Consultant General Surgeon Mr Toby Beaverlake has released his quarterly summary, which the Trust describes as 'forthcoming, and broadly compatible with the records'.

Of the 412 procedures booked between January and March, 401 took place, 387 took place as planned, and 'approximately a dozen' required what Mr Beaverlake called 'a small further procedure, generally completed on the same patient, on the same day, for a very modest additional fee'.

Patient satisfaction stands at 71%, down two points from the previous quarter. Mr Beaverlake attributes this to 'a noisy minority' and 'one persistent complainant who really ought to have been seen by Mr Adler in Ear, Nose and Throat'.

Mr Beaverlake will be presenting at the Annual Provincial Surgical Symposium in October. His title: 'Yes — and Sometimes No — and Occasionally a Bit of Both: Reflections on Forty Years of Honest Mistakes'.

Patients with concerns are encouraged to write to the Hospital Trust, who will, in due course, reply.