Wait for cancelled ops peak, figures show

NHS data has shown that the waiting period for cancelled operations has hit a 10-year high in England.

The figures have found that over 5,000 NHS patients in England were not treated within 28 days of their operation being cancelled, in the year to April. Under the NHS constitution, cancelled operations should be rescheduled within 28 days, or the patient’s treatment funded at a time and hospital of their choice.

The rules apply to patients who have had their operation cancelled at the lat minute due to non-clinical reasons such as unavailable beds or staff. Thus the regulations did not include patients who were told in advance their operations would be cancelled during the three days of junior doctors’ strikes in January and March.

The figures show that 6.8 per cent of patients waited over 28 days to be treated after their cancelled operations in 2015-16.

Clare Marx, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: "It is disappointing that the number of patients waiting for their cancelled operations to be rescheduled has hit the highest level in a decade.

"This is yet another indication of the pressure the NHS is under. Situations where patients have to wait longer for their treatment are highly stressful for them and their families and, in some cases, their condition could deteriorate."

Marx added: "There are likely to be a number of factors behind this rise that the government and the NHS need to continue to tackle including pressures in emergency departments, staffing shortages, and lack of bed availability due to rising delayed transfers of care.

"Industrial action may not have helped but the underlying causes are likely to be more strongly related to the broader pressures the NHS faces."

An NHS England spokesman commented: "Hospitals should continue to ensure that every effort is made to reschedule cancelled operations as soon as possible, but we can clearly see the effects of delayed care and industrial action hampering their ability to do so towards the end of the year.”