§ 16. Mr. Simon CoombsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made reducing waiting times for patients in the Wessex region.
§ Mr. SackvilleLatest provisional waiting time figures for 31 March 1993 show that in the two years since 31 March 1991, the number of patients waiting for more than a year in the Wessex region has fallen by more than 40 per cent. from nearly 10,000 to just over 4,000. No Wessex patient has to wait more than two years for any treatment and patients needing hip, knee or cataract surgery are treated within 18 months.