Patients not showing up to appointments cost a hospital trust £5.6m in a year.

Figures for 2010-11, showing people missing outpatient and surgical appointments at Epsom, St Helier and Sutton hospitals cost their NHS trust £5,664,836.

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said the staggering amount was enough to pay the salary of about 226 nurses for a whole year. Across the country, it is estimated that missed appointments cost the NHS more than £300 million.

Dr Ruth Charlton, Joint Medical Director at Epsom and St Helier trust, said: “In light of these figures, I would like to ask all of our patients to please make sure you let us know if you can’t make your appointment. We understand that sometimes, other things come up, but all that we ask is you tell us so that we continue our work without disruption.

“It’s such a simple thing to do - just call us or email us at est-tr.appointments@nhs.net if there’s a problem and we’ll happily reschedule your appointment."

"Missed appointments are a needless waste of time and resources for us, as each one costs us approximately £126. We need your help to reduce this figure.”

“As a consultant, I know only too well how disheartening it is when people don’t turn up to their appointments and don’t let us know."

"Of course, we only schedule appointments for the people who need them, so missing an appointment not only disrupts our service, but it could have a knock-on affect on your health.”

The trust said people who miss appointments are also an inconvenience for patients who do turn up, as they could have been seen in an earlier time slot. To cancel or reschedule an appointment visit epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/appointments, or call the number on your appointment letter.