§ Mr. DarlingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average waiting time for a hip replacement operation using private beds in National Health Service hospitals in each health board area.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 8 March 1988]: The information requested is given in the table. Figures are for 1985 (which is the latest year for which information is available) and for the four health board areas in which hip replacements are carried out on private patients in National Health Service hospitals.
Private patients Health board Number of cases Mean wait (in days) Borders 1 12 Forth Valley 1 27 Lothian 10 56 Tayside 3 88 Scotland 15 57