§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many patients in each of the last 12 months had their first out-patient appointment after waiting(a)less than four, (b)less than eight, (c)less than 12, (d)less than 24 and (e)more than 24 weeks; [46712]
(2) how many people were waiting 13 weeks or more for an out-patient appointment in England in each of the most recent three quarters; [46696]
(3) how many patients since 1997 have waited more than 26 weeks for their first out-patient appointment following GP referral; [46714]
(4) how many patients were waiting more than 13 weeks for their first out-patient appointment following GP referral in each of the last 12 months; [46702]
(5) how many patients in each of the last six years had their first out-patient appointment after waiting (a)less than four, (b)less than eight, (c) less than 12, (d)less than 24 and (e)more than 24 weeks. [46711]
§ Mr. HuttonThe information requested is shown in the tables.
Table 1 shows the number of patients who had first outpatient appointments (following referral by a GP) at NHS trusts in England, broken down by the available waiting time bands. This information is published on a quarterly basis.
Table 2 shows the number of patients referred by general practitioners who were on a waiting list for their first outpatient appointment at the end of the quarter, and had been waiting over 13 weeks at that time. This information is also published on a quarterly basis.
429W
Table 2: Number of patients referred by GPs for first outpatient appointments who had been waiting over 13 weeks at end of quarter: England (NHS trust based) Quarter ending Patients waiting over 13 weeks March 2001 284,000 June 2001 360,000 September 2001 400,000 December 2001 361,000 Source:
Department of Health form QM08