ONCE is unfortunate. Twice is embarrassing.

Health bosses were again left talking to themselves in a an empty room after no one showed up to a public meeting to hear about plans for the future of Southampton hospitals.

Rows of seats had been ambitiously set out for a hi-tech presentation and question and answer session.

But Southampton Voluntary Ser-vices Centre remained empty throughout the evening session.

It was the second meeting to encourage the public to sign up to as "members" of a new foundation health trust which would give bosses more freedom from Government control.

Previously no one had turned up to a morning event at the African-Caribbean Centre attended by Southampton University Hospitals Trust chairman and chief executive.

This time they wisely stayed away, instead sending non-executive director Gavin Davies.

Trust spokesman Alison Ayres said it had been surprising no one had showed up, but insisted: "It's only a small part of what we are doing.

"We have to give people an opportunity to see us face to face."

Just six people had showed up at a "drop-in session" in Lymington in the New Forest, but more than 100 people had been seen by trust officials at community and voluntary group meetings and 20,000 leaflets had been distributed across the city.

The trust now had 500 people signed up to become members and was on target to reach 1,000 by the end of the 12-week consultation period.

For more on this story see today's Daily Echo