§ Dr. Marekasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the longest time a patient now waits for an orthopaedic operation; and what is the average time in the South West Thames regional health authority area.
§ Mr. Whitney[pursuant to his reply, 24 March. c. 382]: In National Health Service hospitals in the South West Thames regional health authority, it is estimated that in 1984, the latest year for which information is available centrally, the median interval between the date a patient was placed on the waiting list and the date of admission to departments of orthopaedic surgery was 11 weeks compared with 12 weeks in England as a whole. In South West Thames, an estimated 3 per cent. waited 21 months or more, compared with 5 per cent. nationally.