§ Mr. Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the duration of delay currently experienced in awaiting hospital attention in the Cheshire Area Health Authority of the Mersey Regional Health Authority; and how this compares with the national average.
§ Dr. OwenWaiting times for admission vary according to the circumstance of each case and urgent cases are admitted without delay, so that averages are misleading. However, at 30th September 1974 of the 7,555 non-urgent cases awaiting admission to Cheshire hospitals 67 per cent. had been waiting less than six months, 18 per cent. between six and 12 months, 11 per cent. between 12 and 24 months and 4 per cent. over 24 months. For out-patient clinics the waiting time varies from one to 24 weeks. Corresponding figures are not available nationally, but in 1972 the average wait experienced by non-urgent patients admitted to hospitals in England and Wales was 13.4 weeks.