Hospitals’ cancelled operations double the level before pandemic

THE NHS cancelled more than twice as many operations in the past year as in the year before the pandemic, health service figures reveal.

Data collected from NHS hospitals in England show staff shortages were the most common reason given for cancelling, accounting for one in five of all operations cancelled for non-clinical reasons in 2021-22.

The figures, secured through freedom of information requests by the Labour Party, show around 158,000 operations were cancelled for non-clinical reasons by NHS trusts in 2021-22, compared with about 79,000 in 2018-19.

Analysis of the data found some 30,000 were cancelled because of NHS staff shortages, 13,000 because of a shortage of beds, 5,700 because of equipment failure, 12,600 because of administrative errors, 15,500 because theatre lists overran, 9,500 because an emergency case took priority and 250 as a result of adverse weather.

Of the 158,000 operations cancelled last year, an estimated 10,000 were urgent, 2,500 were for cancer patients, and 8,000 were operations on children.

The number of operations cancelled due to staff shortages has also trebled in the same period, from 10,900 in 2018-19 to 30,000, while the number cancelled because of faulty equipment increased from 4,800 to 5,700.

It comes as 7.2million patients are waiting to start treatment on the NHS.

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said: “Patients are forced to wait longer for vital operations because the Conservatives have failed to train enough staff over the past 12 years.

“Having operations cancelled prevents them from being able to get on with their lives.”

The Daily Telegraph revealed earlier this year that more than 22,000 hospital appointments were being cancelled by NHS trusts every day despite the Government’s pledge to clear the backlog.

The average number of daily cancellations in 2022, up to October, was 20 per cent higher than the pre-pandemic figure of 18,000.

Meanwhile, an average of 54,581 NHS staff were off sick in England in the seven days to Dec 4.