More NHS ops cancelled under Labour - Potts

11.00.00am GMT Tue 13th Dec 2005

"Labour's record on cancelled operations is appalling." says Potts

The number of cancelled operations has shot up by 13% since Labour came to power, according to statistics slipped out by the government.

This summer there were over 13,000 operations cancelled at the last minute, compared to around 11,500 in the same period in 1997. That means that the latest figures show more than 1,500 more cancellations than in 1997.

Liberal Democrat Sam Potts commented:

"Labour's record on cancelled operations is appalling.

"It is the last thing you want to happen. These can be very serious or even life threatening operations. You might have got as far as travelling into hospital, stopped eating and drinking and plucked up the courage for the operation. It then comes as a big shock to find out it is not going ahead.

"These figures show the very worst of the worst cancellations; those which happen right at the last minute. There are thousands more people who have had their operation cancelled a few days before. Some people have it cancelled again and again.

"The government needs to collect true figures on how many cancellations there really are. There are fewer beds now than when Labour came to power, and the government's market based reforms could make matters worse. Ministers should focus on increasing NHS capacity not forcing local hospitals to close."

ENDS