§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 17 July 2000 to the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mrs. Bottomley),Official Report, columns 69–70W, concerning the numbers of patients waiting over 12 months for elective admission between March 1997 and March 2000, if he will provide the figures for West Sussex for each of those dates. [131829]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 21 July 2000]: We are determined to reduce waiting lists and times for all patients from the rising numbers we inherited. As waiting lists have fallen, so have waiting times. The number of over-12-month waiters is almost a third lower than the 504W peak at June 1998 and the average waiting time of patients on the list is 13 weeks—Two weeks lower than at June 1998.
The numbers of patients waiting over 12 months for elective admission in West Sussex at March 1997, March 1998 and March 2000 are shown in the table.
West Sussex health authority Number of patients waiting over 12 months at March 1997 902 1998 3,952 2000 1,848
§ Mr. ChopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Dorset Health Authority patients had been waiting for over 12 months for elective admission in(a) March 1997, (b) March 1998, (c) March 1999 and (d) March 2000. [132333]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 24 July 2000]: The information requested is shown in the table.
Patients waiting more than 12 months for elective admissions, Dorset health authority Month end Number of patients March 1997 0 March 1998 0 March 1999 0 March 2000 2 Source:
Department of Health forms KHO7R and QF01
In March 1997 there were 56 patients waiting over six months, in March 2000 there were no patients waiting over six months for treatment in Dorset but there were 28 Dorset patients waiting for treatment outside the county.