§ Mr. GowTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the current waiting lists for in-patients and out-patients at the district general hospital, Eastbourne, and at Saint Mary's hospital, Eastbourne, in each specialty for(a) examinations, (b) treatment and (c) operations; what were the comparable figures on the same dates in 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987; and what proposals he has to reduce these waiting lists.
§ Mr. NewtonOur available information is given in the table. We do not hold information centrally on numbers awaiting out-patient appointments. It should be noted that in certain specialties a hospital may maintain a waiting list which is common to more than one hospital within a district health authority.
Number of patients on in-patient waiting list at 31 December for years 1984 to 1986 (latest available) 1984 1985 1986 Eastbourne district general hospital General surgery 263 252 357 Ear, nose and throat 428 329 294 Traumatic and orthopaedic 681 793 925 Ophthalmology 86 168 206 Urology 375 259 221 Oral surgery 49 52 148 Gynaecology 643 629 772 Total all specialties 2,525 2,482 2,923 Total surgical specialties 2,525 2,482 2,923 St. Mary's hospital, Eastbourne General medicine — 1 — Dermatology 2 1 — Rheumatology 6 4 2 Geriatrics 6 6 2 Total all specialties 14 12 4 Total surgical specialties 0 0 0 In the current financial year, we have made £110,000 available to Eastbourne district health authority to use spare ward capacity to treat 100 additional patients from the orthopaedic waiting list. In 1988–89, we shall make £155,000 available to the health authority to treat 150 additional gynaecology patients, mainly for hysterectomies, and an additional 250 adults and children for ear, nose and throat surgery.