03 June 2005
NHS managers and the Department of Health have moved to rebut suggestions that cancelled operations are on the rise.
Figures released by the department this week showed that 21,566 operations in England were cancelled at the last minute in the first three months of 2005, compared with 17,402 between October and December 2004 and 14,931 between July and September.
The rise in the number of cancellations during the third and fourth quarters was similar in 2003/04.
However, more patients failed to have their surgery rescheduled within 28 days (7,900 in 2004/05 compared with 6,200 a year earlier). Under plans to be introduced later this year, patients will be able to choose another hospital if a cancelled operation is not rescheduled within 28 days.
Under the new payment by results hospital funding system, the alternative provider will receive the full cost of the procedure, while the hospital that cancelled the operation will receive nothing.
Both the NHS Confederation and health minister Lord Warner insisted that the proportion of cancellations had dropped since 2001 as the health service was carrying out more procedures. Confederation chief executive Gill Morgan said most operations were carried out on time.
'This is a significant step forward. But it is really traumatic to have an operation cancelled so we must keep up the pace to get the numbers down,' she said. 'There are a range of ways local services are getting the numbers down. Trusts are developing new IT systems which will streamline the booking systems.'
Cancellations were often caused by unplanned emergency operations, and trusts were tackling this problem by separating non-emergency from emergency operations. This could significantly reduce the numbers of last-minute cancellations.
'It's not just a matter of how operations are managed. We will need continued investment in the NHS to ensure we have the capacity to deliver the level of service patients expect,' she added.
Warner said: 'Almost 99% of operations, some 5.5 million, are carried out on time. But, obviously, one cancellation is one too many and, as capacity increases, the NHS is working hard to ensure all patients are seen on time.'
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