§ 13. Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the current hospital waiting list for operations in the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency.
§ Dr. VaughanOn 31 March 1981 there were 2,420 patients awaiting operations.
§ Mr. WintertonDoes my hon. Friend agree that that is a large number of people awaiting operations in the Macclesfield area? Is he aware that Macclesfield is a growing area and that grave concern is felt by the members of the district health council, the medical profession locally and the people of my constituency that the second phase of the district general hospital is now likely to be postponed? Is he aware that completion is vital if the waiting lists in Macclesfield are not to grow even bigger?
§ Dr. VaughanI understand that. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for drawing my attention to the matter of waiting lists again as the position at Macclesfield is not at all satisfactory. While the national waiting list figures have gone down by 111,000 since we took office, at Macclesfield those figures have stayed roughly the same. It is important that the district general hospital should be opened as soon as possible. The first phase is expected to be completed in 1983.