From Cancelled planned operations Month ending 30 November 2025, published today:

There were 25,996 operations planned to take place across NHS Scotland. This is 5% higher (+1,232) than the number planned in November 2024 (24,764). Overall, the number of planned operations has been increasing since COVID-19 affected services. Of all planned operations during November 2025 in NHS Scotland, the cancellation reasons were; 798 (3.1%) by the hospital for clinical reasons, 814 (3.1%) by the patient, 504 (1.9%) by the hospital due to capacity or non-clinical reasons, and 69 (0.3%) for other reasons.

https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancelled-planned-operations/cancelled-planned-operations-month-ending-30-november-2025/

Only the 1.9% cancelled by the hospital due to capacity or non-clinical reasons can be counted as a performance indicator. Had all the patients and all their medics wanted to proceed with the operations on time, NHS Scotland was ready to do 98.1% of them. That’s a phenomenal performance by an institution of such size and complexity – 160 000 staff, £21bn budget, 14 health boards, nearly 200 hospitals, 300 000 patients.

The sickness rate amongst nurses alone is more than 5% yet only 1.9% of operations had to be cancelled.

NHS England?

All things being equal, the rate there should be around 8 140 per quarter but in the same quarter it was 20 189, more than twice the level;.

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