HL Deb 29 July 1982 vol 434 c444WA
Baroness Hornsby-Smith

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many patients were on the waiting lists for operations in National Health Service hospitals in July 1979, 1980, 1981 and to the nearest available date in July 1982.

Lord Trefgarne

Waiting list statistics are collected for 31st March, 30th September and 31st December in each year. Available figures for the numbers of patients waiting for admission to hospital for treatment in the surgical specialties in Great Britain are:—

31st March 1979 892,042
30th September 1979 772,283
31st March 1980 736,994
30th September 1980 706,831
31st March 1981 697,808

No later figure is yet available for Great Britain as a whole. The latest figure for England and Wales is 623,868 on 30th September 1981.