§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many cases of glue ear are currently diagnosed annually in children; and what were the figures in the previous five years.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe information available centrally relates to treatment in NHS hospitals. The table shows the most recent data on the number of patients treated in NHS hospitals with a main diagnosis of chronic mucoid otitis media (ICD1 381.2).
0–14 years 15 years and over All ages 1985 12,980 720 13,700 1984 11,320 700 12,020 1983 9,920 570 10,490 1982 8,070 490 8,560 1 ICD: International Classification of Diseases.
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average waiting time for admission of children to hospital for operations in connection with treatment for glue ear in each regional health authority.
§ Mrs. CurrieInformation on waiting times for operations carried out in NHS hospitals is not collected centrally by diagnosis of the patient, but according to the type of surgical operation or procedure performed. A number of different operations are performed for the542W treatment of glue ear; the principal one is myringotomy/tympanostomy, for which information on waiting times of patients treated in 1985 (the latest year for which information is held centrally) is given in the table.
Median waiting time in weeks between the time a patient was placed on the waiting list and admission to an NHS hospital in England for myringotomy/tympanostomy, by age and region of residence, 1985 Region of residence Median waiting time (weeks) 0–4 years 5–14 years All ages Northern 12 11 11 Yorkshire 9 10 10 Trent 10 15 13 East Anglian 6 11 10 North West Thames 7 8 8 North East Thames 8 11 9 South East Thames 10 12 10 South West Thames 11 10 10 Wessex 10 12 12 Oxford 7 11 9 South Western 10 9 9 West Midlands 7 12 9 Mersey 7 9 8 North Western 11 11 11
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether his Department issues any guidance to doctors about recognising behavioural changes in young children as a symptom of the onset of deafness due to glue ear;
(2) whether he will make it his policy to establish a committee of inquiry to take evidence from those with experience of the condition glue ear and to make recommendations as to how treatment of the condition can be improved.
§ Mrs. CurrieWe have issued guidance in the past on various screening and diagnostic services for hearing-impaired children. In order to obtain more up-to-date information, we commissioned research in 1985 from the Medical Research Council Institute for Hearing Research. The results, which include various considerations in respect of otitis media or glue ear, were received recently. When these have been studied we should be in a much better position to take matters forward.