HC Deb 02 December 1993 vol 233 c658W
Mr. McGrady

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the current average time between referral to a cardiac surgeon in Northern Ireland and the first appointment with that surgeon;

(2) what was the longest interval in Northern Ireland for waiting time between referral to a cardiac surgeon and the first appointment with that surgeon for the most recent available period.

Mr. Ancram

During the quarter ending September 1993, the medium waiting time between the date of referral to a cardiac surgeon and first appointment was 0-3 months.

Records for the same quarter indicate that the longest a patient waited between referral and first appointment with a cardiac surgeon was 21 months and 20 days. The unusual delay in this case appears to have arisen as a result of an administrative oversight. The Royal Victoria hospital is undertaking a validation of the records of those waiting for appointment with a cardiac surgeon which should ensure that similar oversights do not occur in future.