§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the cases of waiting list manipulation his Department recorded in(a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and (f) 1 January 2002 to date. [61444]
§ Mr. HuttonThe National Audit Office report 'Inappropriate Adjustments to NHS Waiting Lists' (HC452 Session 2001–02, 19 December 2001) is available in the Library. The table lists the trusts involved in inappropriate adjustments and the timescales involved.
Trust Timescale involved St. Bartholomews and The London 1996 to November 2000 Guy's and St. Thomas' Four years Plymouth Hospitals 1998–1999 Salford Royal September 1998 to July 2001 South Warwickshire General My to September 2000 Stoke Mandeville August 2000 to January 2001 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare About one year University College May 1999 Since publication of the report a further case at Bath has come to light which was highlighted by a press release (2002/0211) on 3 May 2002.
The Government takes waiting list manipulation very seriously. The Department has asked the Audit Commission to initiate a system of spot-checks on waiting list statistics hospital-by-hospital. These spot-checks began this month.
1035WWe will also from this year move to publish on the internet and elsewhere regularly-updated information on waiting for all major treatments at all providers.In future, any manager found to have deliberately distorted waiting figures will face dismissal on grounds of gross misconduct. This will be supported by a new code of conduct for National Health Service managers. Anyone who breaches that code of conduct will not be re-employed as a manager—anywhere in the NHS.