Shropshire Star

Rise in last minute cancellation of operations in Shropshire

The number of operations cancelled last minute by the trust running Shropshire’s two main hospitals has increased significantly.

Published

Figures from NHS England show that 186 non-urgent operations, such as hip or knee procedures, were cancelled by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (Sath) at the last minute in the three months to September.

This was an increase of 35 per cent from the same period in 2017, when there were 138.

The data covers cancellations for non-clinical reasons, such as bed or staff shortages.

Hospital deputy chief operating officer Sara Biffen said: “Whilst we make every effort to ensure that every operation goes ahead as planned, there will be occasions when they have to be cancelled due to reasons out of our control. This is something that we never want to do, but when it does happen, we do everything possible to ensure that our patients are kept fully informed.

“Making sure our patients have their treatment on time is one of our top priorities, and the trust has hit the national 92 per cent referral to treatment for 12 of the past 13 months. In September, 92.68 per cent of Sath’s patients received planned operations or planned care within 18 weeks of being referred to hospital.

“Plans for the reconfiguration of hospital services, which will result in the separation of planned and emergency care, will also mean fewer cancelled operations.”

The Royal College of Surgeons has blamed pressure on the over-stretched NHS for the increasing number of cancellations in England.

It also warned the figures could be masking the true scale of the problem, as they do not include operations cancelled at more than 24 hours’ notice.

A last-minute cancellation is defined as being either on the day that a patient was due to arrive, after the patient has arrived, or on the day of the operation itself.

Professor Cliff Shearman, vice president of the RCS, said: “Having an operation that has been planned for months cancelled at short notice can be very stressful for patients and their families.

“Alongside practical considerations such as wasted time off work and rescheduling the surgery, patients will have to deal with the mental anguish of preparing for surgery all over again.

Reschedule

“They will also have to endure waiting longer in pain and discomfort, possibly unable to work or complete day-to-day tasks for themselves. In some cases, their condition may worsen.”

If a trust is unable to reschedule the operation within 28 days, it must instead fund the treatment in another hospital.

It also forfeits its payment from the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, which funds healthcare in the area.

There were 18,460 last minute cancellations across England in the three months to September.

Of these, 8.3 per cent of patients did not have their operations rescheduled within 28 days.

This rate is higher than the same period a year ago, when it was 6.8 per cent.

Sarah Scobie, deputy director of research at the Nuffield Trust, said: “Sadly, this is not a surprise.

“Although these numbers are small, this is yet another sign of how difficult the NHS is currently finding it to provide as much planned care as people need.

“Last month, we saw waiting times reach their worst level in nearly a decade.”

An NHS England spokesman said: “Only a small minority of operations are cancelled on the day, while 15,000 fewer people now wait a year for their operation compared with 2010.

“New guidance issued to trusts recently will see local health service leaders allocate extra funding to community services, like district nursing teams and outreach clinics, to help them care for more patients, freeing up hospital beds and staff to reduce surgery waiting lists.”