Hundreds of operations cancelled at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals Trust at end of 2021

The “dreadful impact” of the coronavirus pandemic can be seen in the cancellation of thousands of planned surgeries across England, according to the Patients Association.

NHS England figures for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust show that 221 pre-booked operations were postponed on or after the day the patient was admitted between October and December 2021.

NHS rules state that patients who have their operations cancelled at the last minute must be offered a new operation date within four weeks.

But 27 (12%) of the affected patients at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals Trust had to wait more than 28 days for a new date, the figures show – up from 2% in 2019-20.

Across England, NHS providers cancelled 19,300 elective surgeries for non-clinical reasons over the three-month period. Common non-clinical reasons for last-minute cancellations include a lack of hospital beds, surgeons being unavailable, emergency cases taking precedence, equipment failure and staff shortages.

Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said the NHS needed more staff and resources to tackle the problem.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said the Government’s plan to tackle the Covid-19 backlog and deliver long term reform would mean 99% of patients would wait less than a year for treatment by 2024.