Dear Sir or Madam,

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 I seek the following information on elective operations:

1. The number of elective operations scheduled. I would like this information for January 2019 to November 2020, broken down by month i.e. the total number of elective operations that were scheduled for January 2019, February 2019 etc.

2. The number of elective operations performed. I would like this information for January 2019 to November 2020, broken down by month.

3. The number of elective operations cancelled at the “last minute”, as defined by the NHS when providing data on cancelled elective operations. I would like this information for January 2019 to November 2020, broken down by month.

The NHS defines “last minute” as “on the day the patient was due to arrive, after the patient has arrived in hospital or on the day of the operation or surgery”. See files available at: http://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/can...

4. The number of breaches of the standard, as defined by the NHS when providing data on cancelled elective operations. I would like this information for January 2019 to November 2020, broken down by month.

The NHS defines “breaches of the standard” as the “number of patients not treated within 28 days of the last minute cancellation” of an elective operation. See files available at: http://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/can...

5. The total number of elective operations cancelled, regardless of how long cancellations were made before scheduled operation times, if this information is also collected. I would like this information for January 2019 to November 2020, broken down by month i.e. the total number of elective operations cancelled in January 2019, February 2019 etc.

I would prefer to receive this information electronically, preferably as a data set, eg. in Excel, NOT as a PDF.

If the decision is made to withhold some of this data using exemptions in the FOI Act or otherwise, please inform me of that fact and cite the exemptions used.

If some parts of this request are easier to answer than others, I would ask that you release the available data as soon as possible.

If you need any clarification then please do not hesitate to contact me. Under Section 16 it is your duty to provide advice and assistance and so I would expect you to contact me if you find this request unmanageable in any way.

I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request, and I look forward to hearing from you within the 20-working day statutory time period.

Yours faithfully,
Oliver Telling

Dear Sir or Madam,

Many thanks for your response to my request.

This is to confirm that I would still like to proceed with my request, and I look forward to receiving your response within the statutory timescale of 20 working days after the original date of receipt, or as soon as you are able to provide a response.

If you could also confirm that this message has been received and you are working on a response to my request, that would be much appreciated.