Surgery shortfall Faulty air-con and leaking roofs blamed

NHS surgeries are being cancelled due to broken air conditioning and leaking roofs, the head of the organisation that represents trusts in England said yesterday. Saffron Cordery of NHS Providers blamed a lack of capital investment after analysis showed it has performed fewer operations compared with before the pandemic, despite a 12 per cent rise in its budget.

“The lack of capital investment makes it incredibly hard to run hospitals effectively,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today.

“When you’ve got operating theatres out of action because they need new air conditioning units or you’ve got a leaking roof ... there are other factors that come into efficiency.”

More than seven million people are now waiting to start treatment on the NHS, up from 6.1 million at the end of last year, despite despite the health service’s budget going up by 12 per cent compared to before the pandemic.