§ 67. Mr. Colin ShepherdTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he is taking to establish the costs of various operative procedures, including hip replacement operations, within the National Health Service.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe Department currently relies on estimates and ad hoc surveys to establish these costs, which will vary significantly according to the type of patient and severity of the condition. An estimate of the cost of a hip replacement operation was made in 1984. At current prices this amounts to about £3,300. But this does not take account of the subsequent fall in the average length of in-patient stay in hospital which will tend to reduce the cost per case treated.
The Department will continue to use these estimates until more comprehensive information systems are available. One such is the resources mangement initiative which is currently being piloted at five acute hospital sites. The projects concerned will be evaluated later in the year.