§ Mr. Gordon BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the latest estimate available to him of the cost of the following operations in(a) National Health Service hospitals and (b) private hospitals in England for (i) hysterectomy, (ii) tonsillectomy, (iii) hernia, (iv) hip replacement, (v) heart by-pass and (vi)
390W
§ Mrs. CurrieA study carried out by the Department in 1982 found that the average costs of a hysterectomy and herniotomy in a sample of NHS and private hospitals were approximately as follows (in current prices):
NHS hospitals Private hospitals £ £ Hysterectomy 1,200 1,800 Herniotomy 650 890 The estimates we have for the other operations listed apply to NHS hospitals only and are as follows (in current prices):
Cost per case £ Hip replacement 3,300 based on estimate made in 1984 Heart by pass 3,300 study by Trent Region 1987 All these figures should be treated as broad approximations only. Clinical practices may have changed since the estimates were made. In particular, cost per case treated has been falling over recent years due to a steady fall in the average length of in-patients stay.