HC Deb 30 January 1997 vol 289 cc343-4W
Mr. Battle

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on hospital waiting times in Leeds. [13816]

Mr. Horam

Waiting times for in-patient and day case treatment in Leeds have improved considerably over the last year. Latest published figures show that only 265 patients out of 16,022 were waiting more than a year for treatment at the two main hospitals in Leeds last September compared with 1,164 out of 16,935 in September 1995. As regards first out-patient appointments, Leeds hospitals are working towards achieving the patients charter standards so that everyone is seen within 26 weeks of referral by their general practitioner, with nine out of 10 patients seen within 13 weeks.