"NBT Frenchay Orthopedics Dept lack Management &..."

Dear Andy – I am sorry that your elective surgery was delayed and I appreciate it will have been very stressful and worrying to have to wait before being told that no bed was available to allow your surgery to continue. Regrettably, as you may have seen in recent news reports, emergency services all over the NHS have been under considerable pressure, and the nature of these admissions means that often elective (scheduled surgery) has to be postponed. This is particularly true in acute hospitals. However, before any cancellation is confirmed staff will work very hard to try to avoid deferring any elective procedure by trying to find a bed for patients. This will have explained the length of time you had to wait before finally being told that it was not safe to proceed as planned. I am sorry if this was not properly explained to you at the time and for any extra distress and anxiety this caused. I wish to assure you that all of these factors are taken into account in the planning process, but occasionally despite best the endeavors of the clinical site management team the logistics are simply that demand for beds outstrips capacity and cancellations, always a last resort, have to be made. Where this is the case, cancelled patients are given priority. I sincerely hope that you will have a better experience next time you attend. Kind Regards – Steve Sykes Advice and Complaints Team