§ 12. Mr. ShersbyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the change in the last year in the number of patients waiting over two years for hospital treatment.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyI am today publishing provisional waiting time figures for the year to 31 March 1992. They are available in the Library. I have arranged
| Provisional1 waiting time figures year ending 31 March 1992 | ||||||||
| In–Patients and day cases combined | ||||||||
| March 1992—and percentage change since March 1991 | ||||||||
| Region | Under 1 year: | 1 to 2 years: | Over 2 years: | Total | ||||
| Number | Per cent. Change | Number | Per cent. Change | Number | Per cent. Change | Number | Per cent. Change | |
| Northern | 53,292 | 12.5 | 3,992 | -15.2 | 1 | -99.9 | 57,285 | 7.0 |
| Yorkshire | 63,196 | 5.1 | 6,422 | -23.9 | 16 | -99.5 | 69,634 | -2.9 |
| Trent | 76,229 | 9.8 | 9,281 | 0.4 | 4 | -99.7 | 85,514 | 6.9 |
| East Anglian | 36,326 | -0.7 | 4,688 | -29.8 | 41 | -98.8 | 41,055 | -12.2 |
| North West Thames | 46,565 | -2.7 | 9,160 | -11.6 | 2 | -100.0 | 55,727 | - 12.1 |
| North East Thames | 68,723 | 6.1 | 8,687 | -29.0 | 748 | -88.7 | 78,158 | -6.6 |
| South East Thames | 68,005 | 8.7 | 8,170 | -23.5 | 96 | -98.5 | 76,271 | -4.4 |
| South West Thames | 44,038 | 6.6 | 2,323 | -66.5 | 0 | -100.0 | 46,361 | - 7.8 |
| Wessex | 52,299 | 6.4 | 4,076 | -39.3 | 0 | -100.0 | 56,375 | - 4.5 |
| Oxford | 40,353 | 6.9 | 5,848 | -15.1 | 0 | -100.0 | 46,201 | - 2.9 |
| South Western | 62,916 | 7.0 | 2,766 | -72.7 | 10 | -99.8 | 65,692 | -10.4 |
| West Midlands | 84,392 | 5.4 | 5,452 | -53.8 | 158 | -97.2 | 90,002 | - 7.8 |
| Mersey | 49,653 | 14.2 | 428 | -85.0 | 0 | N/A | 50,081 | 8.1 |
| North Western | 77,020 | 10.9 | 6,772 | -30.5 | 3 | -99.9 | 83,795 | 0.3 |
| All Regions | 823,007 | 7.1 | 78,065 | -33-5 | 1,079 | -97,9 | 902,151 | - 3.7 |
§ for the figures to be printed in the Official Report. In the past year the number of patients waiting over two years for hospital treatment fell 97 per cent. That is a remarkable achievement of which the NHS can rightly be proud.
§ Mr. ShersbyIs my right hon. Friend aware that the whole House will have been pleased to hear those figures? Will she tell the House what progress has been made in reducing the waiting lists in my district health authority of Hillingdon?
§ Mrs. BottomleyI can give my hon. Friend that information. In his health authority, remarkable progress has been made. There are no two-year waiters. The total list has come down by 27 per cent. per year. The list for one to two-year waiters has gone down by 18 per cent. and the list for under one-year waiters has gone down by 9 per cent. My hon. Friend has a district health authority in a region which has done similarly well. In the past year it has dealt with more than 5,200 of the over two-year waiters and reduced the one to two-year waiters and the under one-year waiters. That is a practical demonstration of our commitment to a better health service which meets patients' needs.
§ Miss LestorMay I remind the Secretary of State that my constituent, Laura Davies—to whom the hon. Member for Rochdale (Ms. Lynne) has already referred, without consultation with me—does not have two years or two months to wait for funding for her operation in America? I have written two letters to the right hon. Lady in the past two weeks asking what financial help is forthcoming in addition to the efforts being made in my constituency and around to raise money. Will the right hon. Lady tell me why she has not replied?
§ Mrs. BottomleyThe hon. Lady will shortly receive a reply from me. I am having discussions with the regional health authority chairman and the chief medical officer. I regret the way in which individual cases become the subject of discussion in this place, because it is an intrusion on the personal difficulties and sadness of the families involved. I am well aware of the detail of the case, the complexity of the treatment that the patient needs and the treatment that she has already had in this country. I am having discussions to see what more can be done to assist her.
§ Following is the information:
491| March 1992—and percentage change since March 1991 | ||||||||
| Region | Under 1 year: | 1 to 2 years: | Over 2 years: | Total | ||||
| Number | Per cent. Change | Number | Per cent. Change | Number | Per cent. Change | Number | Per cent. Change | |
| SHAs | 11,504 | 15.7 | 1,431 | 0.0 | 521 | -35.0 | 13,456 | 10.6 |
| Total | 834,511 | 72 | 79,496 | -33.1 | 1,600 | -;96.9 | 915,607 | -3.5 |
| 1 Based on provisional figures obtained from regions. |