A report has highlighted alarming variations in access to emergency bowel surgery that are resulting in patients dying unnecessarily.
The National Emergency Laparotomy Audit features an audit of care across England. It found wide variations in care between hospitals. A significant number of patients were found not to have received the expected standard of care, and only half of patients were seen by a consultant surgeon within the recommended twelve hours.
Deborah Alsina, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, said, “This report highlights an unacceptable variation in access to emergency bowel surgery. Around 25% of people with bowel cancer are diagnosed as an emergency. It is vital that patients have access to high-quality surgery wherever they live in the UK. We urge all hospitals to review their performance and improve services so that we can stop lives being lost unnecessarily.”
To download a copy of the report, visit: www.nela.org.uk
