§ Mrs. Ann Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has concerning the rates of use of general anaesthetic in childbirth in each of the different health regions.
§ Mr. John Patten[pursuant to his reply, 15 May 1985, c.165]: The available information is given in the table. It relates to the use of general anaesthesia with instrumental deliveries (caesarean section and forceps deliveries) only.
Estimated number of instrumental✶ deliveries with general anaesthesia as a percentage of total deliveries and of instrumental✶ deliveries: England Regional Health Authority Percentage of total deliveries Percentage of' instru-mental✶deliveries 1982 1983† 1982 1983† Northern 7.0 6.8 43.7 41.4 Yorkshire 6.7 7.4 39.2 41.6 Trent 6.4 6.1 28.0 26.4 East Anglian 7.9 7.8 34.5 37.1 North West Thames 7.8 6.5 40.9 32.4 North East Thames 8.5 8.0 43.2 41.8 South East Thames 7.8 4.1 36.1 21.3 South West Thames 8.9 7.8 38.7 37.3 Wessex 6.7 6.2 33.2 31.3 Oxford 6.3 5.6 33.3 28.9 Southwestern 8.9 8.1 39.5 37.8 West Midlands 8.2 7.4 44.9 44.9 Mersey 10.5 9.4 42.8 43.6 North Western 8.9 8.7 44.7 45.8 ✶Caesarian sections and forceps deliveries only. †Provisional.