Every day, ambulances arrive at patients' homes - only to discover they have already made their own way to hospital or are too ill to travel.
But if the transport is not cancelled, or if it is cancelled too late, Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust still has to pay for the journey.
"It would help us greatly if patients who no longer require pre-arranged ambulance transport could remember to cancel or re-arrange their ambulance as soon as possible," said Jerry Park, Director of Operations for the Trust.
"All that is needed is a telephone call, either to one of the two lines available at Leighton Hospital for this purpose, or to the Ambulance Service Cancellation Line."
Bookings can be made or cancelled on 01270 612380 or 01270 612381. They can also be cancelled on 01244 370395.
Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article