1. Did not Attend (DNA)Data The Mathews Practice
Six month Review
Sept 2017-Feb 2018

2. Number of appointments not attended in the last 6 months

3. Amount of time wasted over the last 6 months due to patients not attending their appointment

4. Number of appointments not attended by role

5. Conclusions
Since November 2017 over 9% of appointments booked were not attended.
In the last 6 months a total appointments were not attended
This wasted 796 hours of clinical time which cost the NHS and over £65,000

6. Aims and Solutions
We aim over the next 6 months to lower our DNA rate to below 5%
A warning letter/SMS message will be sent to patients informing them that they have not attended their appointment and why this is a bad thing
A more severe warning letter will be sent to patients who have 3 or more DNA’s in 6 months
Posters will be put up on the PPG Board showing our monthly DNA progress
Reminder text message will be sent to patients at the time of booking their appointment and on the morning of their appointment via Mjog.

7. Sample First Warning DNA Letter
Dear Patient
We have noticed that you have missed the following appointment
Date: Thursday 1st February 2018
Time: 09:30am
With: Dr S Ahmed
There is always considerable pressure on our nurses and doctors for appointments and missed appointments mean that time is wasted and not available to other patients who may need it.
We would be grateful if you could make every effort to attend or let the practice know in advance if you cannot come to your appointments.
If there are any outstanding results or issues you were supposed to discuss with the GP, please contact us to make a further appointment. We also offer telephone consultations if this is more convenient.
If you continue in the long term to fail to attend most of your appointments the surgery would have to think about whether it is appropriate for you to remain a patient here. Clearly we are reluctant to do this, and would consider this a last resort.
Yours sincerely,
On Behalf of
The Mathews Practice

8. Sample Final Warning DNA Letter
Dear Patient
We have noticed that you have missed the following appointments
Date: Monday 8th January 2018
Time: 10:30am
With: Dr S Ahmed
Date: Monday 15th January 2018
Time: 15:20pm
With: Dr R Abbas
Date: Thursday 1st February 2018
Time: 09:30am
This is 3 times in a six month period in which you have failed to attend your booked appointment despite reminders and past warnings. We would like to remind you that this behaviour is in breach of our appointments policy. We kindly ask that you attend your appointments or you contact us to cancel your appointment if you no longer need it in the future.
There is always considerable pressure on our nurses and doctors for appointments and missed appointments waste time and resources. It also means that the appointment is not available to another patient in your community who may need it and patients overall have longer wait times to see a clinician.
If you fail to attend any of your appointments in the next 6 months we will unfortunately have to remove you from our practice list. This is not something that we want to happen so please remember to cancel your appointment if you cannot attend.
Yours sincerely,
On Behalf of
The Mathews Practice

9. Sample Posters

10. Sample Posters