§ Mr. Grocottasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average number of patients seen per week by a hospital consultant working full time for the National Health Service.
§ Mr. MoyleI regret that this information is not available centrally. It is doubtful whether any such average figure would be significant since consultants in some specialities—for example, pathologists—see patients relatively infrequently. The number of patients seen by other consultants varies widely with the nature of the speciality and the clinical condition of the patients: the acutely ill may be seen several times a week.