A new study published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia has found that around 10% of planned operations across England's NHS (National Health Service) are cancelled with less than a day's notice, potentially amounting to roughly 300,000 disrupted procedures nationwide each year. Researchers from University College London, NHS England, and the Royal College of Anaesthetists examined surgical data from 91 hospital trusts and found that nearly 40% of cancellations could have been avoided had underlying issues — such as patients needing further tests or emergency admissions displacing scheduled cases — been identified just three to five days earlier. The authors are calling for overhauled clinical pathways, including earlier patient screening and more flexible scheduling, warning that without reform, waiting lists — currently standing at over six million patients — will remain stubbornly high.