At St Wulfstan Surgery we have very low rates of missed appointments. This is one reason why we are able to offer such a fantastic service. And it is another reason why we are thankful to our wonderful patients who make that possible.

Despite this low rate of missed appointment we have noticed a slight increase in missed appointments recently. This saddens us, because for every missed appointment, we have lost the opportunity to help someone who really needed it. And it is worth noting that missed GP appointments costs the NHS £216m per year.

For that reason, please help us keep our missed appointment rates low by following these tips:

• Please book appointments only when you need them. Many conditions such as colds, coughs and sore throats will normally get better given a little more time. In such cases it is often sensible to speak to your pharmacist first.

• If you book an appointment and cannot make it, please call reception or use the NHS App or Patient Access to cancel it. This way we can offer the appointment to someone else to give them the help they need.

• Please remember that telephone appointments are just as valuable as face to face appointments. And therefore missed telephone appointments count as missed appointments. So if you will be unable to keep your timed telephone appointment please cancel it before hand.

• We do record all missed appointments, and if appointments are frequently missed you may be asked to leave the surgery.

Thank you for helping us, to help you!

Happy New Year To All!!