Cancelled operations may only be the tip of the iceberg

5.05.00pm GMT Fri 27th May 2005

Cancelled operations may only be the tip of the iceberg

Steve Webb MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, responding to new figures showing the number of operations cancelled at the last minute rose by more than 4,000 in the first quarter of 2005, said "These are shocking figures. It is very distressing for a person to be prepared for their operation only to have it cancelled at the last minute."

Professor Webb further said "Hospitals are under severe pressure to meet targets and push more and more patients through the system, and inevitably this impacts on quality of care. But government statistics do not tell the whole story. Many people have their operations cancelled the night before they are due to go in for their operation, but these cases are not recorded in the official figures. The Government should undertake an urgent investigation to find out whether these figures are only the tip of the iceberg."