HC Deb 14 January 2004 vol 416 cc796-7W
Dr. Richard Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cardiologists in the West Midlands specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of complex disorders of heart rhythm requiring ablation of parts of the conducting system; and how long the waiting list is for this treatment. [147679]

Dr. Ladyman

The table shows the number of cardiologists working within each of the West Midlands strategic health authority areas as of June 2003.

Strategic health authority Number of cardiologists
Birmingham and the Black Country 38
West Midlands South 15
Shropshire and Staffordshire 15

Source:

Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census.

The Department does not hold information centrally on the particular specialism of each clinician. Waiting times for this procedure are not collected separately from other cardiological procedures, but the maximum waiting time for all in-patient procedures is currently 12 months and will be nine months by the end of March 2005.