Nearly 40,000 GP appointments in the Black Country went to waste during September as people failed to turn up. It was the equivalent of around one in 15 appointments which were wasted because they couldn't be opened up to other patients.

Doctors have now issued a urgent plea for people to let their surgeries know if they will not be attending to free up appointments for those who need them and ease pressure on the system. They say it's a big problem and a major reason why so many struggle to get appointments, particularly during winter.

Black Country residents are now being encouraged to take part in a survey aimed at getting more people to cancel appointments which aren't needed, and how this could be made easier. It can be seen here.

READ MORE: All the Midlands GP surgeries rated 'inadequate' and ordered to improve

POLL: Which is the best airline in the UK?

We reported last week how our region has one of the highest rates of appointment no-shows in the country, piling added pressure on health services already struggling to see enough patients in some areas. Sarb Basi, director of primary care for the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, said: “We know that missing appointments is not something people do intentionally.

"However, at a time when demand on NHS services is at an all-time high, it is very important that GP appointment slots are not going to waste. It might not seem like a big deal to miss a 10-minute appointment, but the unintended consequences are that other patients who may really need care can’t access it when they need to and are being kept waiting longer.

"That’s why it’s important that we understand the reasons why patients might have missed their appointment, to provide us with an opportunity to take action to address them. The survey is designed to give patients the opportunity to feed back about their experiences of cancelling a GP appointment, the reasons why their appointment was no longer needed and what measures they think could help reduce missed appointments.

"It’s completely anonymous and the best way to share your views, even if you haven’t visited your GP practice recently. I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind people to please make every effort to cancel any GP appointments that are no longer needed, so somebody else can have the slot.”