§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many orthopaedic surgeons are in post at Royal Hospital Haslar; what is the waiting time for an appointment for(a) a local civilian and (b) a serving member of HM forces; and how many (i) service men and (ii) civilians are on (1) the waiting list and (2) the pending list. [97853]
§ Mr. SpellarRoyal Hospital Haslar has six orthopaedic surgeons in post, of whom four are service men and two are civilian locums.
There is not a separate waiting list for civilian patients and for patients of HM forces. Equally, both may be seen by service or NHS consultants. Waiting times for first routine orthopaedic outpatient appointments are five weeks for the Fracture Clinic and seven to ten months for the General Clinic. The number of service personnel on the waiting list for their initial outpatient attendance is 271. The number on the pending list is 351. The number of civilians on the waiting list for their initial outpatient attendance is 143. The number on the pending list is 287. A system is in place, based on operational readiness state, that enables service personnel to receive their first outpatient appointment more quickly.