PATIENTS' failure to turn up for GP appointments is wasting hours of doctors' time.

Padgate Health Centre has between 40 and 50 appointments a week wasted because of patients forgetting to cancel.

This equates to around two and a half surgeries a week not being utilised.

Pat Tavender, practice manager at Penketh Health Centre, told the Guardian: "You can't make that time up and it has an impact because it means other patients have to wait longer for appointments."

She added: "We would be very grateful if patients could contact us so we can use the appointment for somebody else."

The centre is now taking a more proactive approach to try to deal with the problem.

A separate phone line has been allocated specifically for cancellations and the centre is keeping a check on the number of DNAs (did not attend) it has.

If a patient forgets to turn up to an appointment three times in a six-month period they will receive a letter reminding them how vital it is that they alert the health centre when they cannot make it.

Pat added: "It's not about slapping people's hands. We are just trying to remind people about the impact it has on the whole service. I am well aware people genuinely forget, everybody is human.

"It's about getting patients to help us."

If you need to cancel an appointment at Penketh Health Centre call 725644 and select the cancellation option.