Day surgery time being squandered claims report

Hospitals could reduce pressure on ward beds and bring down waiting lists, by making more efficient use of day surgery, a new report has suggested.

The Healthcare Commission’s report into day surgery found that 45% of the theatre time allocated is not being used, due to cancelled operations, late starts and excessive delays between operations.

According to the report, this means that, on average, day surgeries are only being used 16 hours a week.

The study examined the way day surgery is conducted in 313 day surgery units in England. It found that one in every 10 units cancel more than a third of the available operating theatre sessions and many patients have their operations cancelled at short notice.

The study also found that overall staff numbers in day surgery units were rising faster than their activity, while nearly 40% of units had no single consultant in charge.

The report follows warnings from Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt that high levels of investment in the health service would not continue indefinitely and that there was “a potential pot of gold” to be gained through efficiency savings.

Anna Walker, chief executive of the Healthcare Commission, said: “Efficiency and good patient care go hand in hand. When operations are cancelled or when patients stay overnight for something, which could be done in a single day, patients are inconvenienced and resources are wasted.

“NHS trusts need to build on the local reports that they have already received as part of this review and investigate why more day surgery is not being done and do all that they can do to reduce cancellations. The worst performers need to learn from the best.”

However, the report also highlighted some improvements in aspects of day surgery, in areas such as patient care and the management and extent of day surgery. More patients were now receiving good written information prior to their operation, the report said, and more patients had the opportunity to choose a convenient date for their surgery. More individual appointments were also being arranged, so that patients did not have to wait so long for their operations.

The report also found that the number of patients failing to show up for surgery had also fallen.

Ms Walker commented: “It is good to see that the patient experience of day surgery has improved over recent years. I’m particularly glad that more information is being given to patients and that they have greater choice over the time of their operation. However, there also needs to be a named consultant responsible for every day surgery unit in the country so they can champion further improvement.”

(KMcA/SP)