Cancelled appointment follow-up
Hospital policies for cancelled appointments lacking clinical input to assess individual patient urgency, risking vulnerable patients.
Strongest theme matches
Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.
Committee recommendation
91match
#12 - NHS England failed to reduce outpatient follow-up appointments, abandoning its 25% target
NHSE has aimed to free up capacity in outpatient services to allow more patients from the waiting list to be seen. In 2022, NHSE set a target to reduce outpatient follow-up appointments by 25% compared with 2019–20 levels by March 2023. The outpatients programme spent £52 million from 2021–22 to 2023–24. The NAO reported it had not seen...
Matched on
terms: appointment, follow
PFD report
87match
Connor Davies
The coroner noted a lack of clinical input when patient appointments are cancelled, which means individual needs for urgent referrals are not assessed, posing a risk that patients in serious need may be missed.
Matched on
terms: appointment, cancelled
PFD report
77match
Amanda Hawkins
The coroner noted increased vulnerability following changes in services and funding. Additionally, hospital appointments sent to the patient's home were not followed up due to her insufficient understanding to deal with correspondence and care co-ordinators not being informed of missed appointments.
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terms: appointment, follow
PFD report
77match
Imre Thomas
Cancelled hospital appointments for vulnerable prisoners place them at risk. The coroner suggested investigating the possibility of special prison clinics with visiting consultants to address this.
Matched on
terms: appointment, cancelled
PFD report
77match
Jacqueline Cobain
The coroner identified a lack of a system or protocol to alert clinicians to review concerning responses to an automated questionnaire when a patient has cancelled their appointment or the assessment appointment is not for several days/weeks.
Matched on
terms: appointment, cancelled
PFD report
73match
Paul Bradley
The coroner identified a lack of clear systems for following up missed urology appointments and for inter-team communication between departments involved in patient care. Concerns were also raised regarding an inappropriate telephone appointment offered to a patient with documented hearing difficulties.
Matched on
terms: appointment, follow
PFD report
73match
Joseph Powell
The coroner noted that some GPs do not book follow-up appointments for patients with mental health difficulties, instead requiring patients to book their own. This practice can prevent patients from receiving necessary follow-up care or medication.
Matched on
terms: appointment, follow
CQC action
73match
Fleetwood Hospital
The trust should ensure cancelled appointments are kept to a minimum; particularly within those specialities with high cancellation rates (such as general medicine, cardiology, dermatology, gastroenterology, colorectal, geriatric medicine, and clinical haematology).
Matched on
terms: appointment, cancelled
GIRFT recommendation
69match
Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery
Enable reporting of patients who are waiting for a date for their follow-up appointment so this can be considered alongside follow-up data.
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terms: appointment, follow
CQC action
68match
Diana Princess of Wales Hospital
The service must continue to address the challenges regarding overdue new and follow up appointments and ensure patients receive their appointment in a timely way across outpatient specialties.
Matched on
terms: appointment, follow
HSSIB recommendation
66match
Outpatient appointments intended but not booked after inpatient stays
HSIB recommends that NHS England and NHS Improvement develops standards and an operating framework that describes the assurance required for all outpatient appointment booking processes, including after an inpatient stay. The assurance should include feedback mechanisms which provide safeguards that intended outpatient appointments are booked. Ideally, solutions will use technology and automation to create resilience and efficiency so...
Matched on
terms: appointment
PFD report
65match
Suzanne Greenwood
The coroner identified a lack of systems at The Priory Hospital, Altrincham, for contacting patients who repeatedly miss appointments, informing GPs about non-attendance or discharge, and ensuring appropriate review before medication changes are made.
Matched on
terms: appointment
PFD report
65match
Ann Hardman
The coroner noted that the current protocol for negative DVT scans at St Mary's Hospital relies on GP re-referral for follow-up, which risks patients not re-attending. An automatic re-attendance system, with GP discretion to cancel, would be preferable.
Matched on
terms: follow
PFD report
65match
John Lee
Ambiguous language used for urgent referrals is open to misinterpretation, and there is no provision for direct clinical staff input in setting urgent appointments or a checking procedure to guard against errors.
Matched on
terms: appointment
PFD report
65match
Hugo Carlos
The GP practice's EMIS system lacks a scheduled task feature or prominent alerts for future follow-up, placing responsibility on patients to initiate contact and risking missed necessary investigations.
Matched on
terms: follow
GIRFT recommendation
65match
Dermatology
Address unwarranted variation in follow-up rates, reduce unnecessary follow-ups, reduce DNAs and ensure that patients see an appropriately trained person in the right setting to receive the right diagnosis and treatment first time. a Benchmark follow-up rates, both including procedures and excluding procedures, and proportion of new patients discharged. Trusts should identify a target rate based on their...
