§ Mr. GalbraithTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give for each year since 1974 the numbers of patients on hospital in-patient waiting lists at 31 March.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythFor any individual patient, the waiting time is more significant than the number of patients on the waiting list. The key to reducing waiting times is to increase the number of patients treated. Measured by discharges this has increased by 24 per cent. since 1979. The waiting list has been reduced by 21 per cent. over the same period.
644WThis is shown in the table:
NHS hospitals: in-patient waiting lists and discharges at 31 March Year Number on List Number of Discharges 1974 156,182 1717,964 1975 153,770 1697,410 1976 54,442 738,633 1977 53,974 746,259 1978 56,987 738,012 1979 76,968 737,816 1980 70,195 764,301 1981 67,908 785,080 1982 66,880 793,171 1983 96,933 744,436 1984 85,543 809,681 1985 79,262 821,588 1986 81,249 837,044 1987 81,324 842,524 1988 267,226 871,287 1989 261,011 882,347 1990 258,287 895,790 1991 260,693 912,370 1 Information available only at 30 September. 2 From 1988 the figures are based on an improved statistical collection system and are not strictly comparable with those collected in earlier years.