773 missed appointments at GP surgeries in April

It adds up to nearly 130 hours lost

A Manx Radio investigation has revealed that during the month of April, there were a total of 773 missed appointments at local GP surgeries.

The no-shows covered GP appointments and those booked with practice nurses and associated services.

If each missed appointment averaged ten minutes it suggests that around 129 hours of consultation time were lost involving GP's, practice nurses and associated disciplines in April alone.

The practice with the highest 'no show' figure for the month was the Hailwood Medical Centre with 121, and the lowest the Snaefell Surgery with just 13.

Generally the higher figures reflect surgeries with larger catchment areas. 

The figures for each practice are as follows:

Ballasalla Medical Centre – 31 no shows

Castletown Medical Centre – 48 no shows

Finch Hill Health Centre – 77 no shows

Hailwood Medical Centre – 121 no shows

Kensington Health Centre - 87

Laxey and Village Walk Centres – 83 no shows

Palatine Group Practice – 83 no shows

Peel Medical Centre – 71 no shows

Ramsey Group Practice – 88 no shows

Snaefell Surgery (Douglas) – 13 no shows

Southern Group Practice – 71 no shows
 

Snaefell's figure is noticeably lower, representing just 1.4% of appointments booked. 

A spokesperson says it follows a major review of its appointments system to make booking to see a clinician easier, and to ensure people are signposted to the right person, such as a GP or practice nurse.

Snaefell Surgery has around 5,300 people on its books.