‘Unacceptable’- Bolton patients face cancelled surgeries amid NHS budget squeeze

In December, The Bolton News was contacted by a distressed pensioner who had been waiting for more than a year for a hip replacement, as an NHS patient, at The Beaumont Hospital.

The operation was subsequently cancelled, with the patient told that “the funding for some NHS patients has been paused until April 2026”.

The NHS funding cycle operates on the UK government’s financial year, which runs annually from April 1 to March 31.

Feeling “distressed and in debilitating pain”, the resident asked The Bolton News to investigate the situation further.

Information provided by NHS Greater Manchester shows that NHS England has recently changed its funding and contract rules for elective care to a fixed allocation model.

The change was introduced to “ensure resources are used efficiently and fairly while managing growing demand and waiting lists”.

Previously, additional funding was available to support activity above agreed plans.

Under the new system, any activity beyond agreed levels must be managed locally by integrated care boards.

This means NHS Greater Manchester can “only operate within an allocated budget for elective care”.

NHS Greater Manchester said this has resulted in “some treatments” in independent hospitals across Greater Manchester being temporarily paused to “ensure activity stays within the available resources”.

Since publishing its initial article on the funding pause, The Bolton News received further accounts from upset residents whose operations at The Beaumont Hospital had also been cancelled.

Despite NHS Greater Manchester stating that it “carefully manages elective care to prioritise patients with the greatest clinical need and those who have been waiting longest”, many of those who came forward said they had already been waiting for more than a year.

Heaton, Lostock and Chew Moor councillor Andy Morgan is a member of Bolton’s Health & Adults Scrutiny Committee, as well as Bolton’s Locality Board, the central partnership responsible for planning and delivering health and care services for the town.

He told The Bolton News: “The accounts shared by Bolton residents regarding cancelled surgeries at independent hospitals are distressing and highlight a worrying gap in care continuity.

“While I recognise the immense financial pressures currently facing the NHS in Greater Manchester, the human cost of ‘pausing’ treatment for our most vulnerable residents is too high and unacceptable.

“Our priority must be ensuring that clinical need, rather than postcode or funding streams, dictates when a patient receives life changing surgery or interventions.

“While the government is quick to promote its target of treating 92 per cent of patients within 18 weeks of referral, it means nothing to those Bolton patients currently being told their long-awaited surgeries are ‘paused’ due to funding gaps with no indication of when they will be rescheduled.”

A spokesperson for NHS Greater Manchester told The Bolton News: “We are sorry to hear about the difficulties experienced by patients while waiting for planned surgery.

“While we cannot comment on individual cases, NHS Greater Manchester carefully manages elective care to prioritise patients with the greatest clinical need and those who have been waiting longest.

“Recent changes to national funding mean some treatments in independent hospitals are temporarily paused for some patients while we focus resources where they are most needed.

“We are working closely with all providers to manage waiting lists safely and reduce delays wherever possible, and we remain committed to supporting patients and families.

“We also encourage patients and families to share any feedback or concerns with NHS services.”

A spokesperson for The Beaumont Hospital said: “We fully recognise the distress and uncertainty this temporary pause has caused for some NHS-funded patients.

“Patient safety is our number one priority, and all affected patients have been contacted directly, remaining under clinical oversight, and will continue to be monitored until their appointment or treatment is rebooked.

“We are working closely and constructively with Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board to ensure that patients with the greatest clinical need are prioritised and that access to care is restored quickly.”

Have you been affected by NHS surgery delays in Bolton? Share your story with grace.williams@newsquest.co.uk.

 

Source – INDIA TV