§ Rev. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines are given to health and social services boards for keeping and collating statistics in hospital ophthalmic departments; and what data from hospital ophthalmic departments boards are required to collate.
§ Mr. AncramThe same data are collected for the specialty of ophthalmology as for all other hospital specialties. Details of the forms and how to complete them are given in the guidance manual for Korner central requirements for hospital services. This is supported by a data dictionary which lists the standard definitions to be used throughout Northern Ireland. In addition, anonymised records of patients' diagnoses and any operative procedures carried out are also collected for analysis centrally.
§ Rev. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the average cost of a visit to a hospital ophthalmic out-patient department.
§ Mr. AncramThis information is not available at present.
§ Rev. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many referrals from general practitioners and optometrists to hospital ophthalmology out-patients clinics there have been since 1985.
§ Mr. AncramThis information is not available in the form requested. The total number of referrals to hospital ophthalmology out-patient clinics in Northern Ireland since 1985 is as follows:
527W
Year Number 1985 19,268 1986 19,449 1987 18,786 1988–89 18,306 1989–90 19,106 1990–91 19,872 1991–92 20,668 1992–93 21,832