§ Mr. Georgeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the waiting period (a) to visit a specialist and (b) to have an operation of non-clinical necessity in Walsall hospitals; if she will give the waiting periods for each of the medical specialists; and how these figures compare with the rest of the West Mid lands Region.
§ Dr. OwenFollowing are the figures at 30th September 1975:
Speciality and wailing time in weeks General surgery 14–59 varies between consultants Medicine 5–37 varies between consultants Orthopaedic 7–47 varies between consultants Ophthalmology 28–48 varies between consultants Gynaecology 13–30 varies between consultants Ear, Nose and Throat 55–69 varies between consultants Chest diseases 4–6 varies between consultants Dental surgery 8–15 varies between consultants Ante-natal 3–5 varies between consultants Paediatrics 6–7 varies between consultants Dermatology 13 Orthodontics 30 Child Psychology 7 At 30th September patients needing in-patient treatment for general medical conditions were being admitted without delay; the waiting time for surgical admissions varied between 18 to 30 months, according to the kind of operation required. Information from which to make comparisons with the rest of the West Midlands Region is not readily available It is too early to gauge what effect the present industrial action by junior hospital doctors and consultants will have on waiting times in Walsall.
§ Mr. Georgeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many patients in the Walsall area have had operations of non-clinical necessity postponed as a result of industrial action by consultants and junior doctors; and if she will show the figures for each month since June 1974;
(2) how many patients in the Walsall area have had appointments to see specialists postponed as a result of the industrial 727W action by consultants and junior doctors; and if she will show the figure for each month since June 1974.
§ Dr. OwenNo out-patient appointments or non-urgent operations were postponed in the Walsall area due to industrial action by junior hospital doctors or consultants before mid-October 1975. In the seven weeks since then about 1,000 non-urgent out-patient appointments and between 500 and 600 non-urgent operations have been postponed.
ENGLAND AND WALES 1960 1973 1974 Persons Employed in the NHS (Note 1) … 453,796 648,348 660,884 General Medical Practitioners, General Dental Practitioners, Ophthalmic Medical Practitioners, Ophthalmic Opticians, Dispensing Opticians (Note 2) … 40,746 40,997 41,214 Total … 494,542 689,345 702,098 Notes
- 1. All figures are whole-time equivalents. In order to provide comparable figures, Community Health Service and School Health Staff are excluded.
- 2. Figures relate to number of persons providing services to the NHS under contract.
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the latest estimate of (a) medical and (b) non-medical staff employed by the National Health Service in England and Wales;
ENGLAND AND WALES 1973 1974 Medical Staff Employed In The NHS (Note 1) N … 26,933 27,831 General Medical Practitioners, General Dental Practitioners, Ophthalmic Medical Practitioners (Note 2) … 34,976 35,274 Non-Medical Staff Employed In The Nhs (Note 3) … 621,415 633,053 Ophthalmic Opticians, Dispensing Opticians (Note 2) … 6,021 5,940 Total … 689,345 702,098 Notes
- 1. Medical staff includes all hospital medical and dental staff including those holding honorary appointments. All figures are whole-time equivalents.
- 2. Figures relate to numbers of persons providing services to the NHS under contract.
- 3. Non-medical staff includes nurses, midwives, professional and technical staff (such as technicians, para-medical staff etc.), ancillary staff (domestics, porters, laundry staff etc.) and administrative and clerical staff. Approximately 81 per cent. of these staff provide services directly related to the care of NHS patients. All figures are whole-time equivalents.