§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what advice he received from the Consultancy Advisory Committee about the appointment of consultants; and if he will order an investigation into the extent to which the shortage of consultants is delaying operations, thus causing permanent hearing damage to children.
(2) if he will estimate how many children have suffered permanent hearing damage resulting from a delay in performing operations.
§ Mr. CrossmanI assume my hon. Friend is referring to consultants posts in otolaryngology. Of five proposals for new whole-time posts made by hospital authorities in the past two years, three have been approved on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Consultant Establishments and one rejected. One recent proposal is under consideration. A sixth application was referred back to the hospital authority because the committee doubted whether a satisfactory appointment could be made on the part-time basis proposed. The number of authorised20W senior registrar posts, for training consultants in this specialty, has recently been increased by seven.
I am advised that a direct connection between the length of the waiting period for tonsillectomy and the incidence of deafness in children has not been demonstrated.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total number of children awaiting ear, nose and throat operations; and what proportion have been waiting over a year.
§ Mr. CrossmanOn 31st December 1967, the last date for which figures are available, 77,276 people were waiting for tonsil and adenoid operations of which it may be assumed the majority were children. Figures for waiting times are not available.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services in which regions there is a delay of over a year in operating on children requiring ear, nose and throat operations.
§ Mr. CrossmanThis information is not available.