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Health says progress is being made on reducing elective surgery waiting lists, but a woman whose bladder surgery has been postponed four times, being informed while travelling to the hospital on the day of the operation, has raised concerns.
The woman, who does not wish to be named, said she had lost money on taxis to and from hospital while also disrupting other people’s lives who were lined up to care for her pets for what was expected to be a multiple night stay in hospital.
She was first scheduled to have the operation on 15 November last year after being referred a few months before but is still waiting for the procedure. The delays have caused her anxiety, while her condition causes her discomfort and embarrassment in her daily life.
Each time she said the surgery was pushed on due to emergencies being prioritised which Health said will always be the case, adding these situations are regrettably unpredictable and unavoidable.
“HSC recognises it is always hugely disappointing when elective surgery must be postponed and will always apologise for the impact this has on individuals and their families.Ultimately, hospital capacity can be unpredictable and reliant on many different factors,” a spokesperson said.
“It is worth noting there is no single factor impacting acute care and it is a seasonal issue with demand outstripping available capacity. Hospital capacity fluctuates throughout the year and pressures remain constant.
It added it has “no control” over clinical emergencies and said patients are contacted as soon as a cancellation has been confirmed, but the decision is always left late to see if any spaces open on the day.
“If there is a chance a surgery could go ahead then we try to ensure that surgery happens, right up until the day it happens to give people the best opportunity of not having to face a delay,” the spokesperson said.
Pictured: The Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
Health said 2,387 patients were waiting for treatment as of 7 August, which includes private, contract, and day admissions.
The department was forced to postpone some elective surgeries in March as the hospital saw a net increase of 181 people to the waiting lists. Since then to the end of July, 2,636 procedures have been completed with the waiting lists seeing a net decrease of 382.
“Patients who were postponed in March will have been contacted via the MSG with a new theatre date. All cancer and emergency surgeries have and will continue to be prioritised,” the spokesperson noted.
“The hospital theatres are run to full capacity, at all times. Some elective surgeries have unfortunately, but unavoidably, had to be postponed due to hospital bed capacity pressures rather than theatre pressures.
“Beds are allocated due to patient needs. It may involve movement within wards to help facilitate the right speciality bed for that admission. If all beds are full, additional temporary beds, called flex beds, can be utilised but cannot be used for longer than a short-term fix.
“This is why sometimes the difficult decision is taken to postpone some elective surgery.”
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