Home / Health / Millions of Phantom Patients Hit NHS
Millions of Phantom Patients Hit NHS
21 Jun
Summary
- Five million phantom patients are registered with NHS GP practices.
- This discrepancy costs the NHS millions of pounds annually.
- GP practices receive approximately £130 per registered patient.
The National Health Service (NHS) in England is facing a substantial financial drain due to an estimated five million "ghost patients." These are individuals registered with GP practices who are no longer eligible or do not exist, yet remain on patient rolls.
Currently, NHS figures indicate that 63.4 million patients are registered with GP practices, a figure considerably higher than England's actual population of 58.6 million. This surplus represents a significant overestimation of the patient base.
Each patient registered with a GP practice costs the NHS approximately £130 per year. The presence of millions of non-existent or ineligible patients on these registers results in millions of pounds being lost annually, impacting the healthcare system's budget and resource allocation.
