HC Deb 08 July 1991 vol 194 cc284-5W
Mr. McGrady

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will make it his policy to allocate resources to coronary heart medicine according to the extent of the problem; and if he will make a statement.

(2) what measures will be adopted to reduce the waiting list in respect of operations for coronary heart care in each of the health and social services boards.

Mr. Hanley

Cardiac surgery is, and will continue to be, a priority for the health and personal social services in Northern Ireland. The Government are well aware of the extent of heart disease in Northern Ireland and are committed to reducing the time that those requiring heart surgery have to wait for an operation. Over the past two years, significant additional resources of £300,000 have been invested to increase the level of operations. A capital scheme costing £1.5 million to extend the cardiac recovery area at the Royal Victoria hospital is due to be completed in October. This will permit the appointment of a fourth cardiac surgeon and supporting team and I recently announced that, as part of the development in regional medical services this year, a further £300,000 would be made available to meet the costs involved.

In the longer term, the Government are committed to working to reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease in Northern Ireland through health education and promotion and several years ago launched the "Change of Heart" campaign. This 10-year programme is now being carried forward throughout the Province by the four health and social services boards.

Mr. McGrady

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have died as a result of heart problems in each of the health and social services boards in each of the last five years who were on a waiting list for a coronary heart operation.

Mr. Hanley

This information is not collected centrally.

Mr. McGrady

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are currently waiting for operations in respect of coronary heart care in each of the health and social services boards.

Mr. Hanley

All patients in Northern Ireland waiting for cardiac operations are included in a single cardiac surgery waiting list at the Royal Victoria hospital which provides the service for the whole of Northern Ireland. Separate waiting lists are not therefore maintained for each board. At 31 March 1991, the number of patients on the waiting list was 869.

Mr. McGrady

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the current waiting time for operations in respect of coronary heart care in each of the health and social services boards.

Mr. Hanley

All patients in Northern Ireland waiting for operations for coronary heart care are included in a single cardiac surgery waiting list at the Royal Victoria hospital which provides the service for the whole of Northern Ireland. Separate waiting lists are not therefore maintained for each board. At 31 March 1991, the number of patients on the waiting list by waiting time was:

Months Number
0–2 111
3–5 90
6–8 44
9–11 53
12–23 162
24+ 409
Total 869