§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the number of patients in the area covered by the Cheshire Health Authority who have been waiting for operations for over a year; and what the figure was on 1 May 1997. [42159]
§ Mr. MilburnInformation on the numbers of patients awaiting admission to hospital, whether it be for surgery or for some other form of treatment, and how long they 267W had been waiting is published quarterly and shows the position at the end of the quarter. Information for 1 May 1997 is not therefore available. On 31 March 1997 414 patients resident in the areas covered by North and South Cheshire Health Authorities had been waiting more than a year for admission to hospital on either an ordinary or day case basis. The latest information currently available is for 31 December 1997 and this shows 1,328 patients waiting more than a year for admission.