Trust apology over cancelled operations

Since 1 January the trust claims it has seen demand on its emergency department soar, causing knock-on problems with elective procedures.

In the week up to Friday 13 April, the trust has said it had been forced to cancel 41 operations on the day they were due to take place.

In a statement the trust said: “We apologise to all patients who have had their operations cancelled – and for the additional stress this causes.”

It said an average of 450 people visited the emergency department each day at the Queen’s Medical Centre last year. “This year it has rarely dropped below 500 and has often reached as high as 560 to 580 people.”

The statement added: “In times of high demand for emergency care, we have to prioritise those patients who need the most urgent treatment – such as emergency and cancer patients – and this has led us to reschedule some non-urgent planned operations.”