Number of ‘ghost patients’ registered with NHS GPs up two-thirds since 2018

Patients registered with GPs in England exceeds population meaning practices could be getting money for people who are not real

The number of patients who might not exist but are registered with GPs has risen by almost two-thirds over the last five years, figures suggest.

‘Ghost patients’ refers to when more people are registered with GP practices than are in the population. GPs are paid for patients on their list, meaning practices could be receiving millions of extra pounds for people who may not be real.