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terms: follow
PPO recommendation
65match
The Head of Healthcare
The Head of Healthcare should ensure that healthcare staff follow up prisoners’ non-attendance at medical appointments and document the reasons.
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terms: appointment, follow
IMB recommendation
64match
Wormwood Scrubs (2020)
Will the minister instigate, at a national level, a policy which will ensure that prisoners who have had their hospital appointments cancelled, through no fault of their own, are not returned to the start of the appointments process?
Matched on
terms: appointment, cancelled
CQC action
64match
Clifton Hospital
The trust should ensure cancelled appointments are kept to a minimum; particularly within those specialities with high cancellation rates (such as general medicine, cardiology, dermatology, gastroenterology, colorectal, geriatric medicine, and clinical haematology).
Matched on
terms: appointment, cancelled
LGO / SPSO decision
63match
201708551 - Tayside NHS Board
Mrs C was referred by her GP to the orthopaedic department (the area of medicine which deals with the musculoskeletal system) at Ninewells Hospital for consideration of knee replacement surgery. However, there were problems with the communications from the board which resulted in her missing a scheduled out-patient clinic appointment. Mrs C questioned this with the board and...
Matched on
terms: appointment, cancelled
PFD report
61match
Shelia Stokes
Concerns include administrative delays in patient follow-up and acting on alerts, alongside the lack of a clear protocol for obtaining custom-made grafts. The adequacy of the trust's internal investigation and the completeness of witness statements were also noted.
Matched on
terms: follow
PFD report
61match
Robert Power
The coroner identified a risk that patients treated as outpatients could be lost to follow-up care, noting that one patient was not followed up for eight years without explanation.
Matched on
terms: follow
PFD report
61match
Hannah Bampfylde
The coroner identified a lack of clear protocols and communication regarding newly referred patients who do not engage with mental health services, specifically noting that GPs were not made aware of missed appointments. Concerns were raised about the existing policy for non-attendance, which lacked clarity on re-booking appointments and escalation procedures.
Matched on
terms: appointment
PFD report
61match
Stephen Barton
The coroner noted the absence of a system for tracking missed outpatient appointments in non-cancer NHS cases, which could prevent unnecessary deaths and save administrative time if introduced.
Matched on
terms: appointment
PFD report
61match
Sara Grinnell
Extensive delays in contacting a patient for an urgent gynaecology appointment were noted, due to reliance on written correspondence. Re-referrals did not adequately consider previous delays, resulting in a 24-month delay to diagnosis.
Matched on
terms: appointment
PFD report
61match
Lady Lola Crouch
A patient was not informed of potential malignancy findings from a CT scan, and this information was not followed up or included in her medical history. Additionally, a medical emergency call was not triggered, and doctor review was delayed due to staffing levels.
Matched on
terms: follow
PFD report
61match
Milos Jankovic
The coroner raises concerns about inadequate follow-up processes for patients diagnosed with Barrett's oesophagus, particularly in primary care, leading to a risk of developing oesophageal cancer due to missed surveillance. There is no recall system and no prompts for GPs to consider endoscopy or surveillance.
Matched on
terms: follow
GIRFT recommendation
61match
Gastroenterology
Optimise outpatient and day case services, maximising the effective use of clinical time. a) Look at ways to reduce Did Not Attends (DNAs) and cancellations using existing NHS Improvement guidance and NICE clinical guideline CG138 to help optimise capacity and reduce waiting times. b) Review pre-visit patient information provision to reduce the risk of patients having to be...
Matched on
terms: appointment
CQC action
61match
Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre
Ensure that all patients who have their surgery cancelled are rebooked within 28 days.
Matched on
terms: cancelled
CQC action
61match
Fairfield General Hospital
The service should ensure it improves theatre utilisation rates and reduces the number of cancelled operations for non-clinical reasons.
Matched on
terms: cancelled
CQC action
61match
Bridlington Hospital
The service should consider ways to reduce the number of cancelled clinics in outpatients.
Matched on
terms: cancelled
IMB recommendation
60match
Buckley Hall (2020)
Reduce the number of cancelled outside medical appointments (see paragraph 6.1.4)
Matched on
terms: appointment, cancelled
PHSO casework decision
60match
P-003442 - A dental practice in the Trafford area
Mr A complained a dental practice repeatedly cancelled his appointments without prior notice and refused to complete his treatment plan, delaying root canal treatment and causing distress.
Matched on
terms: appointment, cancelled
LGO / SPSO decision
60match
21-011-833 - Sheffield City Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a cancelled pest control appointment and incorrect advice about when a refund for that service would be made. This is because the Council has resolved the matter to the satisfaction of the complainant.
Matched on
terms: appointment, cancelled
LGO / SPSO decision
60match
201702683 - Golden Jubilee National Hospital
Mr C had a scan at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital. A mass was discovered on his lung, which could have been either a spread of his existing bowel cancer or a new lung cancer. His consultant arranged some tests to help determine which it was, but because they were busy, they asked another consultant to carry out...
