Operations delayed as 'NHS runs out of money'

Thousands of operations have been delayed across England because money earmarked for private providers has already been spent, health chiefs have said.

Sheila Jeffrey, from Chard in Somerset, said SpaMedica postponed her surgery in February at its site in Taunton, telling her it would have to take place in April because "the NHS has run out of money".

The 81-year-old said she was disappointed because she was already "geared up to go", adding: "It's a very odd thing to do. You know, why send me to SpaMedica if they can't do it there?"

A spokesperson for NHS Somerset said: "The secretary of state for health and social care has been clear that the NHS must live within its means."

David Hare, CEO at the Independent Providers Network, said this was the first time he had seen the NHS "being given the power to stop or slow down" procedures.

He added this change would mean "about 140,000 fewer patients" across England would be treated in the independent sector between now and the end of this financial year for operations including hip and knee, cataracts and hernia.

Cataracts are cloudy patches on the lens of the eye which get worse in time and can ultimately cause blindness.

SpaMedica said it was the largest NHS cataract surgery provider in the UK.

The BBC understands it fulfilled its contract to carry out 2,000 eye procedures in Taunton in December and that waiting times have now almost doubled from six weeks on average to more than 11 weeks.

Jeffrey, who was diagnosed with two cataracts after noticing black spots in her eyesight, said: "I couldn't read any of the writing on the television."

She said it had now reached the stage that when people across the road greeted her, she she could not pick out their faces.

Jeffrey was due to have an operation to remove her cataracts on the NHS at SpaMedica on 16 February, but was told it would have to be rescheduled in the new financial year.

"There were loads of people in there [at SpaMedica] when I was in there getting assessed," she said. "So obviously they were getting their appointments the same time as I was."

SpaMedica was contracted to carry out 2,000 eye operations this financial year and had performed 3,000 the year before.

NHS Somerset said it wanted to focus on other surgical areas such as orthopaedics, where the 18-week target was often exceeded.

NHS England has instructed Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to manage demand for operations by sticking to the number already agreed to as part of "Indicative Activity Plans".

In a statement, the ICB said: "All providers – NHS and independent – operate under annual NHS budgets and referrals are managed within these contracted values."

It explained that during the course of this financial year, NHS Somerset had introduced Activity Management Plans for some NHS and independent providers to make "best use of our available resources for all local patients".

Those plans range in purpose from ensuring providers do not breach agreed budgets to making sure they increase activity to achieve planned levels, the ICB said.

When contacted, SpaMedica referred the BBC to the Independent Providers Network, which represents private hospitals.

Its CEO, David Hare, confirmed his organisation is - for the first time this financial year - seeing the NHS "being given the power to stop or slow down both NHS and private sector providers who are delivering planned surgery, hip and knee operations, cataracts, hernia operations".

"They can't afford the level of activity that they're currently delivering in their systems across both the NHS and the independent sector, and therefore are slowing down or stopping activity," he added.

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