According to recent NHS figures, 16 million GP appointments were missed in 2025, with 4.3% of these counted as no-shows.
That’s equivalent to an entire day of missed appointments at every GP practice in England each month — the financial cost of which would presumably be eye-watering if calculated.
In a nationwide survey, the health service revealed almost one in four people have missed a medical appointment because they forgot or arrived too late.
This is despite the fact 8.4 million, or 2.3% more GP appointments were arranged last year, taking the total to 376 million.
So, struggling with stretched budgets, funding cuts and increasing wait times for patients, the NHS has launched a new campaign to combat this easily-avoidable issue.
As part of ‘Tap the NHS App’, Brits are being urged to turn on notifications, with adverts appearing on pharmacy bags, radio channels and social media.
Not only does this app remind users of appointments, it allows them to cancel or rearrange those they can’t make, and request repeat prescriptions.
Last year, an ‘Amazon-style’ prescription feature was rolled out in collaboration with 2,000 pharmacies across England, which shows the progress of the order and when it’s ready to be collected.
Do you use the NHS App to manage your appointments and prescriptions?
- Yes, I use it regularly.
- I have it installed but I don't use it much.
- No, but I'm interested in using it.
- No, I don't plan on using it.
Dr Zubir Ahmed, Health Innovation Minister, commented: ‘In the busy lives we all lead, it can be easy to forget an NHS appointment or need to reorganise it at the last minute.
‘That’s why I’d encourage everyone to tap the NHS App and turn on notifications – so you can stay on top of your appointments and let us know if you need to reschedule. When you do, someone else can be seen instead, helping us continue to cut waiting times.’
How to turn on notifications for the NHS App
- Open the NHS App — available to download on the Apple Store and Google Play — and log in.
- Click the ‘account’ icon (which looks like a silhouette of a person) and go to ‘notifications’ in the ‘settings’ section.
- Click ‘go to device settings’ and enable notifications.
- Back on the NHS App, update your contact details to make sure you receive important messages about your healthcare.
‘It’s fantastic to see that GPs provided more than 8 million extra appointments for their patients in 2025, and I hope this new campaign will help increase that number even more in 2026,’ added Dr Amanda Doyle, national director for primary care and community services at NHS England.
‘I’d encourage all NHS App users to make the most of what the app has to offer so they never forget an appointment.’
Latest ONS figures show that people typically now prefer to contact their GP online when they have a health problem.
More than three quarters (75.2%) of adults found it easy to contact their GP practice, up from 71.6% a year ago, with more than 40 million users now registered with the NHS App.
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