§ Mr. Richard ShepherdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average waiting time for a hip replacement operation in National Health Service hospitals in each regional health area in England and Wales; and which district has the shortest waiting time.
§ Mr. FreemanThe available information for 1985, the latest year for which data are held centrally, is given in the36W table. Sample numbers in the Department's central data base are too small for reliable estimates to be made below regional level. Information for Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Estimated median interval in weeks between the time a patient was placed on a wailing list and admission to an NHS hospital in England for total hip replacement or other arthroplasty of hip operations, by region, 1985 Region of treatment Median waiting time (weeks) Northern 19 Yorkshire 20 Trent 25 East Anglian 21 North West Thames 13 North East Thames 18 South East Thames 23 South West Thames 26 Wessex 28 Oxford 18 South Western 22 West Midlands 24 Mersey 16 North Western 19