Hospitals told to postpone thousands of operations

Focus on emergency cases and trying to empty beds, says watchdog, as fears of NHS meltdown grow

HOSPITALS have been ordered to stop carrying out the vast majority of operations in a desperate bid to fend off a growing NHS crisis.

Health regulators have stepped in to order the extreme measures amid rising panic about how services will cope with mounting strain.

In an average month, the health service carries out 600,000 planned operations as well as urgent procedures. Now hospitals have been told to stop most planned surgery and to focus instead on treating emergency cases.

Watchdogs have also reiterated orders to hospitals to dramatically reduce bed capacity as levels of crowding continue to soar.

In a letter to hospital chief executives, Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS Improvement, warned of “unprecedented demand” placing pressures on services. “Given the level of risk facing the system, it is clear that having sufficient bed capacity going into Christmas is critical,” he wrote.

Every hospital has been told it should get capacity down to 85 per cent by Monday but new figures show that less than a week ago it was at 95 per cent.

Hospitals had already been instructed to outsource as many operations as needed to private hospitals in an effort to empty beds. However, the latest fig-

95pc The hospital bed occupancy figure less than a week ago, despite instructions to reduce capacity to at least 85 per cent

ures show a 5 per cent rise in occupancy in just one week.

At the same time the winter vomiting bug has claimed 2,000 cases with 860 beds closed as a result – a fourtimes higher rate than this time last year.

In the past week, NHS trusts have been forced to divert ambulances from 33 A&E departments compared with 14 diverts this time last year.

In the letter seen by the Health Serv- ice Journal, dated Dec 9, Mr Mackey said NHS trusts should “cease” most planned operations and activity over Christmas, also known as elective care, to ensure enough beds are available.

“In preparing for managing winter pressures, it is recommended that all providers ‘pace’ their elective work by introducing elective breaks where trusts cease most in-patient elective activity and focus on treating emergency activity and non-admitted patients,” Mr Mackey said.

Joyce Robins, of campaign group Patient Concern, said: “These are absolutely desperate measures. To be stopping operations on this scale, leaving people to endure longer waits in pain and misery, is a truly terrible state to have reached.”

A spokesman for NHS Improvement said: “NHS providers will be doing all they can to make sure their patients are able to receive quality care during the busy Christmas period. A reduction of elective hospital activity in the run-up to Christmas is standard practice, and well-rehearsed by NHS providers.”

He added that trusts should be restricting their operations in advance in order to keep cancellations to an absolute minmum.