Thousands of children's operations have been cancelled in Milton Keynes over past five years, say councillors

Nearly 5,000 children’s operations have been cancelled in Milton Keynes over the past five years, new figures have shown.

The data was uncovered through Freedom of Information requests and has been described as “shocking” by Liberal Democrat councillors.

It reveals 4,995 children’s operations were cancelled due for reasons including a shortage of staff and beds.

Last year alone,1,284 children’s operations were cancelled - an increase of 73% compared to the year before.

City councillor Jane Carr, Cabinet Member for Public Health, said: “Behind these shocking figures there are families in our city having to wait in pain and distress. Our overstretched local NHS health services are collapsing due to years of neglect by the government and with extreme staff shortages and a lack of hospital beds, now local families are paying the price.”

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.

They are asking that an extra 8,000 GPs be recruited to to deliver 65 million more appointments a year, taking pressure off hospitals and getting patients the urgent attention they need.

And they want the government to introduce a Carers’ Minimum Wage for social care workers to stem the exodus of staff and ensure hospitals can discharge their patients safely and efficiently.