Waste of NHS cash

11:03am Tuesday 12th December 2006

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PATIENTS failing to show up for appointments over the past year has cost Darent Valley Hospital around £1.6m.

This figure accounts for appointments missed at the hospital in Darenth Wood Road, Dartford.

From November last year to the end of October this year, Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, has seen 165,027 outpatients.

But during this time, 16,229 appointments have been missed - accounting for 10 per cent.

The trust estimates each missed appointment costs up to £100 each, resulting in the potential cost of £1.6m.

Figures were revealed by the hospital after a request from News Shopper.

The hospital is set to cut 35 posts as part of a bid to make up a £1m deficit by March next year.

Outpatient and therapy service manager Karen Costelloe said: "If people kept their appointments then we wouldn't have to make these job cuts."

She added: "We started sending reminder letters to patients from December last year two weeks prior to the patient's appointment.

"We have also devised posters which are in the hospital to try and get patients to let us know in advance if they are unable to attend.

"Every time a patient does not inform us, this is another patient who may have to wait longer for an appointment."

Eunice West, 75, from Gravesend, suffers from a neurological disease which makes it hard for her to breathe, swallow and speak.

Mrs West has to visit Darent Valley Hospital every six to eight weeks for check-ups and says her appointments are very important to her.

She said: "I am very annoyed at the amount of money which has been lost not to mention how many other people could have been seen instead.

"It's an incredible waste of hospital time and money."

A hospital spokesman said: "If for any reason patients can't attend they should let us know at the earliest possible time to allow other patients to be seen instead.

"They can cancel their appointment by calling the number on their appointment letter."

What £1.6m could buy

• 94 lower band staff nurse salaries, starting at around £17,000.

• 76 junior doctors' salaries, starting at around £21,000.

• 22 bone scanners, worth £70,000 each and capable of detecting osteoporosis before fractures occur.

• 53 year-long courses of cancer treatment with the drug Tarceva, at £30,000 each.