ESTIMATES of around £1.6 million pounds are being quoted as the amount of money that was lost to the Wye Valley NHS Trust last year due to missed appointments – but the problem was not simply due to people not turning up for their consultations or procedures, as their antiquated appointments system has also been thought of as a contributing factor.

The Trust calculated the figures from appointments missed during the period from April 2012 to March 2013, when they estimate that some 19,000 were missed.

But the Trust are also keen to point out that their new state-of-the-art bookings system, called the Referral Management Centre (RMS) is to be rolled out next month, and, following trials during the summer, will come into full service in September. A statement said that the new system would 'cut through the bureaucracy and allow patients to seamlessly book appointments'.

The losses due to missed appointments over the year represents around 8.9 per cent of all appointments over the period, but managers are confident that the new RMS will provide real solutions.

Dr Peter Wilson, Medical Director of the Wye Valley NHS Trust commented: "We have been trying to run a 21st century hospital with outdated and inconsistent systems and processes."

On the new RMS system, he said: "This will benefit our patients as it will mean a quicker turnaround of paperwork to speed up the appointment booking process, and will also mean a more flexible service which should cut the number of appointments to which people simply don't turn up."

The creation of the RMS marks the beginning of a modernisation programme which aims to improve the way the Trust receives referrals, manages outpatients appointments, book theatre slots, book bed places, arranges and amends appointments and handles GP enquiries. They aim to include more modern communications as part of the programme.

"For example, this will include the use of SMS texting to remind people of their appointments in a quick and easy way, which then gives us the flexibility to fill cancellations quickly and efficiently," said Dr Vicky Alner, the Trust's Urgent Care Service Unit Director.

She added: "We really want this to work for the sake of our patients. While we have a duty to ensure they wait no longer than 18 weeks between referral and treatment, this is far too long and we're determined to be among the best in the UK."

The Wye Valley NHS Trust is the leading provider of health and social care in Herefordshire, with an estimated annual turnover of around £160 million, and which employs over 3,000 staff.