1 in 7 NHS ops cancelled with just minutes to spare
ONE in seven operations in a single week was cancelled on the day patients were due to go into surgery, a study has found.
Researchers tracked patients at almost all NHS hospitals in the UK for seven days.
They found 3,700 of 26,000 scheduled operations – 14.2 per cent – were called off on the day they were due to take place.
The researchers – from University College London (UCL) and the Royal College of Anaesthetists – said it was the most comprehensive investigation into hospital cancellations ever conducted.
Experts warn that calling off a procedure at the last minute places a major psychological burden on patients and extends their suffering.
People are often not told of a cancellation until they are in hospital, waiting to go into theatre.
Postponed procedures have a knock-on effect on other patients, leading to mounting waiting lists and yet more cancellations.
The researchers, whose work is published today in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, said lastminute cancellations had become an ‘intractable problem’.
They looked at records from 245 NHS hospitals in Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales for seven days in March 2017.
They found 27 per cent of cancelled operations were called off due to a lack of beds and 13 per cent because of insufficient operating theatre capacity. Clinical reasons accounted for 33 per cent.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The decision to postpone a procedure is never taken lightly and any postponed procedures will be rescheduled at the earliest opportunity.
‘Cancelled operations represent a very small fraction of procedures and the latest statistics show, on average, 766 successful operations were carried out each day in July.’
More general NHS Scotland statistics show that in the 12 months up to July this year, 34,437 planned operations had been cancelled (not necessarily on the day) of a scheduled 363,845 – 9.5 per cent.
Chief investigator Professor Ramani Moonesinghe of UCL said: ‘Last-minute cancellations of surgery affect the health and welfare of tens of thousands of patients in the UK every year.
‘It is clear that capacity issues, in particular resulting from competition for inpatient beds with emergency admissions, and the requirement for critical care after high-risk surgery, substantially influence the risk of last-minute surgical cancellation.’
Fellow author Dr Danny Wong said: ‘Patients are often very anxious in the period leading up to their operations, and having their procedures cancelled can compound their stress.’
Crucially, those set to undergo the most complex operations were more likely to have their procedure postponed, as they would require most follow-up care.
Those who would require critical care after their operation were three times more likely to have operations cancelled than those requiring simpler care.
Professor Cliff Shearman, vicepresident of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: ‘Patients on the waiting list for treatments such as heart or hip operations continue to feel the brunt of pressures.
‘The situation is getting worse. Half a million patients are now waiting longer than 18 weeks and they are more likely to have their operation cancelled.’
‘A complete waste of resources’