Cancelled operations and procedures

Request data on elective operations cancelled by the hospital and reasons.

When a hospital cancels a planned operation, the patient has to wait longer and may need to rearrange work or care. These figures show how often cancellations happen and why.

Dear [AUTHORITY NAME], Please provide the following information for [FINANCIAL YEAR e.g. 2024-25]: 1. The total number of elective operations or procedures cancelled by the hospital (not by the patient). 2. A breakdown of cancellations by reason (e.g. no bed available, staff shortage, equipment issue, emergency case took priority). 3. The number of cancelled operations that were rescheduled within 28 days. I would prefer to receive this as a spreadsheet or CSV if possible. Yours faithfully, [YOUR NAME]
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Who to send it to#

Your local NHS board. Find the right board on the Commissioner’s directory of Scottish public authorities. You can also send your request through WhatDoTheyKnow, which publishes responses online.

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Tips#

  • This request asks only about cancellations made by the hospital, not those initiated by the patient. Make this clear to avoid any confusion.
  • If you want data for a specific specialty (e.g. orthopaedics), name it in the request to narrow the scope.
  • Public Health Scotland publishes some cancellation data at national level. Check what is already available before submitting your request.