The encouraging new figures show that for 2013-14, 5.48% of patients failed to turn up to their appointments compared to the 6.14% for 2012-2013, representing a saving of more than £215,000.
Dr Ruth Charlton, Deputy Chief Executive and Joint Medical Director, said she was pleased to see the figure reducing steadily each year: "Missed appointments, known as ‘did not attends' (DNAs) can cause serious delays in treatment for other patients, and with the average price of an outpatient attendance estimated at £103.62, the costs soon add up.
"Nationally, it's estimated that patients who fail to attend NHS appointments cost the NHS about £700 million a year, so it's important to us as a Trust to try and reduce this figure as much as we can with initiatives such as our patient reminder service."
The Trust's patient reminder service calls patients a week in advance of an appointment and has seen the DNA rate drop continuously since it was introduced two years ago. This year saw 34,718 patients fail to attend appointments out of the total 633,540 outpatients served by the Trust overall.
"We know there are genuine reasons some patients miss appointments but it does have a real impact on the work that we do as well as other patients. We would urge patients where possible to please let us know if you can't make it and reschedule. Every missed appointment is a waste of public money and could have an effect on the health of our patients," cautioned Dr Charlton.
Patients can cancel and amend appointments by calling 020 8296 2000 and ask to be put through to the relevant department.