No more ghost clinics
In the second part of our series on how to run a busy clinic, Kathy Oxtoby looks at how different clinics maximise clinic time to maintain a quality service, while increasing numbers of patients fail to turn up.
Failures to attend (FTAs) are much more than a simple annoyance. They can result in a loss of thousands of pounds to a practice’s income, and many wasted hours that could have been devoted to patient care.
The scale of missed appointments in optometry is unclear – but the issue is not unique to the profession. In the 12 months to June 2022, 14.3 million GP appointments were missed in England (BMA, 2022 ). Missed GP appointments cost the NHS millions of pounds, on top of the disruption for staff and fellow patients (NHS England, 2019 ).
Not already a member of the College?
Start enjoying the benefits of College membership today. Take a look at what the College can offer you and view our membership categories and rates.