Patients have missed 841 appointments in the last four months at the Taurus extended hours GP services in Ross, Hereford and Leominster.

This amounts to 168 hours of wasted appointments from August to November.

In November alone 12.6% of all Taurus extended hours appointments were no shows from patients.

The national average for non-attendance at GP appointments is approximately 5%.

In comparison, this worryingly high number in Herefordshire is cause for concern in how the public are viewing the Taurus extended hours GP appointments.

It is important that patients cancel their appointments if they no longer need them, this means that other patients in need can get an appointment.

If you no longer need your appointment the number to call to cancel any appointments with Taurus extended hours hubs in Hereford, Leominster and Ross is Freephone 0800 121 7221.

A similar problem is happening at the county hospital as patients miss their outpatient appointments.

Last month the outpatient’s appointments which patients failed to cancel or attend amounted to a cost of £250,000.

In a time when the health services are under increasing pressure and patients raise concerns about waiting times and access, the high proportion of people failing to attend or cancel appointments represents a significant waste of NHS resources.

More importantly these appointments could be used for other people who need them. Please cancel your unwanted appointments.

National data released by NHS Digital revealed that in 2016/17 almost 8 million hospital outpatient appointments were missed due to patients not attending. With each hospital outpatient appointment costing the NHS approximately £120 in 2016/17, it means almost £1bn worth of appointments were missed.

The money wasted could fund 1million more cataract operations or 250,000 hip replacements.

Healthwatch would like to hear your views about health & social care services in the county based on your experiences.

You can contact us by telephone, email, website, and social media.

You can also leave a review of services on our feedback centre on www.healthwatchherefordshire.co.uk. 01432 277044 or info@healthwatchherefordshire.co.uk.