§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Department of Health and Social Security is unable to provide up-to-date statistics for operations performed in National Health Service hospitals when such records are now computerised.
§ Lord SkelmersdaleMost hospital records are now computerised to provide immediate access to information in the form in which it is needed locally. The coding of data for statistical purposes does however take additional time. A new system of coding operations was introduced on 1st April 1988 because the previous system did not take account of recent advances in surgical techniques. The compilation of statistics has been delayed by teething problems with this major change and with new computer systems.