HC Deb 09 November 2001 vol 374 cc472-3W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was, from diagnosis to treatment for heart disease in each of the last four years. [11866]

Jacqui Smith

The diagnosis and treatment of heart disease may take place within primary, secondary or tertiary health care services. For those patients who require drug therapy to treat their condition, treatment will follow directly on from diagnosis. Patients requiring treatment in hospital who are not diagnosed as an emergency requiring immediate admission will go on a waiting list for in-patient treatment. The average median waiting times, from the date of a decision to admit a patient for treatment for heart disease to the admission date, for the last four years for which data are available, are in the table.

Year Median waiting time in days
1996–97 57
1997–98 55
1998–99 60
1999–2000 57

The figures are based on hospital in-patients admitted with an OPCS4 procedure code in the range KO1 to K71 (heart procedures).