HC Deb 01 July 1985 vol 82 cc57-8W
Mr. Dobson

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will list the number of United Kingdom nationals treated for heart transplant operations in (a) Harefield hospital and (b) other National Health Service hospitals since the programme began;

(2) if he will list the number of foreign nationals treated for heart transplant operations in (a) Harefield hospital and (b) other National Health Service hospitals since the programme began;

(3) if he will list the number of United Kingdom nationals treated for heart/lung operations at (a) Harefield hospital and (b) other National Health Service hospitals since the programme began;

(4) if he will list the number of foreign nationals treated for heart/lung operations at (a) Harefield hospital and (b) other National Health Service hospitals since the programme began.

Mr. John Patten

During the period between the start of the current programme in 1979 and 1 April 1985, the most recent date for which information is available centrally, heart and heart/lung transplant operations were performed only at Harefield and Papworth hospitals. The number of patients transplanted were as follows:

Harefield Papworth
United Kingdom nationals receiving heart transplant 139 105
Foreign nationals receiving heart transplants 34 1
United Kingdom nationals receiving heart/lung transplants 6 3
Foreign nationals receiving heart/lung transplants 4 —

A small number of these patients underwent a second heart transplant operation. Since 1 April 1985, two United Kingdom nationals have received heart transplants at the Freeman hospital, Newcastle.

Mr. Dobson

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will give the average length of stay of a heart transplant patient at Harefield hospital;

(2) if he will give the average length of stay of a heart/lung transplant patient at Harefield hospital.

Mr. John Patten

The recently published report "The Costs and Benefits of the Heart Transplant Programmes at Harefield and Papworth Hospitals" gives an average length of stay of 23.8 days from assessment to post transplant discharge for patients receiving heart transplants at Harefield hospital during the first nine months of 1984. No corresponding data are given for patients receiving heart/lung transplants, but we would expect the average length of stay to be considerably greater.