31 operations cancelled every day in west London hospitals
HOSPITALS in West London are cancelling an average of 31 operations a day.
Exclusive figures obtained by the Gazette show hospital trusts across West London cancelled 11,382 operations at the last minute in 2017/18 – the equivalent of 31.2 a day.
The number of cancellations at the area’s hospitals has jumped by 8% in a year from 10,524 in 2016/17, according to figures revealed following a Freedom of Information request.
Last minute cancellations are those that take place on the day the operation is scheduled, including after the patient has arrived at hospital.
Of the cancellations, 5,234 were urgent operations.
These include operations where urgent intervention is needed to save a life, limb or organ – either within minutes and hours, but up to a maximum of a few days.
The most common reason for operations to be cancelled was due to patients not being ready or available, with 3,592 cancellations for this reason in 2017/18.
This was up 3% from the 3,483 cancellations recorded in 2016/17.
There were 1,014 cancellations due to theatre lists over-running or a lack of time to operate on all listed patients in a session, up 22% from 2016/17, while a total of 1,011 operations were cancelled due to a lack of beds, a 10% increase in a year.
There were 5,986 operations cancelled by West Middlesex Hospital in 2017/18, a 7% increase in a year from 5,574 cancellations in 2016/17. Chelsea and Westminster Hospital cancelled 1,780 operations, an 8% increase in a year.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Charing Cross Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital, Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital, St Mary’s Hospital and Western Eye Hospital, cancelled 1,250 cancellations, which is up 35%.
There were 949 cancellations at hospitals run by London North West, which includes Ealing Hospital, Northwick Park Hospital and Central Middlesex Hospital. This is up 7%.
Hospitals are only required to count last-minute cancellations.
While some record all cancellations, not all do, since cancellations far in advance of the operation date are usually rescheduled with less impact on patients.
Across Britain, hospitals cancelled 238,000 operations in 2017/18, including all types of cancellations - the equivalent of a cancellation every two minutes on average. This includes 34,000 cancellations because no beds were available, 34,000 cancellations due to staff being unavailable and 31,000 cancellations due to theatre lists over-running.
Based on trusts and health boards that provided information for all years, the number of cancellations has jumped by 9% in a year, and is 29% higher than in 2013/14.
Jon Ashworth, the shadow health and social care secretary, said: “Cancelled operations on this scale is nothing short of a scandal and comes on the back of years of Tory cuts to hospital beds, austerity and chronic staff shortages.
“Behind these statistics are thousands of people waiting longer and longer in pain and anxiety for an operation. Ministers should hang their heads in shame. Theresa May can’t ignore the reality of the crisis in our NHS.”
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “The whole of the NHS is under pressure during the winter months, and difficult decisions need to be made to prioritise those most in need right across the board.
“GPs and our teams are very aware that when hospital operations are cancelled, this can lead to a surge in patients contacting their local surgery asking for advice about next steps, asking for further sick notes and painkillers and asking if there is anything their family doctor can do to help them.
“It’s important during planning for winter pressures to remember they are not just confined to hospitals and that GPs and their teams are also working flat out to try and cope with demand.”
A spokesperson for the Royal College of Surgeons said: “It is of deep concern that the NHS has seen an increase in the number of operations cancelled last year for non-clinical reasons, such as lack of beds and staff or admin errors.
“It’s stressful and disappointing for patients and their families to prepare for surgery only to have it cancelled. Some patients’ conditions may even deteriorate while they wait.
“With the winter months of January and February ahead, when hospitals tend to experience increased pressure and bed shortages, it seems inevitable that there will be further cancellations.”
An NHS spokesman said: “Despite significant pressure, in England fewer than 1% of operations are postponed on the day with just 0.9% cancelled in the last three months.
“Nurses, doctors and NHS leaders across the country are also rightly prioritising emergency patients over winter.”