Released 22 April 2024
Request:
Please could you provide me with information for each of the financial years 2023 to 2024, 2022 to 2023:
- How many elective operations were cancelled last minute for non clinical reasons?
- How many of those patients were not treated within 28 days of the last minute elective cancellation?
- How many patients had their elective operation cancelled last minute on more than 5 occasions?
- How many patients had their elective operation cancelled last minute on more than 10 occasions?
- In the financial years above – what was the highest number of occasions that a patient had an elective operation cancelled at the last minute?
Information disclosed:
1. A total of 2,420 elective operations were cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons in the financial year 2022 to 2023; 2,005 elective operations were cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons in the financial year 2023 to 2024.
For context, the Trust carried out 35,183 elective operations in theatre during the financial year 2022 to 2023 and 34,357 elective operations in theatre in 2023 to 2024.
2. Of those indicated for question 1, a total of 490 patients were not treated within 28 days in the financial year 2022 to 2023 and 702 patients were not treated within 28 days in 2023 to 2024.
3. In the financial year 2022 to 2023, no (nil) patients had their elective operation cancelled last minute on more than 5 occasions; in the financial year 2023 to 2024, 5 or fewer* patients had their elective operation cancelled last minute on more than 5 occasions.
* This data has been anonymised in line with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Anonymisation: Managing Data Protection Risk Code of Practice and is exempt under section 40(2) [personal information] exemption.
4. In the financial years 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024, no (nil) patients had their elective operation cancelled last minute on more than 10 occasions.
5. The information you are seeking for this part of your request is relevant to a single, individual patient each year who could be identified through the disclosure of this information.
Exempt under section 40(2) [personal information] exemption.