13k operations cancelled due to staffing and bed shortages

More than 13,000 scheduled operations were cancelled by hospitals during the first eight months of this year for reasons including staffing issues and bed shortages, the HSE has confirmed.

A total of 8,070 day-case surgeries and 4,972 inpatient procedures were cancelled by public hospitals between January and September 2014.

An average of 58 day-case procedures were cancelled every week at Cork University Hospital (CUH) during this time, according to figures released by the HSE.