Operation delays cut (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Operation delays cut

6:21pm Friday 6th June 2008 in Local By Anika Bourley

The number of operations cancelled at the last minute has fallen dramatically across Bradford in the past 12 months, new figures have revealed.

According to latest information from the Department of Health, 374 operations were cancelled for non-clinical reasons between April 2007 and the end of March this year by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke's.

This compared to 439 for April 2006 to March 2007 - a 15 per cent reduction.

In 2005/6 cancelled operations peaked at the two hospitals at 530 and has fluctuated before the significant reduction in the past year.

Figures for Airedale Hospitals NHS Trust showed a slight increase of 140 operations being cancelled at the last minute in 2007/8 compared with 132.

Across England figures fell from 52,005 to 40,579.

The Department of Health said the cancelled operations represented one per cent of all planned surgery.

Operations may be cancelled at the last minute if a bed is no longer going to be available, or if staff are needed elsewhere.

A spokesman for the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said hard work was behind the falling rate of postponed operations.

He said: "Thanks to the efforts of our staff, more patients are being treated more quickly at Bradford's hospitals. We continue to make good progress towards making sure that, by December, all our patients start their treatment with us within 18 weeks of referral by a GP.

"Although it is an extremely rare event in comparison to the 100,000-plus operations we carry out each year, we regret being forced to postpone any patient's surgery for non-clinical reasons, and the inconvenience and anxiety that this can cause."