Léa Surugue asks why patients don’t show up to appointments and how to ensure greater attendance levels.
DNA, or “did not attend”: the note no clinician wants to record against a patient’s name. But, over the last decade, healthcare professionals have reported a growing number of missed appointments.
The proportion of attended appointments in the UK has declined from 79.8% in 2010-11 to 77% in 2020-21 (NHS Digital, 2021). There are public health repercussions – patients not receiving the follow-up they need – and economic ones, as they put financial strain both on hospital services and on private practices (Parsons et al, 2021).
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The College of Optometrists and the Optical Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC) call on the government to make a long-term commitment to primary eye care in its NHS 10-Year Health Plan as part of the shift from hospital to community.