A GLITCH in the transfer of information to a government-wide procurement system led to some operations being postponed at the General Hospital.
But the number of elective orthopaedic operations delayed last week was ‘fewer than five’, according to Claire Thompson, Health and Community Services’ director of clinical services.
Ms Thompson was responding to questions raised following reports of further short-notice cancellations affecting orthopaedic patients. She said that the small number of postponements last week were the result of essential equipment in the operating theatre being unavailable.
The affected patients were advised of the postponement when equipment needed for their procedures was not available, a problem which was blamed on the transfer of supply chain information to a new central government ordering system.
‘This error, which was outside the control of the [Health and Community Services] department, has now been corrected. The equipment needed for the procedures has now arrived,’ Ms Thompson said, adding that new dates had been offered to those whose procedures were postponed.
Orthopaedic surgery has been one of the specialisms subject to the most significant delays, with some private patients being offered the opportunity to have their operations performed in Southampton by a Jersey surgeon, following delays caused by bed-blocking at the General Hospital.
According to the latest figures published by Health and Community Services the number of trauma and orthopaedic patients awaiting inpatient admission rose to 587 at the end of December.
