A HAMPSHIRE health provider saw more than 45,000 patients fail to attend appointments during the pandemic, according to NHS Digital.

In the 11 months from April last year, patients missed a total of 45,305 outpatient appointments booked by staff at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

Some of the patients are thought to have stayed away because they were afraid of catching coronavirus.

But the British Medical Association (BMA) said missed appointments wasted valuable time when consultants were rushed off their feet as a result of the pandemic.

Royston Smith, Tory MP for Southampton Itchen, urged people to tell the trust if they were unable - or unwilling - to keep an appointment.

He said: "If a patient can’t make an appointment or no longer needs it, how difficult is it to tell someone?

"During the pandemic, when people have sometimes struggled to get appointments, this is even more unforgivable.”

Alan Whitehead, Labour MP for Southampton Test, added: "It's understandable people may have been anxious to visit hospitals during the pandemic.

"However, these figures show that people really need to cancel if they can't make it for any reason so that their appointments can be given to someone else and the hospitals' time isn't wasted."

Dr Rob Harwood, chairman of the BMA consultants committee, said it was “concerning” to see so many missed appointments given the current NHS backlog.

He added: "We urge people not to just simply fail to attend as this wastes an appointment time that could have been used for someone else - someone who might potentially need it more urgently.

“It also places the most pressure on consultants trying to deliver a service under extraordinary demand and in already difficult circumstances.”

In Southampton the rate of missed appointments was at its highest in November, when 8% were no-shows - 5,500 in total.

A spokesperson for NHS England said measures were in place in hospitals to ensure patients remained safe.

They added: "People should continue to attend their medical appointments as normal - if you are unable to attend for any reason, please let us know so your appointment can be filled by another patient who may need it.”

Joe Teape, chief operating officer at University Hospital Southampton, said the trust had increased its use of virtual appointments.

"This has allowed us to reduce the number of patients coming on to our hospital sites during the pandemic for consultations and follow-ups," he said.

“The Did Not Attend rate has been only slightly higher than pre-pandemic and we did not lose revenue due to non-attendance.

“Not all appointments can be done virtually and where we need to see a patient face-to-face we have robust infection prevention procedures in place to keep those visiting the hospital safe and allow us to continue to prioritise patients based on their clinical need."