§ Mr. Rentonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was (a) the number of visits to National Health Service doctors and (b) the number of operations in National Health Service hospitals in 1960, 1970, 1980 and 1982; and, on present trends, what his forecasts are for the comparable figures in 1990 and 2000.
§ Mr. John PattenThe available information on(a) the number of visits to National Health Service doctors (including consultations at general medical practitioners' surgeries and attendances at hospital outpatient clinics) and (b) the number of operations performed in National Health Service hospitals in England and Wales is given in the following table. Trends in the number of visits to doctors and the number of operations are influenced by several factors such as changes in morbidity and demography, medical and technical developments and the resources available to the health service. Past trends, therefore, do not provide a firm basis for forecasting future levels of activity.