WYE Valley NHS Trust cancelled no urgent operations in October, an improvement on the same month in 2016 when it was forced to stop 11 potentially life saving procedures, the latest health data has revealed.
The trust was one of 110 hospital trusts across the country which did not have to cancel an important operation, statistics from NHS England show.
In the last 12 months it has been forced to stop three key surgeries, which can include urgent action needed to save patients’ lives, limbs and organs.
Cancellations can be due to shortages of beds or staff as well as surgeries running over time and administrative errors.
The figures are good news for the public given the winter months are fast approaching, when more pressure is expected to be placed on NHS services.
And between last December, January and February the trust didn’t have to cancel a single urgent operation.
The chief executive of NHS England Simon Stevens recently warned ministers that waiting times would continue to rise unless more money was put into the health service, after the chancellor Philip Hammond promised £350 million in the Budget to help this winter.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here