Current status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report in the Stirling Observer on 24 August 2016, which states that in NHS Forth Valley over the last year (a) 20,000 people did not turn up for appointments, (b) 5,500 people did not attend nurse-led outpatient appointments and (c) nearly 1,000 people did not attend appointments with allied health professionals; what the cost of this has been to the NHS board, and what support it is providing to encourage people to attend appointments.
It is every patient's responsibility to keep their NHS appointment and it is important that they let their primary care team or the hospital know when they cannot attend. However, we also recognise that the NHS has to be flexible in helping make appointments convenient to patients.
The Scottish Government is committed to supporting health boards implement policies to reduce missed appointments such as providing reminder services through text, emails and social media. This will allow reminders services to be tailored for patients who are most likely to not attend.