§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish the latest available statistics for the rates of intervention in birth by (a) caesarian section and (b) forceps, suction or other means per 1,000 births by health authority area; and what 707W information he has as to how the British figures compare with those in (i) the United States of America, (ii) other EEC countries and (iii) Sweden; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyInformation for England is given in table 1. The Department does not routinely collect information for other countries but some information collated from several non-Government publications is given in table 2.
TABLE 1. Caesarian and other instrumental deliveries in England, 1983 Estimated rate per 1,000 deliveries Regional Health Authority *Caesarian Other instrumental Northern 91 92 Yorkshire 96 101 Trent 100 143 East Anglian 110 103 North West Thames 113 146 North East Thames 102 104 South East Thames 94 121 South West Thames 113 124 Wessex 96 121 Oxford 93 117 South Western 105 130 West Midlands 86 93 Mersey 115 124 North Western 107 94 England—all health authorities 101 115 * Elective caesarian and unspecified caesarian.
TABLE 2 Caesarian and other instrumental deliveries in other countries Rate per 1,000 deliveries Country Year Caesarian *Forceps and vacuum USA 1983 †203 n/a France 1981 109 121 Sweden 1981 123 71 Denmark 1979 103 93
Number of cases on in-patient waiting list for admission to NHS hospitals at 30 September 1985 (provisional) Surgical acute Medical acute Geriatric Others Total Dudley district health authority 4,675 14 20 Nil 4,709 Sandwell district health authority 1,195 64 15 Nil 1,274