The Did Not Attend (DNA) project in Dorset aims to understand what causes people to miss healthcare appointments and what we can do about it in Dorset.
Regularly missing NHS appointments can lead to poorer health outcomes, as individuals may not receive the necessary support at critical times. It’s essential for patients to attend their scheduled appointments to ensure they get the care and advice they need to maintain or improve their health.
However, we know that the reasons people miss appointments can be complex and, for some people, attending their appointment is more challenging than it is for others. For example:
- Perhaps transport is difficult for them
- They have caring responsibilities
- Maybe their mental health makes it difficult for them to get to their appointment
This project brought together system partners including NHS, Public Health and VCSE and communities to build a better understanding of:
- who in Dorset is more likely to miss their healthcare appointments
- the barriers and challenges they face that cause them to do so
- what they think can be done to address those barriers.
Various themes have emerged which are being reviewed by service providers and system partners through our health inequalities programme. This will inform targeted action to ensure that our services are accessible to everyone in Dorset that needs them.
