16,000 NHS operations cancelled

Published on Saturday 30 January 2010 19:09

ALMOST 16,000 operations were cancelled on the NHS last year, official statistics have revealed.

The figures were branded an "unnecessary cost" to the health service by Labour, which called for action to cut the number of call-offs.

There were 15,932 operations cancelled in 2008/09, according to the figures. This was up from 14,455 the previous year.

Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: "I am very concerned at the unnecessary cost to the NHS and inconvenience to patients of these cancelled operations. Our doctors and nurses are already under pressure because of consistent underfunding by the SNP.

"I know that operations can be cancelled for a number of reasons, but in the current economic circumstances we simply can't afford for this to go on. Ministers need to take a hard look at why the trend is increasing and get a grip of the situation."

There were also 7,922 cancelled operations after admission to hospital in the six months to the end of September 2009, according to the figures provided by health secretary Nicola Sturgeon in a parliamentary answer.

They don't include cancellations before the patient was admitted to hospital.

The Cabinet secretary said it was not possible to identify specific reasons for cancellations.

But she added: "Operations may be cancelled due to a number of reasons such as a particularly high level of emergency admissions, staff sickness or the patient has failed to follow pre-admission advice such as fasting."