Hospitals are cancelling operations and visits for 9m patients every year
‘Too often you’re made to feel lucky to get an appointment at all – as if you weren’t paying into the NHS’
NINE million patients a year are having hospital appointments and operations cancelled – three times the number a decade ago, official statistics show.
Patient groups said too many people were treated as if they were “lucky to get an appointment”, with slots routinely called off at the last minute.
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, last night vowed to “fundamentally overhaul” the system. The NHS figures show that at some hospitals, up to one in every four outpatient appointments was cancelled, with the south east and south west regions worst affected.
Charities claimed patients were distressed and at risk of “irreversible deterioration” when hospitals repeatedly turned them away. They said the focus on surgery targets, with financial penalties if delays exceeded a year, meant too little attention was given to millions whose visits were regularly delayed.
Nearly 9million slots were cancelled in England in 2017-18, figures show, a rise from 3.25 million in 2007-08, meaning patients referred for specialist hospital care were left facing longer waits for diagnoses and assessments.
The rise outpaces the increase in outpatient appointments offered over the decade, the NHS Digital figures show. In addition, 84,825 patients had their planned operations cancelled – a rise from 57,382 cases a decade earlier.
Mr Hancock said: “I know how distressing it is for people when appointments are cancelled, particularly at the last minute. We must do everything we can to spare the uncertainty, discomfort and potential harm this can cause while being unafraid to challenge existing ways of doing things to make them work better for patients. The outdated model of outpatient services needs a fundamental overhaul.”
He added that technology, including digital appointments and online booking, would save patients time and inconvenience. But experts claimed staff shortages and lack of medical equipment were fuelling the problem. John Kell, head of policy at the Patients Association, said: “The number of people whose appointments are being cancelled is worryingly high and shows just how much strain the health service has been under.”
Joyce Robins, from Patient Concern, said: “The situation has become horrendous. People feel really panicked when they wait months for an appointment, and it’s a major blow when it is cancelled without explanation. Too often you are made to feel lucky to get an appointment at all, as if you weren’t a taxpayer paying into the NHS.”
While the NHS has targets for diagnosis and treatment and must reschedule cancelled surgery within 28 days, there are no penalties for repeatedly putting outpatient appointments on hold. Health officials are planning to replace most appointments with smartphone consultations, making the NHS a “digital first” operation.
In their plans, launched in January, they aim to replace up to 30 million hospital appointments with Skype consultations or smartphone monitoring within five years, clearing the way for the most vulnerable patients to get face-to-face slots more easily.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said too many patients were seeing their health worsen as their appointments were delayed.
“This translates into growing anxiety, distress and pain for hundreds of thousands of older people,” she said.
“While some appointments are routine, others are crucial in effective and timely treatment of serious and escalating health problems. If you’re an older person, the news that you will have to wait longer before accessing specialist help can be devastating.”
Patients in the south were most likely to see appointments cancelled, with one in 10 slots affected. The bestperforming region was the north west.
Nationally, appointments where patients failed to attend rose 44 per cent over the decade. The figures also showed a rise in appointments cancelled in advance by patients, with 8.52 million in 2017-18, compared with 3.13 million cases a decade earlier.
Prof Andrew Goddard, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said the rise in cancellations was a symptom of rising pressure on hospitals and growing numbers of cases arriving via Accident and Emergency, “putting more stress on an overstretched system,” he said. Prof Derek Alderson, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: “Patients attend an outpatient appointment for various reasons – diagnosis, assessment for surgery or specialist input into a long term condition. Cancelling an appointment can be distressing and inconvenient.”