§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what figures are available to indicate how many patients are discharged from a hospital out-patient unit after three consultations; how many of these are subsequently referred back to the out-patient unit; and what figures are available specifically for Burnley health care trust.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe information available centrally on out-patient attendances is published in "Outpatients and ward attenders for England, Financial Year 1992–93" copies of which are available in the Library.
§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what figures are available for general practitioner referral times for a patient's initial appointment at Burnley health care trust's out-patient unit, and the numbers of patients involved; and if she will make a statement;
(2) what monitoring she has done of general practitioner referral times from initial letters to a patient's initial appointment at a hospital out-patient unit; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleA system of monitoring the length of time a patient waits from general practitioner referral to first consultant out-patient appointment is being in-troduced. Data collection is in the early stages and the information collected is not yet sufficiently comprehensive to enable publication.