§ Dr. Mawhinneyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the mechanism for reviewing, and if appropriate removing from, National Health Service waiting lists those who were placed on the list for elective treatment and for determining whether those on the list still require treatment.
§ Mr. John PattenThis is a matter for local management. The health services information steering group in its first report has recommended that waiting lists for elective admissions be reviewed regularly to remove patients no longer needing to be admitted.
§ Dr. Mawhinneyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many patients were removed from National Health Service waiting lists in each of the last five years, or other appropriate time intervals, because they were originally placed on the list for elective treatment which subsequently became unnecessary due to reasons other than death.
§ Mr. John PattenThis information is not currently available centrally. The health services information steering group has recommended in its first report that each district health authority should submit a regular return giving the number of patients who had been awaiting elective admission but who were removed from the lists for reasons other than elective admission. The group has also recommended the district health authorities with computerised patient administration systems should further distinguish between removals due to death and removals for other reasons. Health authorities have been asked to plan on the basis that the first report should be implemented by April 1987.