More than 100,000 NHS planned operations have not taken place since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The latest statistics from Public Health Scotland reveal operations over August were down by 50.7%, from 28,036 in August last year to 13,831 in 2020.

The figures have prompted a leading doctor to issue a stark warning against a “complete pause” in surgery in the coming months.

Professor Michael Griffin, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, said halting operations again when cases rise would be disastrous and lead to “large numbers of avoidable deaths”.

At the start of the pandemic in March NHS boards were asked to halt all non-urgent procedures as the health service moved to an emergency footing.

This meant just under 60,000 planned operations took place in Scottish hospitals from March to August of this year, compared to 168,000 over the same period in 2019, analysis by the Scottish Liberal Democrats revealed.

While there has been a small increase in the number of procedures being carried out since March, overall levels are still half of what they were in August last year.

Public Health Scotland statistics show wide variations between health boards. In NHS Borders there were 80% fewer operations in August 2020, compared to 32% in Fife. NHS Orkney was operating at 91% of its August 2019 level.

Professor Michael Griffin said: “The profound decrease in the number of operations carried out in August is expected due to the reduction in surgical services as a result of the pandemic.

“Turnaround times between patients are now much longer due to the stringent cleaning measures which must take place, which means the majority of hospitals are operating at a reduced level. 

Professor Griffin, who works as a consultant surgeon at a Newcastle hospital, has previously urged the government to deal with the cancelled surgery backlog by using private hospitals and the NHS Louisa Jordan.

“It is disappointing, however, that given the covid situation was improved during the month of August, it is of real concern that elective surgery may be even further reduced in the coming months due to the rise in covid cases,” he said.

“We cannot tolerate a complete pause in surgical services, as the knock-on consequences would be extremely serious.

“It's absolutely vital that we find a way to continue safely carrying out operations unabated, such as those for cancer, to prevent large numbers of avoidable deaths.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “The operations backlog continues to grow, and that is really tough for the patients already living in pain for months and who are being prevented from getting on in life.

“It shows the need for a robust NHS recovery plan which maximises capacity while also keeping patients and staff safe.”

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