Cancelled surgical procedures (FOI)

​Request

A

Please provide the number of surgical procedures (operations) cancelled during January, February and March 2018 at Jersey General Hospital.

B

Of these, please advise how many of these cancellations occurred when beds were available within the hospital.

C

Please provide the number of beds available in acute medicine at Jersey General Hospital in January 2015, January 2016, January 2017 and January 2018.

D

Please also provide the number of qualified nurses employed in acute medicine on permanent contracts in January 2015, January 2016, January 2017 and January 2018.

E

Please advise have beds been closed at any point in 2017 and 2018 in any directorate at Jersey General Hospital due to inability to secure adequate numbers of nursing staff.

Response

A

Procedures cancelled (elective surgical procedures / operations) - January, February and March 2018.

These have been split between instances where the patient cancelled and instances where the hospital cancelled. These figures include the Day Surgery Unit and In-Patients surgery.

The reasons for procedures cancelled by patient - social, did not attend, away, unwell and decided not to proceed.

The reasons the hospital cancelled - no beds, to accommodate a more urgent case, lack of equipment, short notice annual leave/unknown annual leave.

B

The Health and Social Services Department (HSSD) do not routinely collect data as to how many operations have been cancelled at the General Hospital due to bed shortages. There is no report for this.

It is very unusual for an operation to be cancelled at the General Hospital due to bed shortages. Should the situation arise, all patient’s due to have surgery on a given day would be reprioritised based on clinical urgency. For example, ‘emergency’ (on the day) and ‘urgent’ surgery (required within two weeks ie cancer) would take priority over ‘soon’ surgery (required within four weeks ie ear) which would also supersede ‘routine’ surgery (ie non-urgent hernia).

In the unusual event of patients having to be cancelled due to bed shortages, this would be non-urgent ‘routine’ cases. Where possible HSSD notify patients the evening before of the potential risk to having there surgery cancelled. On the day should this prove necessary we endeavour to issue a new operation date at the time or contact the patient within twenty four hours. Any patient that is cancelled as a result of bed pressures is provided a new date which will be the earliest possible. In such an occurrence the primary aim is to minimise any inconvenience to patients.

C

Acute Medicine consists of Bartlett Ward, Corbiere Ward, Plemont Ward and the Emergency Assessment Unit.

On 14 January 2016 the Medical Day Case Unit was moved to Corbiere Ward.

D

E

In 2017 and 2018 no beds have been closed within the General Hospital due to inability to secure adequate numbers of nursing staff.