NHS patients didn't turn up for nearly 6.7 million outpatient appointments in 2009/10– with men and people in their 20s most likely not to attend – a new NHS Information Centre report shows today.

According to Hospital Outpatient Activity 2009-10, men did not attend nearly nine percent (3.1 million) of their appointments, while women did not attend nearly 7.3 per cent (3.6 million).

Comparing age groups, the highest number of appointments recorded as “DNA” (did not attend) was among 20 to 29-year-olds (1.0 million), where there was one DNA for every seven appointments attended., This compares to one DNA for every 18 appointments attended by 70 to 79-year-olds (600,000).

The same patterns occurred the previous year, when patients did not attend just under six million appointments.

In 2009/10 the total number of outpatient appointments increased by 9.3 million (12.5 per cent) compared with 2008/09 to reach nearly 84.2 million. The percentage of these appointments recorded as DNAs dropped slightly during the same period; from 8.0 per cent to 7.9 per cent.

Patients in London Strategic Health Authority (SHA) had the highest DNA rate in England at 10.1 per cent, while patients in East of England SHA had the lowest at 6.5 per cent.

Hospitals cancelled 4.9 million (5.8 per cent) appointments in 2009/10, compared to 3.9 million (5.2 per cent) the previous year.

NHS Information Centre Chief Executive Tim Straughan said: “This report captures changes in attendances to NHS outpatient appointments and in particular the growing demand on services.

“Policymakers and managers are likely to view its results with interest, in particular the percentage of appointments which go unattended. It appears men are less likely than women to attend their appointments."

The full report can be viewed at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hosout0910

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care (The NHS IC) is England's authoritative, central, independent source of health and social care information. It works with a wide range of health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researcher, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS IC also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics.

2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100,000.

3. Definitions for attendances, did not attends, patient and hospital cancellations are;

• Attendances - having attended on time or, if late, before the relevant care professional was ready to see the patient
• Did not attend - no advance warning given or patient arrived late and could not be seen
• Patient cancellations - appointment cancelled by, or on behalf of, the patient
• Hospital cancellation - appointment cancelled or postponed by the health care provider -
• Not known

4. For media enquires please call 0845 257 6990 or contact mediaenquiries@ic.nhs.uk