HC Deb 20 December 1989 vol 164 cc334-5W
Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have had eye tests since April in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale district health authority area; and what was the figure for the comparable period in 1988.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

Statistics relating to Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale district health authority are collected by Lancashire family practitioner committee and are not separately available. Information on the number of general ophthalmic services sight tests carried out since April 1989 is not yet available centrally.

Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average time for patients waiting to receive radiotherapy from the time of results of breast screen tests and treatment in the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale district health authority area.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

Breast screening is performed on "well women" aged 50 and over to allow early detection of cancer. Fewer than 10 per cent. of women screened are expected to be recalled either to have a repeat mammogram performed for technical reasons or to have a screen-detected abnormality further investigated. Only 1.5 per cent. of women screened should require further referral for biopsy and of these fewer than 1 in 3 are expected to have breast cancer. The decision on whether or not to use radiotherapy in the treatment of these women and, if so, at what stage in their treatment is a matter for clinical judgement. Information on the waiting time for radiotherapy is not collected centrally.

Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average waiting time from testing and screening of women for(a) cervical cancer and (b) breast cancer until the results are notified in the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale district health authority area.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

As I explained in my reply to the hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Cummings) on 12 December at columns619–20, information on the processing of cervical screening tests is not available in the form requested. Our guidance to health authorities states that laboratories should aim to send results to the doctor who submitted a smear within one month of receiving it. Laboratory processing times are monitored by the Department on a quarterly basis. The information collected relates only to those district health authorities (DHAs) which are failing to meet this one month target time. As at September 1989 (the latest data available) over 75 per cent. of DHAs were meeting this target. No backlogs were reported in respect of the laboratories in the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale DHA.

Information on the average time taken to notify women of the result of their screening test under the breast screening programme is not collected centrally.