FRESH GLORIES OF SOCIALIZED MEDICINE IN BRITAIN

Even lifesaving procedures are sometimes not available in time

A nine-year-old boy has died after an operation to treat his severe epilepsy was cancelled because Britain's top children's hospital had run out of money. Peter Buckle, from Evenwood, in County Durham, had a massive seizure and died last Monday. He had been waiting to undergo surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London.

The brain operation which might have saved his life had been cancelled twice. The first time, on March 15, Great Ormond Street cut back its operation lists after finding that it had treated more children than its budget allowed for. The operation was rescheduled for April 22, but cancelled three days beforehand when a ward was closed after staff contracted a viral infection. It had since been rescheduled for June 10.

Peter's mother, Judith, 42, said: "We will never know if the operation would have saved him - that is the most awful thing about this. I was very bitter, just like any mother would be, but it has been a long road. We are devastated. But that's life, isn't it? We will remember him for all the wonderful memories he has given to us. He was our special little boy."

Great Ormond Street has pioneered the relatively new field of epilepsy surgery for children, which has a good success rate. However, recent investigations by The Sunday Telegraph have highlighted how the dire state of NHS finances can affect patient care. Earlier this year this newspaper revealed that hospitals and primary care trusts have accumulated debts of an estimated £1 billion between them. In March, it was made public that Great Ormond Street was running a £1.7 million deficit. As a result, it cancelled 100 operations and closed up to a fifth of its beds.

A spokesman for the hospital confirmed that the initial cancellation of Peter Buckle's operation could be attributed to the hospital's "financial situation", but said: "We regret cancelling on any patient. The first thing we do is reprioritise [operations] according to clinical need. We offer our deepest sympathies to the family." The hospital declined to comment further until a coroner's investigation had been completed.

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