Brits will miss an average of five routine appointments with their doctor, dentist, or optician each year – adding up to nearly 300 over their lifetime. The top reason for skipping an appointment is for fear of what they might find, according to more than a third of the 2,000 adults polled.
Other common excuses include being too busy with work, a car breaking down, being worried about the cost, or simply forgetting. But three in five (59 per cent) of those who have skipped or forgotten appointments have not always rebooked them – with trips to the dentist and optician most likely to fall by the wayside.
Consequently, the problem got worse for 54 per cent – while 42 per cent developed an issue they previously had no symptoms for before.
