§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients are on current waiting lists for hip replacement operations in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. NeedhamA total of 755.
§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the present average waiting period for patients requiring hip replacement operations at Musgrave Park hospital, Belfast.
§ Mr. NeedhamIt is 9.5 months.
§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any proposals to reduce the waiting period for patients requiring hip replacement operations.
28W
Health and Social Services Board Eastern Northern Southern Western Northern Ireland Number Rate Number Rate Number Rate Number Rate Number Rate Perinatal mortality 1986 106 9.9 59 8.9 48 8.7 55 10.1 268 9.5 1987 113 10.8 46 6.9 65 11.6 52 9.8 276 9.8 1988 91 8.5 56 8.7 48 8.7 64 12.2 259 9.3 1989 84 8.5 55 8.8 30 5.8 45 9.2 214 8.2 Neonatal Mortality 1986 57 5.4 46 7.0 33 6.0 33 6.1 169 6.0 1987 53 5.1 17 2.6 34 6.1 31 5.9 135 4.8
§ Mr. NeedhamMy noble Friend Lord Skelmersdale recently announced substantial additional funding for the Northern Ireland orthopaedic service, in 1990–91. A sum of £270,000 has been allocated to the Eastern health and social services board to enable it to provide an extra 230 operations at Musgrave Park hospital, including an additional 70 hip operations. A further £100,000 has been made available to the Western board to increase the number of orthopaedic and opthalmology operations carried out at Altnagelvin hospital. The Department of Health and Social Services believes that better management of waiting lists will also help to reduce both the length of the lists and time patients are having to wait and consequently supports initiatives by the clinical resource efficiency support team (CREST) aimed at improving waiting list management.