Medics warn of record high in the number of operations cancelled at the last minute

ONE IN seven NHS operations were cancelled or postponed on the day of surgery during one week at hospitals in the UK, a seven-day study found.

The Royal College of Anaesthetists said its findings provide the most comprehensive UKwide study to date on rates and reasons for surgical cancellations, using data from 90 per cent of NHS hospitals across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It said that although lastminute cancellations of surgery were running at record highs, little was known about the specific risk factors beyond seasonal fluctuations.

Looking at the week of March 21 to 27 2017, the team noted that a total of 26,171 inpatient operations were scheduled to take place. Of those operations, 3,724 were cancelled or postponed on the day of surgery – giving an overall cancellation rate of one in seven operations.

They found the presence of an emergency department made cancellation of surgery in that hospital five times more likely.

The data also showed that one in 10 (10 per cent) patients undergoing elective, non-emergency inpatient surgery had previously had the same operation cancelled at least once before.

Two-thirds of these cancellations were due to non-clinical reasons, such as lack of beds (31per cent), insufficient operating theatre capacity (12.7 per cent), staff unavailable (2.2 per cent) and administration error (1.6 per cent).

Clinical reasons accounted for a third (33 per cent).

They found patients who were medically fit for surgery were three times more likely to have elective, non-emergency operations cancelled if they required critical care afterwards.

But those undergoing treatment for cancer were three times less likely to have their operation cancelled.

Chief investigator Professor Ramani Moonesinghe, who is the director of the UCL Surgical Outcomes Research Centre, said: “Last minute cancellations of surgery affect the health and welfare of tens of thousands of patients in the UK every year.”

Dr Liam Brennan, the president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, said: “Cancelling an operation for any reason can be extremely distressing for a patient.”