monitoring the lists?

who monitors your lists and says when cases have to be cancelled?. When I worked in the States at about 4pm an RN who stayed at reception all day would go to each room and find out where the list was at, how many cases were left and how the staffing levels were after 17.00. If she felt the list would over run she said so and that was that. As a result we never had to stay over, got home on time and there was no friction between surgeons and nurses, her work was law!. Now in my present hospital in the UK, no one monitors the lists, we constantly stay late and when we protest are told by at least one surgeon that "The patient HAS to be done or (a), he'll die, (b), we'll be reported for refusing to work, © all of the above and more. This is between the shouting, threats and carry on. I am so frustrated with this. At what point can we refuse to stay?. Why have a roster when our lives are put on hold whenever these people decide they want to do a case?. What exactly are nurses in the 21st century when we can be treated like this. :( :(