§ Mr. Nicholas Edwardsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average waiting time for a hospital 278W bed in the London teaching hospitals; and how this differs from the average waiting time in the rest of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. AlisonEleven weeks. There are no figures for the United Kingdom as a whole; such statistics as are available for non-psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales indicate that the average waiting time is about three weeks longer.
Statistics of average waiting time do not however provide a direct measure of the adequacy or quality of the service provided. They cover a wide range of variation and urgent cases in particular are admitted to all types of hospital without delay.