WIREDGOV

1. NHS England recently published statistics for the quarter ending 31st March 2016, showing 23,180 operations were cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons by NHS providers, such as such as a lack of beds or staff. This is a rise of just over 13% compared to the same period in 2014/15.

Katherine Murphy, Chief Executive of the Patients Association, said:

“We receive countless calls to our Helpline from patients and their relatives who are fed up with cancellations and endless delays to their operations, often without any explanation. For many patients the wait to receive surgery can be both frustrating and daunting. In addition, many patients will have made arrangements, such as child-care, which have to be changed. It is crucial that the waiting time and operation reschedule standards are adhered to. Furthermore, patients must be made aware of their right to these limits under the NHS Constitution.”

“The fact that the number of cancelled operations has hit a 10-year high is alarming. For years we have seen patients bearing the brunt of the NHS cuts and we are now seeing the true devastation of the NHS reforms. Waiting times for treatment, test results, access to treatments and medicines have all been affected. The evidence now suggests that patients who need operations are also suffering too because of cuts.”

“These are not just statistics, these are people’s lives and delayed operations can impede a patient’s quality of life. We urge the Department of Health to ensure that services are properly resourced and managed so they can provide the care that patients need.”

Notes to Editors:

• Cancelled operations during the quarter represented 1.2% of all elective activity, which is an increase on the same period last year. Of these cancellations 1,849 (8.0%) of patients were not treated within the required 28 days of a cancellation. During the same period last year 1,787 (8.7%) of patients were also not treated within 28 days. NHS England’s full data available is available here.

Read the press release Press Comment – Cancelled Operations stats from NHS England