§ Dr. Evan HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients whose operation was cancelled on the day of surgery did not receive a new binding date for an operation within 28 days in each 801W quarter of the last year; and what arrangements were put in place to provide these patients with treatment at a time and hospital of their choosing. [85302]
§ Mr. HuttonThe NHS Plan cancelled operations guarantee came into force on 1 April 2002. Under the NHS Plan, if a patient's operation is cancelled by the hospital on the day of surgery for non-clinical reasons, the hospital will have to offer another binding date within a maximum of the next 28 days or fund the patient's treatment at the time and hospital of the patient's choice.
Data on the number of operations cancelled on the day of surgery and on the number of patients who were still waiting for treatment after 28 days of their original cancelled operation date were collected from Quarter 1, 2002-03. The latest available for Quarter 2, 2002-03 have been placed in the Library and are available at national health service trust level on a quarterly basis at http://www.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/data requests/ cancelled operations.htm
NHS trusts are performance managed on their performance against the NHS Plan guarantee by strategic health authorities. In doing this StHA will ensure that they have mechanisms in place which will provide them with the necessary evidence that patients whose operations have been cancelled on the day of surgery for non-clinical reasons, subsequently receive treatment at the time and hospital of their choosing, in line with the guarantee.