‘Ghost Patients’ Could Cost NHS £955 Million A Year
Published on January 2, 2024
The number of patients who may not exist but are registered with GP surgeries in England has increased by almost two thirds since 2018, potentially losing the NHS close to £1 billion, after an investigation into possible fraud was shelved. The term “ghost patients” is used to refer to the gap between the number of patients registered with GPs and the number of people in the general population. NHS Digital figures analysed by the PA news agency show there were 62.9 million patients registered with a GP practice in England in November last year, compared to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimate of 57.1 million people in England in 2022....