§ Mr. CallaghanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by district health authorities in the north-west region the number of people on waiting lists for urgent and non-urgent operations for each year since 1985.
§ Mr. FreemanThe available information is given in the table. Following the implementation of the recommendations of the steering group on health services information (the Korner committee) starting in April 1987, no distinction is now made between urgent and non-urgent cases since the committee regarded such distinctions as unreliable. Between 1985 and 1989 the number of inpatient cases treated in the north-west region increased by 4 per cent. from 617,600 to 640,500.
767WSource: SBH203 returns 1985 to 1987, KH 7 and KHO7a returns 1988 onwards.
1 General surgery, Urology, T and 0, ENT, Ophthalmology, Oral surgery, Restorative dentistry, Paediatric dentistry, Orthodontics, Neurosurgery, Plastic surgery, Cardiothoracic surgery, Paediatric surgery, Gynaecology, Radiotherapy.
2 Less self deferred cases.