MORE than 570 operations were cancelled across Scotland in February due to cuts forcing hospitals to stretch their budgets to breaking point.

New figures published by health data provider ISD Scotland show that 571 operations were cancelled for non-clinical and capacity reasons in the month before last, representing 2.1 per cent of all operations.

Holyrood shadow health minister Monica Lennon MSP warned that poor hospitals were becoming a “grim norm” under Scotland’s SNP government.

“Hundreds of cancelled operations because our hospitals can’t cope should be unacceptable,” she said.

“Behind these cancelled operations are worried people, often waiting in pain.

“NHS staff do their best but they are being let down by this SNP government too.”

She called on Health Secretary Jeane Freeman to get on with giving the NHS the right resources to deliver the care people need.

Ms Freeman said: “Our Waiting Times Improvement Plan, backed with more than £850 million of funding, will help to increase capacity and efficiency, in turn helping to reduce the number of cancellations.”