Hospital bosses apologise as 200 operations cancelled and not rebooked in time
THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN RESCHEDULED WITHIN MONTH
NEARLY 200 cancelled operations at Leicester’s hospitals were not rescheduled within the official target of 28 days, latest figures have revealed.
It goes against current NHS guidance and officials say they are doing all they can amid growing pressure on the service.
The figures, published by the NHS, show that in the three months to March 2022, 573 planned operations at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust were cancelled at the last minute.
These cancellations included those on the day the patient was due to arrive, after they arrived or on the day of the procedure itself.
Current NHS rules make clear that any patient who has a pre-arranged operation cancelled at the last minute should be offered a new slot within 28 days.
However, 197 operations of the total which were cancelled were not rebooked within a month as they should have been.
That number - which is the equivalent of 34.4 per cent - is far higher than the 12.7 per cent recorded over the same three months in 2019, the last comparable year for data.
The findings do not make clear the reasons for the cancellations, but NHS officials say this could have been due to a lack of beds, surgeons and other clinical staff being unavailable. Other reasons could include emergency cases having to take priority.
However, it is thought that the number of cancellations has surged since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Coping with the health crisis has had a major impact on hospital resources.
The numbers have led to bosses at the NHS in Leicester to issue an apology and a pledge to do all they can to resolve the rescheduling delays.
Jon Melbourne, chief operating officer at Leicester’s hospitals, said: “We apologise to anyone who is still waiting for a new surgery date following a cancellation.
“Surgeries may be cancelled for many reasons, so the surgical team do several checks to make sure that the operation can take place safely and our admin teams work to rebook patients as soon as possible after these checks are completed.
“Whilst we continue to face significant pressures, we remain committed to reducing wait times for patients in our hospitals and are exploring all avenues to help people get the surgery they need in a safe and timely way.”
While Leicestershire’s number of cancellations saw an increase, the picture was not mirrored across England.
NHS data revealed that 17,477 operations were cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons across the same period. That is down on the 21,931 cancellations over the same period of 2019. However, England also suffers poorly on the rescheduling front.
In the first three months of 2022, that number stood at 4,015 (23 per cent) - that’s compared to the 2,157 (9.8 per cent) seen three years previously.
Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, also believed more could be done. However, he felt the NHS was making good progress in tackling the issue.
“There is no doubt the NHS still faces pressures, and the latest figures are another reminder of the crucial importance of community and social care, in helping people in hospital leave when they are fit to do so, not just because it is better for them but because it helps free up precious NHS bed space,” he said.