Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what penalties he is considering imposing on people who fail to attend hospital appointments. [120214]

Anna Soubry, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State: Across the national health service, organisations should be seeking to understand and address how best to achieve reductions in missed appointments in their areas. The introduction of new technologies that allow patients to book and cancel appointments online, combined with improved telecommunication systems with the use of SMS texts, e-mail and appointment reminder systems, can all help to reduce missed appointments. We believe that encouraging patients to use the NHS sensibly and responsibly is the right approach, and have no plans for imposing financial penalties on patients, which may also impact upon those most in need and least able to pay.

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