Surgery mortality 'peaks on a Friday'

People who have surgery towards the end of the week are more likely to die than those who have procedures earlier on, researchers say.

A British Medical Journal report into non-emergency operations in England, suggests the overall risk of death from such planned procedures remains low.

But it shows "unacceptable" variation in survival rates through the week, a leading body of UK surgeons says.

The government says it is committed to safe care for patients at all times.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast's Susanna Reid and Bill Turnbull, Dr Paul Aylin from Imperial College London, who carried out the research, pointed out that the death rate is still very low, at "a fraction of a per cent".

He said that researchers cannot be certain of the reasons behind the figures, but suggested that it could be related to levels of aftercare at the weekends.