The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Cancelled operations a ‘massive strain’ on NHS
HEALTH: Nearly two procedures a day scrapped in Tayside due to patient no-shows
NHS Tayside had to cancel an average of almost two operations a day last year because patients failed to show up for their procedures.
More than 650 operations were ditched and the health service has taken to texting people to remind them about their appointments.
Scottish Conservative MSP Liam Kerr said the issue was a “massive strain” on the health service, at a time when it could ill afford it.
There were 3,969 cancelled appointments throughout Dundee, Perth and Angus in 2016, 658 of which were as a result of patients not turning up.
The Scottish Government has said it is every patient’s responsibility to make sure they turn up for their operation, but recognised that the NHS should be flexible to patients’ needs.
An average of almost two operations per day were cancelled in Tayside last year because patients did not attend for their procedure.
Figures released under Freedom of Information legislation show a total of 658 operations in Angus, Perth and Dundee did not go ahead because patients failed to show up.
In Fife, more than one operation on average per day was cancelled by the patient, with a total of 384 procedures not going ahead in a 12-month period in the kingdom.
There were a total of 34,672 elective and emergency operations carried out on Tayside in 2016, 3,969 of which were cancelled. Almost 17% of those were as a result of patients failing to turn up.
Dr Gavin Main, associate medical director for access with NHS Tayside, urged people to keep their personal contact details as up-to-date as possible, in order to avoid further missed operations.
He said: “We would urge people to contact us as soon as possible if, for any reason, they are unable to attend for surgical procedures or any other hospital appointments.
“This allows us to reduce wasted appointments by giving someone else the original appointment and rearranging a more suitable date and time for patients.
“Unfortunately, we will not always be able to determine why patients do not attend for their appointment.
“There are a number of initiatives NHS Tayside has put in place aiming to reduce the Did Not Attend (DNA) rate, including a greater use of automated text messaging systems to act as a reminder to patients.”
Over the course of the last 15 years, an average of 15.5% of cancelled appointments in Tayside were as a result of people not attending for their scheduled procedure.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “It is every patient’s responsibility to keep their NHS appointment and it is important that they let the hospital know when they cannot attend.
“However, we also recognise that the NHS has to be flexible in helping make appointments convenient to patients.
“The Scottish Government is committed to supporting health boards to implement policies to reduce missed appointments such as providing reminder services through text, emails
Weurge people to contact us as soon as possible if they are unable to attend. DR GAVIN MAIN
and social media. This will allow reminder services to be tailored for patients who are most likely to not attend.”
Scottish Conservative North East MSP Liam Kerr called for more to be done to remind patients when they have an appointment due.
He said: “This is quite clearly a massive strain on the NHS at a time in which it can least afford it.”
More than 2,500 operations were cancelled in Scotland in February of this year alone, out of a total 27,475 planned procedures – a national cancellation rate of 9.3%. In Tayside in February, there were 212 cancelled operations in total, 48 called off by the patient.