£4 million lost due to people not attending outpatient appointment in Western Trust
18,206 outpatient appointments were wasted last year due to patients/clients not turning up for their appointment
Over 18,200 outpatient appointments were wasted in the Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) last year due to patients/clients not turning up for their appointment. This is lost clinical capacity and it impacts on the efficiency and productivity of the Western Trust’s Outpatient’s Service.
From April 1 2024 to March 31 2025 the total number of patients who did not attend their Consultant outpatient appointment, or failed to give staff sufficient notice to make the appointments available to other patients, in our hospitals across the Western Trust area was 18,206. Each missed appointment costs the Trust £220 which equates to £4 million lost to our health and social care budget.
To help reduce non-attendance, the Trust has in place a system for booking outpatient appointments, where patients are given a choice of dates and times and they can select one that best suits them.
Patients attending outpatient appointments across the Western Trust area receive a SMS text to their mobile phone or an automated voicecall to their landline, reminding them of their outpatient appointment three days prior to their appointment. The Trust also offer the ConnectWest App which allows for online messaging which includes out of hours communication with the booking team.
Paul Doherty, Assistant Director of Surgery, Paediatrics & Women's Health said: “We understand that there are many genuine reasons why people are not able to make an appointment however, as these figures show every missed appointment is a lost opportunity for someone else to be seen.
"The appointment slot is actual time with a member of our clinical and nursing staff who are dedicated to patient care.
“We are asking for the public’s cooperation in reducing non-attendance for hospital outpatient appointments so that valuable resources and staff time is not wasted, as this will have a significant impact on already overstretched health service.”
Paul continued: "Where possible we would ask patients with an appointment to let the hospital know if they won't be able to attend and to do this at the earliest opportunity and at least 24 hours beforehand. This will provide the booking team with time to fill the slot with another patient who has been referred for treatment and care.”