A TOP-LEVEL investigation has been launched into why one in eight patients fail to turn up for their hospital appointments.

More than 13 per cent of patients in the North West fail to keep their appointments, the second worst record in the country. And the chairman of North West Regional Health Authority today called it a "disgraceful situation".

Sir Donald Wilson wants a campaign to raise awareness of the need for patients to keep appointments, or to notify hospitals when they cannot attend.

He said: "For every eight patients who have an appointment, one does not turn up.

"It is a shocking waste of resources and we cannot live with these figures."

Robert Tinston, the regional general manager, will spearhead the investigation. He said: "The non-attendance rate is one patient in four in some hospitals and one in 20 in others and I intend to find the reasons for these variations.

"There must be lessons to be learned from the way the outpatient appointment systems work in some hospitals and it should be possible to share the best practice and cut down on this intolerable waste of clinical staff time and resources.

"We have by far the shortest waiting times in the country, but they could be so much better if all patients attended when they were supposed to, or notified the hospitals so that others could have the benefit of their cancellations."

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