Royal College of Surgeons: 'Difficult decisions' to solve ops issues

The Royal College of Surgeons in Wales says it might need to make difficult decisions involving hospitals to solve the problem of cancelled operations in the long term.

Tim Havard, a consultant surgeon in Cardiff and a director of the RCS in Wales, said he is braced for a repeat of last winter's high demand, which was the busiest he had known.

The number of cancelled operations rose to 84,477 in 2015/16, new figures show.

There has also been a jump in patients not turning up or postponing their own surgery at short notice.

Mr Havard told BBC Wales health correspondent Owain Clarke that solving the problem might involve unpopular decisions which would mean only some hospitals dealing with emergency admissions while others concentrate on routine operations.