Matched on
terms: appointment, follow
IMB recommendation
59match
Swaleside (2020)
There is an unacceptable number of cancelled outside hospital appointments which, apart from the distress that it causes patients, places a burden on the public purse and wastes NHS time which could usefully be used for other patients (see section 6.1).
Matched on
terms: appointment, cancelled
PFD report
57match
Gemma Azhar
The TTT service's repeated cancellations led to individuals being discharged without clinical assessment of their mental state. The procedure for re-engagement after cancellations is informal, lacks written policy, and inconsistent across staff areas.
Matched on
classifier match
HSSIB recommendation
57match
Potential under-recognised risk of harm from the use of propranolol
The Practice carried out an audit of all patients on antidepressants and invited them for a review appointment. The Practice now sends text/call reminders to patients who do not attend appointments and also have depression.
Matched on
terms: appointment
CQC action
57match
Kettering General Hospital
The service should ensure processes are in place to re-book cancelled operations within set timeframes.
Matched on
terms: cancelled
CQC action
57match
Durham Diagnostics and Treatment Centre
The service should consider working to reduce the number of patients without a review appointment across all specialties and sites within the trust and continue thorough oversight of all patients waiting for appointments.
Matched on
terms: appointment
Article 2 learning point
56match
AC — HMP Brixton - LP H
A much more robust system should be in place to account for missed medical appointments. This system should explore reasons for non-attendance, emerging patterns of non-attendance and identify vulnerable prisoners. As happened with the Substance Misuse Team, two consecutive failures to attend GP appointments should trigger a visit to the patient in their cell.
Matched on
terms: appointment
LGO / SPSO decision
56match
201602805 - Highland NHS Board
Mr C was referred to a urologist at Raigmore Hospital to have his history of erectile dysfunction and low testosterone investigated. Mr C raised a complaint nine months later as he had not received an appointment and was distressed by his ongoing symptoms. The board informed Mr C that there was a long waiting list. Mr C raised...
Matched on
terms: appointment
IMB annual report
56match
Buckley Hall (2020)
HMP Buckley Hall, a Category C training prison with an operational capacity of 459, received positive HMIP inspection results and was ranked highly among UK prisons. Staff efforts to keep prisoners safe during the COVID-19 lockdown were commended, with minimal positive cases. Key concerns included high rates of cancelled external medical appointments, under-completion of key worker sessions due...
Matched on
terms: appointment, cancelled
PHSO casework decision
55match
P-002957 - An independent provider in the East Riding of Yorkshire area
Mr R complained the Hospital failed to follow procedures checking his BMI and smoking status for spine surgery. This led to his surgery being cancelled, causing distress and requiring him to pay privately.
Matched on
terms: cancelled, follow
LGO / SPSO decision
55match
201810251 - Highland NHS Board
C complained that the board failed to provide their child (A) with orthognathic treatment (orthognathics is a specialist subset of dentistry which involves surgical correction of growth issues with the jaw and lower face) within a reasonable timescale. A's teeth were overcrowded to the extent that they caused pain in their head and jaw and difficulties with eating...
Matched on
terms: appointment, follow
LGO / SPSO decision
55match
PSOW-202305250 - Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Mr A complained that the Health Board refused to warn patients referred to the Erectile Dysfunction Therapy clinic in advance that they would be expected to be examined and counselled by female clinicians. He said that the Health Board hid the fact that it would be a female clinician by sending appointment letters that just referred to a...
Matched on
terms: appointment, follow
LGO / SPSO decision
55match
PSOW-202400981 - Hywel Dda University Health Board
Ms B complained, with the help of a Complaints Advocate, about the standard of care provided by the Health Board. The investigation considered whether the care and treatment provided at the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (“EPAU”) on 21 March 2023 was clinically appropriate, and whether the subsequent Community Midwife Team (“CMT”) care provided was clinically appropriate. The Ombudsman...
Matched on
terms: appointment, follow
IMB recommendation
53match
Berwyn (2020)
Did not attend appointments, DNA
Matched on
terms: appointment
CQC action
52match
St Benedict's Hospice
The service should consider working to reduce the number of patients without a review appointment across all specialties and sites within the trust and continue thorough oversight of all patients waiting for appointments.
Matched on
terms: appointment
LGO / SPSO decision
52match
201600464 - Lothian NHS Board - Acute Division
Mr C was referred by his GP for a possible hernia operation. Mr C complained to us that the board failed to arrange his operation within the 12-week treatment time guarantee under the Patients Rights (Scotland) Act and that they failed to advise him of his rights under that Act. He also complained that they failed to arrange...
Matched on
terms: appointment