HL Deb 14 September 2001 vol 627 c15WA
Lord Jacobs

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many National Health Service patients are waiting more than four weeks for:

  1. (a) cataract removal;
  2. (b) heart bypass;
  3. (c) hernia operation; and
  4. (d) knee replacement; and [HL619]

How many National Health Service patients have been waiting for an operation for more than four weeks; which are the 10 operations making up the highest percentage of this waiting list; and how many patients have been waiting more than four weeks for each of these 10 operations. [HL689]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

Data on the number of patients currently waiting are only collected by specialty not by procedure and by the number waiting over three months not over four weeks. Therefore, data cannot be provided on the number of patients currently waiting over four weeks for operations.

The percentage of patients waiting over three months at the end of May 2001 was 50 per cent.