A bold new pilot scheme is being set up to cut the number of missed hospital appointments in Oxfordshire.

The Oxford Mail revealed yesterday that thousands of patients in the county are failing to turn up for hospital outpatient appointments - costing the NHS millions of pounds.

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 Orthopaedic Centre, the Radcliffe Infirmary and the John Radcliffe Hospital had a total of 3,046 missed outpatient appointments, between March and June this year.

But today, a spokesman from the Oxfordshire Health Authority said an action plan was being drawn up with the Radcliffe Infirmary NHS Trust to tackle the problem.

Details are now being finalised and will be put out to public consultation with Oxford GPs later this month.

It is hoped the project will be introduced by the middle of next month. If it is successful, it will then be launched countywide.

A spokesman for the health authority said: "Oxfordshire Health Authority is aware of the problem and attempting various plans to try and reduce it.

"Missed appointments are a problem in the county as in the rest of the UK and the problem needs to be looked at."

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