§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate he has of the cost of treating all non-urgent cases waiting for more than one year and all urgent cases waiting more than one month, so that no one was in either position by July.
§ Mr. NewtonIt is not possible to make a reliable estimate of the cost of reducing waiting time in the way suggested. The cost would depend on a range of factors, including the types of treatment needed, the extent to which extra staff, beds, equipment, operating theatre sessions and other facilities would be required and the number of new patients who would join the list between now and July.
§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if all districts will reach the target of all urgent cases being admitted within one month and all non-urgent cases within one year by March.
§ Mr. NewtonTargets of this kind, set in 1975, would no longer be appropriate in relation to the waiting list statistics now being collected, since these do not maintain the distinction between urgent and non-urgent cases, which is widely recognised to be too subjective to give reliable figures. However, as part of the waiting list92W initiative, we are encouraging health authorities to draw up local statements of policy on achievable in and out-patient waiting times.