§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the number and percentage of patients waiting for non-urgent operations in 1980, 1985 and 1990(a) nationally and (b) in the Doncaster health authority area;
(2) what is the percentage of those waiting for non-urgent operations who wait longer than (a) one year, (b) six months and (c) two years (i) nationally and (ii) in the Doncaster health authority area.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe information requested is given in the tables. Since March 1987 information on waiting lists has not been classified according to urgency of condition. Figures for 1990 therefore relate to all patients waiting for in-patient treatment in the surgical acute specialties.
It is the time people wait which is important. Since 1980 the number of patients waiting over a year for in-patient treatment in the surgical acute specialties has fallen by 61 per cent. in Doncaster health authority and by nearly 11 per cent. in England as a whole.
152W
Numbers of non-urgent cases waiting on surgical specialty lists for in-patient treatment Year England Doncaster March 1980 580,598 3,718 March 1985 614,217 4,713
Total numbers waiting on surgical sepcialty lists for in-patient treatment Year England Doncaster March 1990 723,447 4,617
Percentage waiting on surgical specialty lists for in-patient treatment by time waiting at March 1990 England Doncaster 6 months + 45 43 12 months + 24 17 24 months + 9 2 Source: KHO6/7/7A—March 1990.
Over the period 1979 to 1988–89, the NHS has increased inpatient treatment as follows:
1979 1988–89 England 5,400,120 6,585,982 Doncaster 28,103 41,969 an increase of 22 per cent. nationally—49.3 per cent. in the Doncaster area.
Day case treatment also increased as follows:
1979 1988–89 England 592,061 1,016,327 Doncaster 2,909 4,961 an increase of 71.7 per cent. nationally—70.5 per cent. in the Doncaster area.