Thousands of children have had their operations cancelled or delayed

New research by the Liberal Democrats using FOI (freedom of information) has shown that about 15,000 operations on children were cancelled during 2022, some children having waited several years. The number is up over 20% on the previous year. The figure may be higher as not all hospitals, including our own UHBD seem to have returned the replies in time. Behind these shocking figures are countless children and parents in our community having to wait in pain and distress.

Quoted in the Guardian Dr Camilla Kingdon, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said the mounting treatment backlog in England risked "serious" and "devastating" physical and mental consequences for children and their families.

The Liberal Democrats are urging the government to come up with a rescue plan to bring health services back from the brink. This would include bringing in a proper plan to tackle workforce shortages in the NHS, investing in newer equipment and increasing bed capacity at local hospitals.

The local elections in May are a chance to send this out of touch Government a message that people are fed up being taken for granted, and want to see more investment in fixing our local health services.