§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he is satisfied with the facilities available for cardiac patients in Merseyside; and what steps he is taking to improve them;
(2) whether 20 patients have died on Merseyside in the last 18 months because of a backlog of urgent cases awaiting heart surgery; and what action he proposes to take to ensure that no more patients die while on a waiting list.
§ Mr. MoyleAs I said in reply to another of my hon. Friend's Questions today, I have asked the Mersey regional health authority for an urgent report, and I shall write to him when this has been received.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many (a) men, (b) women and (c) children have been waiting for open heart surgery and investigatory operations, on Merseyside for more than two years. 18 months to two years, one year to 18 months, and up to a year, respectively;
612Wto October 1964, (c) October 1964 to June 1970, (d) June 1970 to February 1974 and (e) February 1974 to the latest available date.
§ Mr. Denzil Davies,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th July 1978; Vol. 953, c. 404–5], gave the following information:
Monthly data permitting comparisons for all the periods listed in the Question are not available. Such comparisons as can be made from published index of industrial production data are shown below.
(2) how many (a) men, (b) women and (c) children are awaiting open heart surgery and investigatory operations on Merseyside; and what is the average length of time on the waiting lists.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what procedures he has for notifying regional health authorities of vacancies in other areas for operations for heart patients; and if he has instituted a central clearing scheme.
§ Mr. MoyleCardiac surgery is a regional specialty and I would normally expect each regional health authority to provide such facilities to meet the demand within the region, although the postgraduate hospitals and other cardiac surgery centres in London have traditionally attracted certain patients from all parts of the country and will continue to do so. It is not proposed, therefore, to institute a central clearing scheme for such patients, but general practitioners or consultants may refer patients to hospitals in other regions if they consider it to be appropriate.
613W
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many heart patients from Merseyside have been transferred to other regions for operations in 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1978; and which region pays for the treatment.
§ Mr. Moyleinformation in this form is not readily available, but there have been only occasional transfers of patients to other regions, except in the last three weeks when 13 patients have been referred to hospitals in London. The cost of treatment is borne in the region where it is carried out; however, movements of patients between regions are taken into account when revenue allocations to regional health authorities are considered.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when a third operating theatre will be available for heart patients on Merseyside.
§ Mr. MoyleAn additional emergency theatre has been available at Broadgreen hospital since April this year.
Mr. Kiiroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people are on the waiting lists and what is the length of wait for (a) men, (b) women and (c) children awaiting investigatory operations and open heart surgery in each of the 14 regional health areas.
§ Mr. MoyleThis information is not available centrally. It is being collected from regional health authorities, and I shall publish it in theOfficial Report as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Loydenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will investigate the complaint that patients are waiting for more than 12 months for catheter heart investigation in the Liverpool area health authority;
(2) if he remains satisfied with the facilities for open heart surgery within the Liverpool area health authority.
§ Mr. Moyle,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 6th July 1978; Vol. 953. c. 256–7], gave the following information:
I have asked the Mersey regional health authority for an urgent report in the light of comments attributed in the press to consultants in the region, and 614W will write to my hon. Friend when this has been received.
§ Mr. Loydenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider making funds available to the Liverpool area health authority to provide a cardiac surgery unit.
§ Mr. Moyle,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 6th July 1978: Vol. 953, c. 256–7], gave the following information:
No. The planning and provision of health care facilities are matters for health authorities to determine locally in the light of local and national needs and priorities and within the resources available.