GOVERNMENT blunders over doctors' pension payments are one of the reasons why nearly 120 people had their operations cancelled at Bournemouth and Poole Hospitals in the three months to September, it is claimed.

NHS England data shows 68 non-urgent procedures, such as hip or knee operations, were cancelled by the The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at the last minute in the three months to September.

In Poole 51 similar procedures were cancelled.

The NHS data covers cancellations for non-clinical reasons, such as bed or staff shortages.

A last-minute cancellation is defined as being either on the day that a patient was due to arrive, after the patient has arrived, or on the day of the operation itself.

There were almost 21,000 of these across England in the same period, an increase of 13 per cent compared to the same period last year and the highest number since records began in 1994.

Cancellations at the Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have fallen since last year, however, when there were 58, but are still higher than the 55 cancellations seen during the same period five years ago.

Cancellations at the The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have fallen since last year, however, when there were 69.

Medical Director at RBCH Alyson O’Donnell said:

“We are extremely sorry we have had to cancel patients on the day of their surgery. We appreciate that this can be really upsetting for patients and their families, especially as they make detailed preparations for surgery and post op recovery.

"Over the summer we were less able than normal to backfill short notice staff vacancies, especially in operating theatres. This is partly due to the national rules regarding pension payments, which penalise senior staff working extra hours. We have also had record levels of emergency admissions putting further strain on services.

"During this same period we treated over 16,000 elective patients. We have been successful in recruiting new consultant anaesthetists colleagues and are working on a range of other measures to reduce same day emergency cancellations.”

The Royal College of Surgeons has blamed underfunding, fewer beds and staff shortages for the rising number of cancellations across England, which have reached the highest level since records began a quarter of a century ago.

According to the NHS Constitution, hospitals must reschedule cancelled operations within a maximum period of 28 days.

If they are unable to do so, they must instead fund the treatment with another hospital and forfeit their payment from the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group that funds healthcare in the area.