Dorking Hospital Sees 800+ Missed Appointments in One Month
Hundreds of Empty Chairs at Dorking Hospital
If you have walked past Dorking Hospital recently, you will know it is more than a set of clinic rooms. It is where many of us in the town and surrounding villages go for outpatient clinics, diagnostic tests, inpatient care and rehabilitation, close to home rather than a long drive to a larger site. So when local figures show a problem, it is worth paying attention.
BBC Surrey has learned that in September alone, 501 patients did not turn up for their appointments at the hospital. A further 312 cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice. That adds up to more than 800 slots that could have gone to someone waiting for care. NHS outpatient data also shows that 1,620 first appointments were not attended across the 2025-26 period.
The hospital is run in partnership with local NHS providers, including Dorking Healthcare and Surrey Downs Health and Care. Those organisations are now looking closely at why so many people are not making it through the door, and what can be done about it. For those of us who live here, the numbers are a reminder that a missed appointment is never just a private inconvenience. It affects the whole local system.
Who Pays the Price When Appointments Go Unused
Dr Stewart Tomlinson, medical director at Dorking Healthcare, estimates that each missed appointment costs the NHS around 160 pounds. Across Dorking Hospital, he says, that could mean roughly 120,000 pounds a month, or more than a million pounds a year. That money is taken from the same budget that pays for staff, equipment and the services we all rely on.
The people most directly affected are often the patients who were waiting longest. Someone who was referred by their GP because of a worrying symptom may have waited many months for a slot, only to find it released. Dr Tomlinson has said his main concern is that these patients may need further attention, and that each missed slot means someone else has to be offered a new appointment, which can push waiting times back for everybody.
The effects also reach beyond the hospital. Local tradespeople, including bathroom fitters and firms specialising in bathroom refurbishment and kitchen renovation, know how a missed booking can derail a day’s schedule. A wasted slot on a diary is lost income, and the same is true for NHS staff planning their clinics. When a patient does not show up, a nurse or consultant has still given up that time.
What Residents Can Do Now and What to Watch Next
There are many reasons people miss appointments, and Dr Tomlinson has been clear that the causes are complicated. Late or infrequent buses, gaps in train services, letters that never arrive, and difficulty using text messages or online booking can all play a part, especially for older patients. If you know someone who struggles with the phone or apps, it is worth offering to help them check their appointment details.
The simplest step for everyone is to let the hospital know as early as possible if you cannot attend. Ringing to cancel or reschedule frees the slot for someone else, and you may be offered a telephone or video consultation instead. Before you set off, check your transport times, keep your reminder texts, and make sure your contact details are up to date with your GP surgery. Residents in Guildford, Woking and Horsley or East Horsley who travel to Dorking can plan journeys with a bit of extra time built in.
The NHS says it is using text reminders and developing the NHS app to make booking and changing appointments easier. The wider debate about fines for missed appointments, which was raised and dropped in England some years ago, may come up again. Dr Tomlinson’s view is that people need easier ways to cancel rather than penalties for not attending. That is a conversation to follow closely, because any change will affect those of us who rely on Dorking Hospital.
Source: Dorking Hospital sees 800 missed or late cancelled appointments in month
