§ Mr. Farrasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is currently the average length of time a patient had to wait for an orthopaedic operation in the National Health Service in the Leicester area, and if he will list in the Official Report the comparative waiting time for
554Win his reply on 14th July 1978 to my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry, South-West (Mrs. Wise).—[Vol. 953, c. 730–31.]
The following table gives a breakdown by family type and number of dependent children of those receiving family income supplement at the end of April 1978. Information on the marital status of beneficiaries is not available.
such operations in other area health authorities.
§ Mr. MoyleA meaningful figure for average waiting time cannot be given. The table below gives numbers of patients at 31st March 1978 awaiting orthopaedic operations in Leicestershire by length of waiting time:
Waiting Time (months) Numbers Waiting Per cent of Total 0–3 305 20.2 3–6 218 14.4 6–12 254 16.8 12–24 320 21.2 24–48 204 13.5 48 or more 210 13.9 Total 1,511 100.0 Comparative information for other areas is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate time and cost.