Elective surgery cancellations caused by isolated staff absence, not systemic shortages

The Government of Gibraltar said the recent cancellation of elective surgeries at St Bernard’s Hospital was the result of a one-off staffing issue, not ongoing staff or bed shortages.

The disruption occurred when four members of staff from the Theatre Services Sterile Unit (TSSU) reported sick on the same day last week, leading to the cancellation of several procedures.

According to the Government, this was an unforeseen and temporary incident, and not indicative of wider systemic problems.

The Government was responding after the GSD raised the issue earlier this week and claimed the cancellations were down to staffing shortages and limited bed availability.

But the Government insisted there have been no bed shortages this summer, adding recent strategies have successfully maintained surgical throughput even during times of high hospital occupancy.

“While I fully appreciate how disappointing the recent disruption may have been for the small number of patients affected and apologise for the inconveniences caused to those affected, I want to reassure the public that this was an isolated and highly unusual incident, which, I’m told, arose as a result of four members of staff from the Theatre Services Sterile Unit reporting sick on the same day,” said Gemma Arias Vasquez, the Minister for Health and Care.

“This was not the result of systemic staff shortages. Nor was it due to a lack of beds, which has not been an issue at all this summer.”

“In fact, thanks to the significant investment made by this Government in the TSSU, alongside other reforms, cancellation rates have halved, and elective surgery throughput has remained consistent even during periods of high hospital occupancy.”

“I am very grateful to the teams at the GHA who acted swiftly and professionally to reschedule the affected surgeries and who work round the clock to ensure the GHA is ready to receive any of us when we need it.”

The Government said the GSD had “regrettably” mixed two separate issues, urging it to establish the facts of any situation before “rushing to conclusions based on a conflation of perceived issues”.

“The circumstances surrounding the cancellations involved a specific set of facts which, while they may not align with their usual narrative, deserve to be reported accurately,” No.6 Convent Place said in a statement.

The Government said it continues to work with GHA professionals to further strengthen the resilience of the TSSU team.