Hospital Waiting Lists (Hansard, 22 January 1996)

§ Ms Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of patients dying while on the waiting list for bypass surgery,(a) nationally and (b) by region. [10748]

Description	Run by	Number of calls	Cost £
Blood Donor line	Managed by the Central	78,516 (April to December	33,074
	Office of Information for	1995)
	the Department of Health
Drinkline	Drinkline (non-profit making	44,000 (October 1993 to	516,000 (DH funding for
	limited company)	January 1996)	1993–94–1995–96)
Health Information Service	NHS—regionally provided	1,000,788 (April 1992 to	8,113,170 (April 1992 to
	Service	December 1995)	March 1996 Includes all
			costs associated with
			establishing the service and
			in initially publicising its
			availability)
Health Literature line (including the	Managed by the Central	255,885 (April to December	108,026
Organ Donor line)	Office of Information for	1995)
	the Department of Health
National AIDS Helpline and National	Network of Scotland Ltd.	386,953 (April to December	1,569,000 (estimated total
Drugs Helpline	(independent company	1995)	1995–1996 cost)
	contracted by the
	Department of Health)
National AIDS Helpline	Broadcasting Support Services	4,200,514 (January 1990 to	6,038,000
	and Network Scotland	December 1994)
	(contracted by the
	Department of Health)
Sexwise helpline	Managed by the Central	784,016 (April to December	366,854
	Office of Information for	1995)
	the Department of Health
Committee safety medicines freephone	Medicines Control Agency	1,977 (January 1994 to	7,510 (call costs only)
		December 1995)

Details of other helpline services could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Details of the helpline numbers are as listed:

Blood Donor line: 0345 711 711
Drinkline: O345 32 02 02
Health Information Service: 0800 66 55 44
Health Literature line: 0800 555 777
National Drugs helpline: 0800 77 66 00
National AIDS helpline: 0800 567 123
Sexwise: 0800 28 29 30

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