ALMOST 200 Oxfordshire patients have had their operations cancelled at the last minute in the past three months.

New figures released by the Department of Health show 195 operations at the John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals in Oxford, and the Horton, Banbury, were cancelled between April and June – 0.93 per cent of the total, compared to a national target of 0.8.

Last night the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust said the figures were an improvement on the previous quarter, when 1.23 per cent of operations had to be cancelled at the last minute, and it was working hard to reach the national target. A spokesman said: “We know it can be very distressing for patients and their families when any operation is cancelled and we are working to make improvements. We always prioritise emergency patients and it tends to be the more routine cases that are cancelled at the last minute.”