§ Mr. David Youngasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the waiting time betweeen consultation and operation in all major specialties at hospitals in Bolton; and how this compares with other hospitals in the region and nationally; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John Patten[pursuant to his reply, 28 June 1984, c. 528]: Information is not collected centrally in precisely the form requested. In 1981, the latest year for which information is available centrally, the estimated median interval between the date a patient was placed on the waiting list and the date of admission to a NHS hospital in England and Wales, North Western RHA, and Bolton AHA in the surgical specialties listed were as given in the table.
Estimated median waiting time (in weeks) in 1981 Specialty England and Wales North Western Health Authority Bolton Area Health Authority General Surgery 5 5 7 Ear, nose and throat 11 11 25 Orthopaedics 11 10 8 Ophthalmology 10 12 27 Dental surgery 11 9 5 Gynaecology 6 7 9