General · 24 April 2026
Why 1 in 10 NHS operations are cancelled last-minute
Photo by César Badilla Miranda on Unsplash
Patients are facing last-minute disruption, with many planned procedures being called off less than a day before surgery and some delays thought to be preventable. A study published on 24 April found that 10% of elective operations across 91 NHS trusts in England were cancelled the day before, with 9% postponed during pre-op checks. If seen nationwide, about 300,000 procedures each year could be affected.
Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs