OPERATIONS at a south Essex hospital were cancelled at a rate of one a day.

While Southend Hospital managed to almost halve the number of rescheduled procedures, the number at Basildon Hospital rose by one of the biggest percentages in the country.

Figures from NHS England revealed in the first quarter of the year the number of cancelled operations at Basildon and Thurrock Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust rose from 67 to 95.

A spokesman for Basildon Hospital said: “We always try to avoid postponing planned operations but sometimes understandably, emergencies take priority.

“We strive to minimise disruption and inconvenience for those patients whose planned treatment is delayed, and we keep them well informed of changes to their scheduled care.

“Of the 95 planned operations we postponed from April to June 2018, we rescheduled 94 within 28 days.

“The local NHS and councils are working together to make sure patients are getting the care they need, in the right place.

“This means supporting people to stay well at home, and getting them home from hospital as quickly as possible.

“This joined-up work is better for patents and helps us run planned operations on time.”

Southend Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has experienced a major decrease in the amount of cancelled operations this year, with 73 procedures being called off in the first quarter of 2018/19, compared to 136 in 2017/18.

Research carried out by the Royal College of Anaesthetists and University College London also found that nationally, one in seven surgeries were cancelled on the day of the procedure.

Clive Walsh, director of operations for emergency and unscheduled care at the Southend trust, said: “When there are fewer acutely unwell emergency patients requiring admission, we are less likely to have to postpone elective operations.

“During busy periods it has been necessary to postpone some non-emergency surgery, to give us capacity to admit and treat very ill patients arriving at the emergency department.

“When we do have to cancel planned surgery, our clinicians review each patient’s case individually, and the operations we cancel are planned, non-emergency cases such as hernia repairs.

“This allows us to ensure we have capacity to undertake cancer surgery or emergency operations.”

Patient Fiona Clapperton, of High Street, Shoebury,

Dr Liam Brennan, president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists said: “Cancelling an operation for any reason can be extremely distressing for a patient.

“As a speciality, working with two thirds of all hospital inpatients, we are all too aware of the difficulties that can lead to surgery being deferred.

“We fully support working with all relevant specialties to better understand the reasons for this widespread problem with the aim of developing an action plan.

“This will ultimately improve patient experience, clinical outcomes and go some way to reducing pressures on the NHS.