§ 20. Mr. Townsendasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the length of hospital waiting lists.
602W
§ Mr. MoyleSince the inception of the NHS there have never been fewer than 400,000 people awaiting admission to hospital. It was originally believed that the initial demand for hospital treatment would reduce as the nation's health improved under the NHS but successive Governments have found that the expected reduction in demand has not occurred.
The length of waiting lists is determined by many factors. The rate at which patients are treated tends to reduce them—and this rate continues to increase; but factors such as the increasing proportion of the elderly in the population, the growing range of available surgical techniques, industrial action, poor waiting list management practices and increasing public expectations tend to increase them. Despite a steady and very considerable increase in hospital activity the number of people on waiting lists has continued to rise. In September 1978, the latest date for which a provisional figure is available, the number was 628,400. I am most concerned about the length of time some people have to wait for treatment and am attempting, by a number of means—including the injections of new money for the NHS announced in April 1978 and January 1979 and the dissemination of good practice—to tackle the problem.
It is not possible to say to what extent current industrial action will affect waiting lists.
§ 34. Sir George Youngasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many patients have been added to the hospital waiting lists as a result of the hospital workers' dispute.
§ 35. Mr. Hodgsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many patients have been added to the hospital waiting lists as a result of the hospital workers' dispute.
§ 38. Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate he has made of the effect of recent industrial action on hospital waiting lists.
§ 41. Mr. Boscawenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many 603W patients have been added to the hospital waiting lists as a result of the hospital workers' dispute.
§ Mr. MoyleI refer the hon. Members to my replies to the hon. Members for Hazel Grove (Mr. Arnold), Devizes (Mr. Morrison), Edinburgh, Pentlands (Mr. Rifkind) and Braintree (Sir B. Braine) on 30 January.—[Vol. 961, c.370–85.] At present, over 20,000 planned admissions to hospitals have been cancelled since the start of the dispute but it is not possible to say from this what the final effect on waiting lists will be.
§ 42. Mr. Eyreasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many patients have been added to the hospital waiting lists as a result of the hospital workers' dispute within the Birmingham area health authority.
§ Mr. MoyleThe number of admissions to hospitals in Birmingham postponed as a result of the current industrial action is estimated to be 2,523 up to 2 March 1979.