for a missed appointment at a doctor-led outpatient clinic is £177, £97 for a nurse-led clinic and around £63 for an allied health professional.

Medical director Miss Tracey Gillies said: “I appreciate that sometimes there are genuine reasons for not keeping an appointment, but people should let us know.

“This would give us the chance to reschedule and allow someone else to attend. It's important to remember that a missed appointment may also lead to you being referred back to your GP, potentially delaying your treatment.”

The radiology ultrasound department saw a particularly high rate of missed appointments. During the past month, 170 patients failed to turn up at Falkirk and Stirling community hospitals, taking the did not attend rate to 20 per cent.

Radiology department manager Sandra Robertson said: “Missed appointments create delays for other patients and add to our overall waiting list.

“They also generate additional work for administrative staff who have to rebook patients and there are additional costs associated with sending out further appointment letters.

“Many patients who contact the department to confirm they will attend their scans still fail to turn up.

“It’s important to raise public awareness to help people realise the impact this is having on local health services.”

As well as raising awareness, the health board is also trialling a new patient reminder service for outpatient appointments in gastroenterology, neurology and dermatology.

The service sends a recorded phone message seven days ahead of the appointment, asking patients to either confirm they can attend, request a change of dates or speak to a member of staff.

NHS Forth Valley health records services manager Emma Hamilton said: “The introduction of this new reminder system should help reduce the number of people who fail to show up for an appointment because they have either forgotten or they can no longer attend.

“Enabling patients to pick a date and appointment time which suits them will also help especially for those with specific work commitments, holidays or transport issues.”

The service also involves an additional text message reminder to mobile phone numbers a few days before the appointment – the number on display is 01324 566 249, to help avoid any potential confusion.

If the trial is successful in lowering did not attend rates, the system will be rolled out for all outpatient appointments across the Forth Valley, so staff are urging patients to make sure they provide up-to-date contact details.