§ 37. Mr. RuffleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are waiting for a first appointment with a consultant. [119091]
§ Mr. DenhamThe Department has never collected data on the total number of people waiting for a first appointment with a consultant. The number of people waiting more than 13 weeks after referral by their general practitioner for a first outpatient appointment fell by 16,000 (3.2 per cent.) between September 1999 and December 1999 to 496,000.