Did Not Attend (Not Brought Down) DNA Rates

The surgery is aiming to reduce the number of DNA appointments and we have an active policy on managing this.

When we mean DNA we mean – Failure to attend an appointment is commonly referred to as “Did Not Attend” “Was not brought” or DNA. For the purpose of this policy, the acronym DNA will be used.

As well as being costly in financial terms, patients who fail to attend their agreed medical appointments often create excessive waiting times for other patients.

In 2016, Dr Robert Varham, the then Head of General Practice Development at NHS England, published his “Releasing Time for Care: 10 High Impact Actions for General Practice”[1] of which “Reducing DNA” featured as being one of the areas that was needed to improve productivity.

The effects:

  • An increase in waiting times for patients resulting in the risk of worsening patients’ health
  • A waste of the organisation’s time – not simply the clinicians’ time but also that of the administration team as the appointment invariably needs to be rebooked
  • Cost to the wider NHS in the requirement of additional clinicians
  • Potential of risk to a child who is reliant upon an adult to ensure that they attend their appointment

[1] NHS England: Releasing Time for Care – 10 High Impact Actions for General Practice

This is last years numbers (2021)

Please see the PDF information leaflet in the viewer below. To view the original accessible PDF in a new browser window, please click here.

Our current figures for 2022 are:

DNA Rate per Week over the year 

Please see the PDF information leaflet in the viewer below. To view the original PDF in a new browser window, please click here.

DNA Rate per Month over the year 

Please see the PDF information leaflet in the viewer below. To view the original accessible PDF in a new browser window, please click here.

3-REASONS-NOT-TO-MISS-YOUR-APPOINTMENT: Help other patients - Reduce our workload - Save the NHS money
3-REASONS-NOT-TO-MISS-YOUR-APPOINTMENT: Help other patients – Reduce our workload – Save the NHS money