§ Mr. Gorstasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the additional number of patients awaiting major and minor surgery in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) the Greater London area as a result of the recent industrial action in the National Health Service.
§ Mr. MoyleThe information requested is not yet available. Even when the numbers on hospital waiting lists are known, it will not be possible to say140W with certainty to what extent any increase in the numbers is the result of industrial action or of other factors.
§ Mr. Gorstasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what records his Department keeps of the number of patients awaiting surgery in (a) the United Kingdom as a whole and (b) in the Greater London area; in what manner these records are categorised; and whether they reveal the numbers of patients awaiting major or minor surgery.
§ Mr. MoyleReturns showing the numbers of patients on NHS hospital waiting lists at 31 December of each year are made to my Department by each hospital in England. These returns also show the numbers in each specialty as urgent and non-urgent. Numbers are given for each specialty including the surgical specialties. Returns are also made by each health district showing the numbers of patients on the waiting lists of their hospitals for each specialty at 31 March and at 30 September each year. Similar information is available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
There are no records in my Department of people awaiting admission to hospital which indicate whether major or minor surgery is planned.