§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if the number of ENT specialists in Gloucestershire per 1,000 persons differs markedly from other areas of the United Kingdom;
(2) if he keeps statistics which show the number of ENT specialists there are by county in England and Wales.
§ Mr. MoyleStatistics on senior medical staff kept by my Department are by National Health Service employing authority; that is, by area in the case of teaching areas and by region otherwise. Statistics for Gloucestershire are thus not available. In the South-Western Region, which includes Gloucestershire, at 30th September 1976 there were 0.67 consultants in the speciality of ear, nose and throat per 100,000 people. This figure is equal to the average for England and Wales.
§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the present estimated average waiting time for patients seeking non-urgent ENT treatment at hospitals in England and Wales;
(2) what is the average size of waiting list for treatment at ENT sections of hospitals in England and Wales.
§ Mr. MoyleI regret the information is not available in the form requested. The 745W total of all cases reported on ENT waiting lists at 31st March 1977 was, however, 100,057, of which 2,488 had been waiting for urgent treatment for over one month and 25,001 had been waiting for non-urgent treatment for over one year.