§ 12. Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what will be the maximum time a patient will have to wait under the patients charter from seeing a general practitioner and being referred to a consultant, until they are seen by the consultant.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe charter makes it clear that individual health authorities are required to set and publicise clear local standards for waiting times for first out-patient appointments.
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§ 13. Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the present waiting times for(a) out-patient consultation and (b) in-patient admission for cataract surgery in the northern region.
§ Mr. DorrellInformation on waiting times for specific procedures is not available centrally. In the 12 months to March 1991 the number of patients waiting over one year for in-patient and day-case ophthalmology treatment in the northern region fell by 47 per cent.