PATIENTS who make appointments and don’t keep them are putting huge pressure on GP surgeries a patient group has warned.

Southend’s Patient Participation Group Forum has urged patients to cancel appointments if they no longer need them.

The forum has been investigating “Did Not Attend” (DNA) figures at each practice in the borough.

Although there is no single DNA figure available for the whole of Southend, there are concerns several thousand GP appointments are being missed each month across the borough’s 35 practices. This causes a drain on NHS resources and means some patients in genuine need may have to wait longer to see their GP.

Sally Carr, chairman of the forum said: “At our last meeting we heard one practice in Southend had more than 100 missed appointments out of 1,500 offered in a month. That’s six per cent of appointments missed which is an awful lot, and time those GPs could have spent seeing other patients.

“We hear a lot in the news about long waits for a GP appointment but if people simply let their surgery know if they are not attending their appointment it can be made available to other patients.”

Dr Jose Garcia Lobera, local GP and chairman of NHS Southend Clinical Commissioning Group, said DNAs are putting great pressure on the health system across Southend. He said: “As GPs we work hard to meet the needs of our patients and make it as easy as possible for them to see their doctor. But we need patients to do their bit too by letting us know if they need to cancel or rearrange their appointment.

“The knock on effect of a DNA is that some patients who cannot see their GP choose to go to A&E instead and this puts pressure on the hospital. Patients should make sure they attend an appointment if they book one or cancel it well in advance if they no longer need it, so it can be made available to someone else.”