Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many elective surgery cases for patients living in Halton constituency were cancelled between October 2017 and February 2018; and which procedures were so cancelled.

Data is not available in the format requested. NHS England collects and publishes quarterly performance data on the number of last minute elective operations cancelled for non-clinical reasons at a national, commissioner and provider level. This can be accessed via NHS England’s statistical work areas webpage at:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancelled-elective-operations/cancelled-ops-data/

The National Emergency Pressures Panel (NEPP) met on 2 January 2018 and recommended that non-urgent operations be deferred until 31 January 2018 to increase capacity for emergency cases. NEPP’s recommendations to trusts were clear that cancer operations and procedures where deferral would lead to a deterioration in the patient’s condition were not in scope and should continue as planned.

NHS England and NHS Improvement will undertake a review of the arrangements and interventions undertaken this winter, including the recommendations issued by NEPP on the deferment of patients’ routine elective treatment. For those patients who have not had new appointments, cancelled operations should be rescheduled at the earliest opportunity, taking into account patients’ clinical need.