Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment NHS England has made of the main reasons for which outpatient appointments have been missed in the last 12 months.

Rates of missed appointments and the causes of these can vary substantially between providers and local areas. NHS England provides guidance on common reasons for did not attends (DNAs) and how providers should seek to understand the local reasons behind these. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/reducing-did-not-attends-dnas-in-outpatient-services/