§ Mr. LetwinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if implant surgery for people with Parkinson's Disease is available throughout the country; and what the waiting times for such surgery are in each health authority area. [120642]
§ Mr. DenhamPatients in England with severe Parkinson's disease are usually under the care of neurologists. If, in their neurologist's opinion, neurosurgery may improve their disease then they can refer to specialist neurosurgical centres dealing with Parkinson's disease.
There are at least eight centres in England carrying out implant surgery and a further eight at least doing neurosurgery for Parkinson's disease.
467WImplant surgery for Parkinson's disease is complex and highly specialist and relatively new. It should be noted that the relative merits of implants in Parkinson's disease compared to drugs or more conventional surgery have not been thoroughly tested as yet. There are therefore sound reasons for limiting the number of centres where this service can be accessed until such time as its effectiveness is fully established.
Officials are currently working with health authorities to develop the most appropriate commissioning framework for this service.
Waiting times are as follows. As this is a rare operation not all health authorities have patients waiting.
Waiting time statistics from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and waiting times for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment at a given point in time and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the waiting time as the difference between the admission and the decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.
Finished consultant episodes where the main diagnosis was Parkinson's disease and the main operation was implant of neurostimulator into brain1, by waiting time (days) and health authority of residence—NHS hospitals England 1998–99 Days patients waited Health authority 1-91 92-182 183-365 QAA Bexley and Greenwich 1 1 0 QAJ Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 1 0 0 QAW East London and the City 1 0 0 QCA East Norfolk 1 0 0 QCF Suffolk 1 0 1 QCG Barnsley 1 0 0 QCK Doncaster 1 0 0 QCL Leicestershire 0 2 0 QCW South Cheshire 0 1 0 QD1 North and Mid Hampshire 1 0 0 QD2 Portsmouth and South East Hampshire 0 1 0 QD5 Somerset 1 0 1 QD6 South and West Devon 1 0 0 QD8 Avon 1 0 0 QD9 Birmingham 0 1 0 QDK North Cumbria 1 0 0 QDL South Humber 1 0 0 QEF Shropshire 1 1 0 QEJ South Staffordshire 1 0 0 QEN Worcestershire 2 1 0 Not known 0 0 1 Total 17 8 3 1 A09.1 Implantation of neurostimulator into the brain Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics 1998–99 (the latest full year available)