30 ops a day cancelled as SNP obsesses over indyref

ALMOST 30 scheduled operations were cancelled every day in Scotland last month because hospitals ‘did not have the capacity to cope’.

Official figures reveal that 586 planned procedures were called off by the NHS in February for ‘capacity or non-clinical reasons’.

This means that on average, 29 operations a day – not including weekends – were cancelled, forcing patients to wait and Deputy Scottish Political Editor reschedule. In total, 2,544 scheduled operations were put off last month – ranging from 3.6 per cent of procedures in some areas to 13.8 per cent in others.

This is slightly lower than in February last year.

Of all planned operations, 933 were cancelled by patients, 946 were scrapped for clinical reasons by hospitals and 586 were called off by the NHS ‘due to capacity or non-clinical reasons’. The other 79 were called off for unspecified reasons.

The figures come as a series of reports show the SNP has failed to tackle bed blocking and waiting times in accident and emergency departments.

Scottish Labour health spokesman Anas Sarwar yesterday attacked the Scottish Government’s ‘mismanagement’ of the NHS and called on ministers to focus on patients rather than a ‘divisive’ independence vote.

He said: ‘These figures should embarrass SNP ministers. Every single day NHS staff tell us that they are under pressure and underresourced. In February alone over 500 planned operations were cancelled because hospitals did not have the capacity to cope.

‘A decade of SNP mismanagement of our NHS means patients are let down because hospitals are not getting the support they need.

‘Nicola Sturgeon and Shona Robison are too busy running a campaign for a second divisive independence referendum when they should be focused on running our NHS.

‘Labour has repeatedly highlighted the staffing crisis the SNP has created, which is why we have launched a workforce commission.

‘Cuts to local councils that deliver care of the elderly only increases the pressure on our hospitals. Labour is the only party willing to use the powers of the Scottish parliament to stop the cuts.’

Campaigners and politicians warn of an NHS ‘staffing crisis’. Reports

‘Decade of mismanagement’

show a growing number of nursing and midwifery vacancies, with a 280 per cent increase in unfilled positions in the past six years.

There has also been a rise of more than 300 per cent in long-term vacancies for the two professions.

This week, former health secretary and Nationalist MSP Alex Neil staged an embarrassing intervention, insisting more had to be done by his colleagues to save the NHS.

He suggested a controversial new tax should be introduced and ringfenced to provide extra funding for health and social care.

NHS Grampian revealed in January it had been forced to cancel routine operations because of a shortage of theatre nurses. It blamed ‘staffing challenges and winter pressures, not budgetary constraints’ after 183 procedures were called off in a two-month period.

Last night, Health Secretary Shona Robison said: ‘We continue to work with health boards to keep all cancellations to a minimum. We have made it clear to boards that patients with the greatest clinical need, such as cancer patients, should not have their operations cancelled.

‘During February the NHS in Scotland carried out 24,931 operations – an average of 890 a day. The Scottish Government is investing £200million in six new elective treatment centres. These will allow people to be treated more quickly for planned surgery like hip, knee and cataract operations – helping to reduce the number of operations cancelled.’

More tax is not the answer – page 16