The staggering cost of people failing to show up for GP appointments has been revealed, as new figures show thousands of slots are wasted every month.
Data shows that just under 28,000 people did not attend scheduled appointments in Norfolk and Waveney in a single month.
Each missed face-to-face appointment costs the NHS an estimated £42, meaning £1.17m of taxpayers' money goes to waste per month.
But GPs say that as well as the huge financial cost there is a significant human one, with each missed appointment representing another patient who could have been seen instead.
Tracey Clarke, practice manager of Magdalen Medical Practice in Norwich, said around 10 patients a day do not show up for their appointments.
"On Monday morning last week by 10am we had already had five people fail to show, including somebody who had a double slot and somebody else who had a 40-minute appointment with our mental health practitioner.
"It can be really frustrating as we know there are other people who are struggling to get in, which is the biggest source of complaints we receive."
Mrs Clarke said that when a patient misses an appointment, practice staff will make a welfare phone call afterwards to see why they did not show up and regularly sends reminders - but admitted "there's only so much you can do".
She added: "If you consider each slot is 10 minutes, every month there are hours lost and this is time that somebody else could be receiving care.
"We understand sometimes circumstances change, but it is so important that if you don't need an appointment you ring up and cancel it.
"Otherwise it is a detriment to somebody else's health."
The issue is far from exclusive to Norfolk and Waveney, with tens of thousands of appointments missed every month regionwide.
The latest figures are from October. They show that in the east there were almost 75,000 appointments missed at a financial cost of more than £7m.
With demand for appointments continuing to be significant, the trend has become a source of frustration for other patients and health bosses alike.
It has sparked a wider plea for people to stick to the appointments they make - or let GPs know if they can not attend.
Adam Cayley, chief operating officer of the NHS in the east of England, said: "If you get an appointment but no longer need it, please let your surgery know so that appointment can be freed up for others who are ill.
"We know timeless access to GP appointments is incredibly important and we're doing all we can to see more patients.
"However, we're asking patients to please play their part too."
In response to the growing number of missed slots, the NHS has increased its use of text message reminders for patients - while also encouraging people to use the NHS App to manage their appointments.
It comes at a time when GP surgeries are becoming increasingly busy compared with the same period last year.
In October 2023, there were 819,399 appointments held in Norfolk and Waveney - a rise of 6.4pc on October 2022.
The figures also show that just under a third of appointments are held on the same day - with eight out of 10 (79pc) held in person.
It comes as ministers continue to consider whether punitive measures should be brought in for people failing to attend.
During his leadership campaign, prime minister Rishi Sunak spoke of introducing a £10 fine for patients who do not show up for GP appointments.
It has been speculated this could be included in the next Conservative manifesto - but is yet to materialise.
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