15,000 CHILDREN'S OPS AXED IN A YEAR

Young suffer under Tory 'shame'

- BEN GLAZE

NEARLY 15,000 children's operations were scrapped last year with one youngster waiting more than three years for surgery.

A Lib Dem analysis of shocking Freedom of Information data found 14,628 ops were axed in 2022 - up 23% from the previous year and the highest level in the past five years.

The party said it highlighted the crisis gripping the NHS, with 7.2 million patients stranded on waiting lists and an estimated 133,000 staff vacancies.

Of the children's cancelled surgeries, almost 4,000 were due to a lack of beds, 2,894 were blamed on a lack of staff, 446 were down to equipment issues and 1,100 were due to a lack of theatre time or because lists were overbooked.