Soaring numbers of cancelled appointments
UNIVERSITY Hospitals of Leicester cancelled one in six appointments in 2016, twice as many as in 2006/07.
And the situation is likely to become more common withpatients increasingly likely to face the hospital cancelling their appointment, a patient advocacy group has said, with the funding promised in the autumn budget unlikely to meet need.
The trust cancelled 249,657 outpatient appointments in 2016/17, 16.1 per cent of all appointments, or one in six.
This was the highest proportion cancelled by the hospital since figures began in 2006/07.
In 2006/07, the trust cancelled 145,491 outpatient appointments, 14.8 per cent or one in seven, suggesting hospital cancellations are rising at a faster pace than the overall rise in appointments.
Across England, trusts cancelled 8.3m outpatient appointments in 2016/17, seven per cent of all appointments, or one in 14.
This was the highest proportion cancelled by the hospital since figures began in 2006/07.
In 2006/07, trusts cancelled 3m outpatient appointments, 4.7 per cent or one in 21,
There were 118.6 million outpatient appointments in 2016/17,
increasing from 2015-16, where there were 113.3 million outpatient appointments.
The number of outpatient appointments has nearly doubled since 2006/07, rising from 63.2 million.
With hospital cancellations taking up an increasing proportion of the total appointments made, overtaking patients not attending as the most common reason for appointments not going ahead as planned, it suggests hospital cancellations are rising at a faster pace than the overall rise in appointments.
John Kell, Head of Policy at the Patients Association, said: “Cancelled appointments not only delay patients getting the care they need, but can cause patients additional difficulties such as needing to take more time off work. “Once again we are seeing how an underfunded NHS directly affects patient care, and the Chancellor’s cash injection in the last week’s Budget is unlikely to reverse these effects. The extra £1.6 billion
promised for next year is nowhere near the amount necessary just to keep services at their current levels, and we will see problems like cancelled appointments become more and more common.”