§ Mr. David Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the national average waiting list time for admission to hospital for gynaecological consultancy in the national health hospital service; how long the current delay is at the Basingstoke District General Hospital; and what are the corresponding figures for 12 months ago.
§ Dr. OwenA meaningful figure for the national average waiting time cannot be given, as the length of time a patient may have to wait for admission to hospital depends upon the degree of urgency for treatment and the length of the appropriate waiting list. At Basingstoke District General Hospital at the present time non-urgent cases may wait up to 19 months: the corresponding figure for mid-1974 was 11 months.