HC Deb 12 November 1987 vol 122 cc271-2W
Mr. Wray

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give effective support to the efforts of the health boards to improve the availability of up-dated waiting lists to patients, with fresh provisions of funds aimed specifically at such an objective.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

I regard it as very important that health boards improve the provision to general practitioners and their patients of accurate information

Increases in Local Authority, New town, SSHA Average Annual Rents (£)
Table 1
1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 21986–87
Local Authority 50.12 94.34 68.96 43.53 31.38 56.59 74.96 86.50
Berwickshire 55.58 102.70 109.09 27.80 62.55 52.94 32.63 50.65
Ettrick and Lauderdale 33.63 28.24 193.22 44.25 115.34 -4.03 -0.02 37.93
Roxburgh 54.09 136.80 99.90 53.95 52.88 66.62 86.74 29.47
Tweeddale 91.23 117.57 113.37 42.64 -2.42 3.27 70.28 23.47
Clackmannan 36.90 96.55 111.37 47.78 50.01 23.75 62.28 86.26
Falkirk 70.68 71.47 118.42 63.00 26.40 48.50 48.17 71.24
Stirling 68.60 60.60 48.89 76.16 0.35 117.51 108.00 78.03
Annandale and Eskdale 56.13 113.05 86.09 76.69 63.53 49.26 71.25 58.41
Nithsdale 50.21 120.12 85.98 43.57 46.80 50.94 86.22 46.19
Stewarty 71.19 156.01 121.93 38.13 68.04 6.80 70.63 55.10
Wigtown 65.04 124.83 111.81 67.98 113.62 84.05 47.04 -6.92
Dunfermline 49.13 142.21 112.39 53.53 25.57 -0.13 67.73 68.91
Kirkcaldy 51.29 127.64 79.48 43.71 59.91 51.61 65.13 89.14
North East Fife 103.32 136.55 88.50 76.62 -2.36 59.02 106.54 64.72
Aberdeen 46.11 18.42 51.23 50.06 50.78 120.47 69.80 109.75
Banff and Buchan 16.84 117.55 116.28 67.41 61.04 71.14 61.58 19.78
Gordon 27.05 80.52 101.21 64.43 25.89 89.71 66.30 35.75
Kincardine and Deeside 48.48 113.98 99.88 55.25 66.40 63.11 43.52 24.55
Moray 75.40 50.64 54.89 79.60 66.87 100.94 23.62 105.58
Badenoch and Strathspey 82.46 98.61 74.78 85.79 53.98 48.79 95.94 0.36
Caithness 43.44 96.88 79.08 65.68 108.34 46.63 54.07 64.58
Inverness 35.50 115.70 62.43 38.74 38.42 99.50 42.95 99.63
Lochaber 15.75 181.75 125.82 36.84 47.84 36.58 67.88 90.95
Nairn 19.34 11901 128.28 65.63 47.66 71.97 59.72 67.29

about waiting lists—and particularly waiting times—for hospital procedures. This will offer wider possibilities for exercising choice and reducing patient waiting times. I therefore expect all boards, as part of their quest for improvement in the quality of patient care and for greater efficiency in management, to pursue the objective-of better information flow to GPs and patients. Since action to achieve this is an integral part of a health board's main role, boards should give it appropriate priority when deciding how to spend the total resources allocated to them.