MORE than 100 urgent operations were cancelled by hospitals in Worcestershire in 12 months.

The Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust – which runs the Royal in Worcester, the Alexandra in Redditch and Kidderminster Hospital – cancelled 114 urgent operations between July 2017 and June 2018, according to NHS England.

Urgent surgery includes life saving intervention, treating the acute onset of life or limb-threatening conditions, or early interventions for serious but not immediately life-threatening conditions.

Vice president of the The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), Professor Neil Mortensen, said: "Cancelling operations causes great anxiety for patients and leaves them waiting longer in pain or discomfort. In some cases, patients can deteriorate or develop complications, and their outcomes are often worse the longer they wait for treatment."

He added: "In the context of the many operations the NHS carries out each year, the total number of urgent operations cancelled is small. However, it is extremely stressful for patients and their families to mentally prepare for surgery, only to be told it cannot go ahead - and deeply disappointing for the staff caring for them."

Professor Mortensen said that when urgent operations are cancelled it is often because there are no free beds in the intensive care unit.

A spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “The challenges we face around cancelled operations are similar to those faced by many hospital trusts across the country.

"Our staff work extremely hard to deliver the safest, highest quality care they can in a timely manner.

“Any decision to cancel an operation is never taken lightly and is avoided wherever possible. When a decision to cancel does have to be made, every effort is made to reschedule the operation as soon as possible.”