Number of cancelled operations hits record high

New figures released by NHS England have shown that a total of 4,093 urgent procedures were cancelled in England last year as a result of staff shortages and lack of beds.

The December 2016 monthly situation reports detail the latest statistical information from NHS trusts relating to critical care bed capacity and cancelled urgent operations within the NHS.

When considered as figures across the whole of 2016, it shows that 4,093 urgent procedures were cancelled during 2016, eight per cent more than in 2015 and 27 per cent more than in 2014. The 4,093 figure equates 341 per month for 2016.

The NHS England figures also showed that hospitals cancelled 38,129 non-urgent elective operations between April and October, with 2,204 of those patients not having their surgery rescheduled within 28 days, as the NHS constitution stipulates.

Jonathan Ashworth, the Shadow Health Secretary, said: “Theresa May’s NHS crisis continues, and the problems are worse and more widespread than in previous years. By underfunding and overstretching the NHS, the Tories have pushed health services to the brink.”

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This story was first published in digitalhealth.net

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