§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Lichfield and Tamworth on 14 April, Official Report, Volume 88, column 95, stating that 82.8 per cent. of urgent cases awaiting hospital orthopaedic treatment in England were cases waiting more than one month, why statistics are not available centrally of the number of urgent cases awaiting treatment which have been waiting more than one year;
(2) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Lichfield and Tamworth on 14 April, Official Report, Volume 88, column 95, stating that on 31 March 1980 there were 126,917 patients in England and Wales waiting for admission to hospital for orthopaedic surgery, if he will indicate how many of these patients have been waiting for more than one year.
§ Dr. VaughanThe Department's guidance is that health authorities should aim to admit within one month all patients on hospital in-patient waiting lists whose admission is described as "urgent" and to admit within one year all other waiting list patients. The statistical return from which the figures quoted are derived was designed to assess how far these specific objectives were being achieved; in order to limit the volume of statistics which authorities have to produce, only the information necessary for this purpose is collected.
For this reason, I am unable to provide the precise information requested. The full breakdown of the total of 126,917 patients awaiting admission in the specialty of traumatic and orthopaedic surgery on 30 March 1980 is as follows:
Patients classified as "urgent" All cases 11,570 Cases on the waiting list for more than one month 9,583 (82.8 per cent.) Patients classified as "non-urgent" All cases 115,347 Cases on the waiting list for more than one year 46,631 (40.4 per cent.) These figures are for England only; I regret the implication in my earlier reply on 14 April—[Vol. 3, c. 96]—that the total was a figure for England and Wales.
The form and content of waiting list information to be submitted to the Department in the future is currently being reviewed under the auspices of the steering group on Health Services information.
§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether he is satisfied that the liaison between community services, voluntary services and all health authorities is adequate to make possible the earlier discharge of orthopaedic patients from hospital; and if he will make a statement;
298W(2) whether he is satisfied that all health authorities will make the fullest use of the Duthie report as a basis for practical action in their own districts to reduce waiting times for orthopaedic out-patient appointments and in-patient treatment;
(3) in view of the reference by the Duthie report to the increasing proportion of orthopaedic beds occupied by elderly people who often remain in hospital longer than necessary because effective arrangements have not been made for their follow-up care, whether he will ensure that all health authorities immediately adopt systems of shared orthopaedic-geriatric care as recommended by the Duthie report.
§ Dr. VaughanI have made known to all health authorities my general support for the recommendations in the report of Professor Duthie's working party on tackling the problems of long waiting times for orthopaedic out-patient appointments and in-patient treatment. Authorities are responsible for deciding, in collaboration with the clinicians and all others concerned, including the community and voluntary services, what practical steps can appropriately be taken within the resources available locally. I expect them to make the fullest use of the working party's advice in reaching these decisions. I am encouraged by the welcome given to the report by the British Orthopaedic Association, which has supplied all its members with copies and has arranged meetings to discuss it with the chairman of regional orthopaedic sub-committees. I shall take a continuing interest in the response to the working party's report and will be considering in due course whether more specific guidance need be given to health authorities.