PATIENTS who fail to turn up for hospital appointments in the region are costing the cash-strapped NHS a staggering £18m a year, figures have revealed.

A total of 183,767 appointments were missed at hospitals across the North-East and North Yorkshire in the last financial year - at a cost of £18.36m.

However, the true cost is almost certainly much higher, because not all NHS trusts responded to an investigation by a Conservative MP.

The money is wasted in staff time and longer waiting lists. Cash is also spent trying to track down the patients and rearrange their bookings.

The financial loss comes as trusts - including several in the North-East - are axing hundreds of jobs in a bid to cut ballooning deficits.

The biggest cost in the region hit City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust, which lost £4.91m in the 12 months to March because of 36,301 missed appointments.

The next worst affected were South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust (£4.83m, 48,341 appointments), Northumbria Healthcare (£2,87m, 27,517) and North Tees and Hartlepool (£2.54m, 25,418).

Tory MP Grant Shapps, who used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the figures, said: "These figures are symptomatic of the mismanagement within the NHS.

"There is a huge amount the Government could be doing to encourage hospitals to get a grip of this problem by creating more robust booking systems and sending out reminders to patients."

Research by the NHS found that two out of three no-shows had simply forgotten about their booking. A quarter said they felt better, but did not bother to cancel their appointment.

The Department of Health said efforts were being made to cut the number of missed appointments, including the introduction of electronic booking systems.

A spokesman said: "Missed appointments matter. Patients have a responsibility to keep or cancel them."

Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt survived last week's Cabinet reshuffle, but is under orders from Tony Blair to get a grip on the financial crisis that has plunged the NHS into chaos.

The South Tees trust, which runs The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, and Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, is £21m in the red.

It is in talks with County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic Health Authority to agree a recovery plan by the end of March next year.

County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is shedding up to 700 jobs and North Tees trust, £13.5m in the red, is looking to lose 74 posts, on top of 90 this year.