Patients face postponed care under high demand

BRITAIN

LONDON — Many hospitals in Britain are canceling all routine appointments and surgeries until February as they struggle to handle spikes in demand during the winter season. The cancellations could potentially affect tens of thousands of patients.

British Prime Minister Theresa May told Sky News on Wednesday that she recognizes that the cancellations are “disappointing” and “frustrating” for those affected. But she insisted that Britain’s National Health Service is “better prepared for this winter than ever before.”

On Tuesday evening, officials at the National Health Service in England recommended that hospitals cancel nonurgent appointments and operations in January to free up space for the sickest patients. It is estimated that this could affect 55,000 surgeries. Cancer surgeries and timecritical procedures should proceed as planned, officials said.

Britons are fiercely proud of their national health service, but it is not uncommon for hospitals to face significant strain during the winter months when they don’t have many spare beds and there is greater demand.

The NHS Providers, a trade association, said in a statement that many hospitals are dealing with “unprecedented demand,” because of an increase in “flu and respiratory illness, the impact of norovirus and — in some places — primary care, including GPs working at more than full stretch.”

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said on Twitter that hospital leaders are “creating extra temporary capacity, calling in staff to work extra shifts, delaying non urgent work. But this still means that, in some places, waiting times and care are under real pressure.”