As reported in the Leicester Mercury recently, patients are waiting longer for operations mainly due to bed shortages resulting in 1,615 operations being cancelled in 2017/2018 by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.  This represented a 6% increase on the previous year. However this figure is not necessarily a true reflection of how many operations are cancelled, as hospitals only have to record last minute cancellations on the day.

Rebecca Brown, Chief Operating Officer at Leicester’s Hospitals, explained that a common cause for cancellation was due to emergencies “taking precedence” over other operations and cancellations were always “a last resort.”

The figure of 1615 equates to an average of 4.5 operation cancellations per day.  These were mostly blamed on a lack of beds being available.  Other reasons for cancellations included emergencies being prioritised and over running theatre lists.

Jon Ashworth, Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, highlighted his concerns about the current situation when he 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”.

Moosa-Duke Solicitors are specialists in clinical negligence law. If you believe that you or a family member have suffered a significant delay in being referred by a GP or been a victim of negligence, due to private or NHS treatment, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0116 254 7456 to discuss your concerns.