SURGEONS aim to resume operations at Gwent's acute hospitals today after several days of cancellations caused by bed shortages.

Patients scheduled for operations today were being admitted yesterday in anticipation of a resumption of surgery.

All but the most urgent routine operations were cancelled at the Royal Gwent, Nevill Hall and Caerphilly District Miners Hospitals early last week, as increasing numbers of emergency medical patients began to take up surgical beds.

At one point, 150 surgical beds across Gwent were taken up by medical patients and with no beds available anywhere in Gwent, health chiefs had no option but to call a halt to surgery.

The decision, however, meant short-notice cancellation for scores of patients.

One, Margaret Graham, from Bishton, Newport, had a hip replacement operation scheduled for last Wednesday called off 24 hours earlier. It was her fourth cancellation in five weeks.

"The doctors and nurses are doing their very best, but there don't appear to be enough beds and nothing much is being done about it," said Mrs Graham, who is aged 60. Her operation involves replacement of a previous hip replacement, fitted 12 years ago.

"It is demoralising to build yourself up, then to be told it has been cancelled. I can hardly support myself, I've had falls and I'm afraid I might have more.

"There are lots arrangements to make too, then they are disrupted. My husband is a self-employed painter and decorator and he's been running down his work because I'm supposed to go in.

"I won't believe I'm having the operation until I'm going under the anaesthetic." Now the beds shortage has eased, with patients occupying beds after emergency surgery now well enough to be discharged.

But Gwent Healthcare Trust chiefs say emergency medical admissions are still high, and there is little leeway in the system.

Assembly Health Minister Jane Hutt faces a quizzing on the situation in Gwent, from the Conservatives' South Wales East AM William Graham. Mr Graham has submitted an urgent question to the Assembly's first plenary session of 2003 today, asking how Ms Hutt proposes to address the crisis.

"Why are we in the position where hospital officials have had to apologise to patients scheduled for routine surgery because it has had to be postponed?" he asked.

"Why have many emergency medical patients had to endure lengthy trolley waits because there have been no spare beds?"