§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people are waiting for (a) cataract operations, (b) ear operations to remedy a hearing defect and (c) general orthopaedic surgery; what is the average delay for each operation; and what measures are being taken to reduce waiting lists.
§ Mr. WhitneyFor measures to be taken to reduce waiting lists I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Social Services, to my hon. Friend the Member for Stockport on 21 July at column95. I am sorry I cannot give the hon. Member all the information he seeks. Information on waiting lists for admission to hospital is available by the specialty of treatment and not by operation, and it is not therefore possible to give waiting list information for cataract and ear operations. The total number of cases on NHS waiting lists for admission to traumatic and orthopaedic surgery departments in England at 30 September 1985, the latest date for which figures are available centrally, was 129,282. The available information on waiting time is given in the table.
NHS non-psychiatric hospitals, England Estimated median interval in weeks between the date a patient is placed on the waiting list and the date of admission of patients discharged during 1984 Operation Weeks Middle ear and ossicles 15 Eye lens 15 Orthopaedic 12