More than 600 operations were cancelled at the last minute by Dorset County Hospital (DCH) in 2022, new figures show.

More operations were cancelled in the quarter between October and December than in any of the previous five quarters.

Figures from NHS England show that 225 patients had their operations cancelled at DCH between October and December 2022, up from 130 in the previous three months.

A total of 673 operations at DCH were cancelled on the day the patient arrived at hospital, after they arrived, or on the day of the operation in 2022.

Anita Thomas, the hospital's Chief Operating Officer, said: "We never take the decision to cancel a patient’s operation lightly as we recognise the upset and disruption it causes, to both the patient and their loved ones.

"Late cancellations of planned operations occur when we have a higher-than-expected number of emergency cases in the hospital – this means we don’t have the capacity to safely carry out planned surgery.

"Cancellations are always based on clinical priority and are re-booked as a matter of priority.

“The winter of 2022/23 was impacted by high flu cases and fluctuating COVID waves.

"To contain the spread of these winter bugs, wards had to be closed periodically, which in turn, reduced our bed capacity to put patients in post-operatively.

"We are working collaboratively on how we can reduce these delays and the admission numbers in preparation for winter 2023/24."

Tim Mitchell, vice-president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: "No surgeon wants to be in the position of telling a patient their surgery has to be cancelled but the very high demand we have seen in emergency departments since the summer, and problems discharging patients who are ready to leave hospital when there is a lack of social care, mean this is too often what has to happen.

"Gaps in the workforce also play a huge part. Often there will be a surgeon available to operate, but no theatre nurses or anaesthetists."

Earlier this month, NHS England announced 37 new surgical hubs, 10 expanded existing hubs and 81 new theatres dedicated to elective care.

On the new hubs being created, Mr Mitchell added: "We would like to see surgical hubs established in every area of the country with a particular focus on underserved areas and struggling to bring down waiting times."