Orthopaedic Surgery (Hansard, 7 March 1994)

§ Dr. Hendron
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were on the waiting lists for orthopaedic surgery for each health board area in each year since 1988; and what is the current figure.

§ Mr. Ancram
The information is not held in the form requested. In-patient treatment in the trauma and orthopaedic surgery specialty is available only in the Eastern and Western board areas. It is not possible to give a breakdown of the total numbers waiting by their board of residence. The total number of people on the waiting lists for treatment in the trauma and orthopaedic specialty in Northern Ireland is as follows:

Ordinary¹ admissions Day cases²

March 1988 4,604 —

March 1989 5,119 36

March 1990 3,603 33

March 1991 3,738 22

March 1992 3,607 30

March 1993 3,127 728

December 1993 3,190 765

Note:

Information relating to waiting times for day cases was not collected centrally until 1 April 1988.

¹ The ordinary admissions totals may include some patients waiting for day case admission, which cannot be separately identified.

² Increase in day case figures between March 1992 and March 1993 was as a result of Musgrave Park Hospital first being able to identify day cases separately.

§ Dr. Hendron
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were on the waiting lists for their first appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon in each year since 1988, in each health board area; and what are the current figures.

§ Mr. Ancram
The information is not held in the form requested. The total number of people on the waiting lists for their first out-patient appointment in the trauma and orthopaedic specialty in Northern Ireland is as follows:

Number

31 March 1993¹ 10,838

31 December 1993 12,545

¹ Information relating to waiting times for first out-patient appointments in the trauma and orthopaedic specialty was not collected centrally until 1992–93.

75W
It is important to view the numbers waiting for their first appointment against the numbers seen for the first time in a 12-month period. A total of 26,699 first appointments were seen in hospitals in the Eastern board area in 1992–93 and 5,307 in hospitals in the Western board area.

	Ordinary¹ admissions	Day cases²
March 1988	4,604	—
March 1989	5,119	36
March 1990	3,603	33
March 1991	3,738	22
March 1992	3,607	30
March 1993	3,127	728
December 1993	3,190	765
Note:
Information relating to waiting times for day cases was not collected centrally until 1 April 1988.
¹ The ordinary admissions totals may include some patients waiting for day case admission, which cannot be separately identified.
² Increase in day case figures between March 1992 and March 1993 was as a result of Musgrave Park Hospital first being able to identify day cases separately.

	Number
31 March 1993¹	10,838
31 December 1993	12,545
¹ Information relating to waiting times for first out-patient appointments in the trauma and orthopaedic specialty was not collected centrally until 1992–93.