§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients are suspended from waiting lists; and how many were suspended from waiting lists on 1 March. [428]
§ Mr. HuttonStatistics for suspended patients are published by the Department of Health every quarter. At the end of March 2001 (the most recent data available) 76,734 patients have been suspended from the inpatient waiting list during the last quarter of 2000–01.
The National Health Service data manual gives clear guidance that patients should only be suspended from the waiting list if they are medically unfit for the operation, or for other impelling reasons i.e. where a patient is unavailable for admission because of family commitments, holidays or other reasons.