Clinical negligence solicitors and the controversy of cancelled operations

Cancelled operations on the NHS are a problem for many patients. Internet message boards and forums are rife with the stories of people who have experienced distressing delays in receiving the surgery they need. Unfortunately, unless it is a vital operation that a patient can show has been unnecessarily cancelled, it is unlikely a clinical negligence solicitor will be able to help anyone affected to claim compensation. However, the troubling reality of cancelled operations remains, and it is one all experts agree needs to be addressed.

Statistics from the Department of Health show that around 50,000 operations were cancelled in 2007, a figure that is certainly enough to cause concern. However, this figure pales in comparison to separate statistics obtained under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act.

These Freedom of Information figures, obtained by the Conservative Party, seem to reveal that there may actually have been more than 100,000 operations cancelled in 2007.

There are various explanations as to why this might be the case. Top-down targets have come in for criticism, as have equipment failures, patient bed shortages and the pressures of understaffing in some hospitals.

Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Norman Lamb commented that the high level of cancelled operations were “another sign of the unsustainable pressure the NHS is under”. The shadow health spokesperson Andrew Lansley was more direct in blaming the Labour government for its part in creating the problem. He said, “NHS staff are doing the best they can, but how can they plan patients' care properly when they are continually hampered by Labour's top-down targets?”

However, as mentioned earlier, unless you suffer from the more extreme end of this cancellation problem, it is unlikely a clinical negligence solicitor will be able to help you claim compensation. But if you wish to make a complaint about the service you have received visit the Department of Health’s complaints page.

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If you have suffered personal injury, the worsening of an existing condition, or the development of a new one while under the care of a hospital or medical professional, you may be able to claim medical negligence compensation.

Our team of clinical negligence solicitors possess a wealth of experience in securing people like you successful outcomes in this kind of claim.

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