OVER 10,000 appointments at medical centres in Kidderminster, Stourport, Bewdley and Hagley were not attended in 2025.
The extremely high number of missed appointments across Wyre Forest’s five medical centres has prompted health bosses to issue a plea to patients heading into the New Year.
Between January 1 and 31 December 31, 2025, 3,195 GP appointments and 6,961 nurse appointments were not attended across Bewdley Surgery, Church Street Surgery, Hagley surgery, Kidderminster Medical Centre and Stourport Medical Centre.
According to government data, a missed GP appointment costs up to £50.
It is also estimated that a 15-minute nurse appointment in the UK costs £12.
Based on those figures, the missed appointments in Wyre Forest could be costing the NHS as much as £243,282.
A spokesperson for Wyre Forest Health Partnership, which operates the five medical centres in the area, said: “General practice is under enormous pressure, and demand for appointments has never been higher.
“Every missed appointment is a missed opportunity for another patient who may be unwell, worried, or in urgent need of care.
“These wasted appointments have a significant impact on our ability to provide timely access for those who need us most.
“We fully understand that plans can change, or you may feel better, but we strongly encourage patients to let us know if they are unable to attend an appointment.
“Cancelling is quick and easy and allows us to offer that appointment to someone else.
“Appointments can easily be cancelled by calling the Practice, there is a dedicated option on the phone line, replying to the reminder text message you receive before your appointment, or by using our online triage system to send an administrative message.
“We ask our patients to please remember the real impact missed appointments have on your GP service and your community.
“By cancelling appointments you no longer need, you are helping us to care for those who do.”
Wyre Forest Health Partnership cares for around 73,000 patients.
According to NHS figures, more than 15 million general practice appointments are being wasted each year because patients do not turn up and fail to notify surgeries that they will not be attending.
This accounts for around 5 per cent of booked appointments across the country being missed without enough notice to invite other patients.
The NHS website advises people to encourage family and friends to attend or cancel their appointment and to set reminders on their phones to make sure they remember when their appointments are.
