How many quotes about how unpredictability have you heard or read throughout your life?
“Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.” —I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
“Even the darkest night will end, and the sun will rise.”—Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
These are just a few but I am sure, you have at least one quote that comes to mind and serves as motivation to keep you going! – Hard to admit, but we all do!
As much as we secretly want to discuss how complicated life is, in today’s post we will look at how, as patients we can avoid missing GP appointments by taking into consideration the unforeseeable.
Over the past few years NHS England has been recruiting thousands of new practice staff who have been able to make appointments available in the evening and at weekends right across the country. Although the new recruitment process has made things better, we are still battling against the ‘missing GP appointments’ issue, as it is costing NHS England a staggering £216m a year.
Although you might not be aware that each GP appointment costs an average of £37, it is no secret that missed appointments also known as DNAs, cause delays in treatment for the patients that really need it.
Life is unexpected and we are aware that anything can happen. – touch wood! But we do urge people to let your surgery know if you can’t attend. You can make a massive difference by simply calling-in two hours in advance. Recent studies have found that gender, age and social class could be factors in how likely a patient is to attend. We won’t be going too much into the sociological explanation but we do believe that our myGP app does have the solution to decrease DNA numbers.
Our myGP app uses technology to beat the costs of missed appointments and allows you to cancel when needed, without “holding the line”. Booking and cancelling GP appointments has never been easier! So, do you want to manage your health from your smartphone too? Download here .
Photo by Martin Brosy on Unsplash
