Thousands of patients are failing to turn up for hospital appointments in Oxfordshire - costing the NHS millions of pounds.

The shock figures were released today by Oxford health bosses

following revelations of a bleak national picture from the Department of Health.

Figures for the Oxford and Anglia NHS Region show 9.2 per cent of patients failed to turn up for appointments - a total of 140,000 - costing the NHS £19.8m.

In Oxford the Nuffield Orthopeadic Centre for March to June 1998 had a total of 729 Did Not Attends, Radcliffe Infirmary had 901 and John Radcliffe Hospital 1,416.

Oxfordshire Health Authority said: "Missed appointments cost hospitals a lot of money and time. They are a problem here and if people could take the time to let the hospital know, the NHS could save thousands of pounds and run more efficiently." Nationally, of more than 40 million appointments in England in 1996 and 1997, a total of 5,507,764 appointments were missed. This means that one person in eight failed to make their appointment.

The Government estimates the cost at £20 to £50 per missed appointment. It said part of the reason for people missing appointments is apathy, but a lot of it is due to poor hospital management.

The department said it was thinking of copying "model" trusts and using their methods across the rest of the country.

It is also looking at 24 hour answerphones for outpatient appointments and freepost letters with tear-off slips.

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