NHS England data show that the number of cancelled planned operations has further increased. Figures show that 21,249 planned operations were cancelled for non-clinical reasons from October to December 2016.
This compares to 18,393 planned operations cancelled for the same period in 2015 –a rise of 15.5% in one year even though there has only been a 1% rise in the total number of planned admissions.
Miss Clare Marx, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “There are no new ways of describing the relentless pressures on NHS services, staff and the patients we serve. Cancelling operations for non-clinical reasons means patients wait longer, causing stress for them and their families. In some cases we know patients deteriorate or develop complications and their outcomes are often worse the longer they wait for treatment.
Many more patients are cancelled in the days before their operation is due. It is heartbreaking for patients to psychologically prepare themselves for an operation, only to be told that it can’t go ahead.
“Continuing down this road is inefficient and distressing to patients and staff alike. It is welcome news that extra funding for social care is expected from the Government in the spring but we also urgently need a cross-party agreement as to the shape of a sustainable future for the NHS.”
