One in four patients miss NHS appointments as campaign promotes app reminders

KEY INFORMATION:

• 1 in 4 people have missed an NHS appointment by forgetting or arriving late.
• Patients did not attend 16 million GP appointments across England in 2025.
• The "Tap the NHS App" campaign urges users to enable push notifications for reminders.
• The app allows users to view health records, order prescriptions, and reschedule bookings.
• Cancelling unneeded slots can free up millions of appointments for other patients.

NHS England has launched a major new campaign titled "Tap the NHS App" to tackle the rising number of missed appointments.

Recent survey data reveals that nearly 25% of patients have missed a slot because they forgot the time or arrived too late. This equates to millions of wasted opportunities for care across the country.

In 2025 alone, patients failed to attend 16 million GP appointments. This volume of "no-shows" is the equivalent of every GP practice in England losing one full day of appointments every single month. By using the NHS App to cancel or rearrange, residents can help ensure these slots are offered to those in urgent need.

Reducing the risk of forgotten appointments

The new campaign highlights how simple digital tools can prevent common mistakes. Approximately 12% of surveyed patients admitted to forgetting an appointment entirely. Another 11% stated they arrived too late to be seen. Enabling "push alerts" within the NHS App provides automatic reminders directly to a user's smartphone.

Dr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care at NHS England, said: “One of the easiest ways you can reduce the risk of missing an appointment is by tapping the NHS App to turn on notifications to get reminders, so you can cancel or rearrange them if they need to.”

Digital tools for modern healthcare

The NHS App now has over 40 million registered users. Beyond appointment reminders, the platform offers a range of services to help residents manage their own care. This includes viewing GP health records and ordering repeat prescriptions without needing to visit a surgery in person.

A new "Amazon-style" tracking feature is also being expanded. This allows patients to see exactly when their prescription is ready for collection. Currently available at 2,000 pharmacies, this feature aims to streamline the process and reduce unnecessary trips for residents.

Helping the NHS cut waiting times

Every cancelled appointment that is reallocated helps the health service operate more efficiently. When patients use the app to stay on top of their schedule, it directly contributes to shorter waiting lists.

Dr Zubir Ahmed, Health Innovation Minister, said: “When you do, someone else can be seen instead, helping us continue to cut waiting times.” Residents can enable these vital alerts by visiting the settings section within the NHS App.

OFFICIAL SOURCE VERIFICATION: This report is based on official data from Council / Local Authority. Document: NHS urges ‘tap the app’ as 1 in 4 miss appointments Source Link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2026/03/nhs-urges-tap-the-app-as-1-in-4-miss-appointments/

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