§ 49. Mr. Nigel Fisherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services by how many days, and why, there are variations in the length of stay in different hospitals for the same routine operations for tonsils, appendicitis, haemorrhoids, hernia, peptic ulcer, varicose veins and slipped disc, respectively.
§ Mr. AlisonThis information is not available centrally. Length of stay of the individual patient is a matter for clinical judgment but hospitals have been advised to study variations in average length of stay for similar conditions as one of the ways to improve the effective use of resources.