HC Deb 16 October 2003 vol 411 cc349-50W
David Davis

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the breakdown by clinical area of waiting times is for the number of people waiting for a referral to a specialist from their general practitioner. [132395]

Mr. Hutton

Information on patients waiting for their first consultant out-patient attendance following general practitioner written referral is collected at the consultants main specialty function, and only for those patients waiting over 13 weeks.

The table shows the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks by specialty.

Patients waiting for 1st consultant out-patient appointment following GP written referral: England (provider based): quarter 1, 2003–04
Specialty Patients waiting over 13 weeks
General surgery 9,616
Urology 6,821
Trauma and orthopaedics 30,378
Ear, Nose and Throat 22,264
Ophthalmology 17,926
Oral surgery 8,801
Restorative dentistry 928
Paediatric dentistry 273
Orthodontics 1,602
Neurosurgery 456
Plastic surgery 3,467
Cardiothoracic surgery 150
Paediatric surgery 418
Accident and emergency 58
Anaesthetics 635
Pain Management 1,246
General medicine 7,804
Gastroenterology 2,503
Endocrinology 859
Clinical haematology 229
Clinical physiology
Clinical pharmacology 11
Audiological medicine 312
Clinical genetics 37
Clinical Cyto-molecular genetics
Clinical Immunology and allergy 269
Rehabilitation 58
Palliative medicine
Cardiology 4,311
Dermatology 11,952
Thoracic medicine 805
Infectious diseases 31
Genito-urinary medicine 1
Nephrology 225
Medical oncology 3
Nuclear medicine 10
Neurology 6,741
Patients waiting for 1st consultant out-patient appointment following GP written referral: England (provider based): quarter 1, 2003–04
Specialty Patients waiting over 13 weeks
Clinical neuro-physiology 104
Rheumatology 5,254
Paediatrics 2,274
Paediatric neurology 30
Geriatric medicine 223
Dental medicine specialities 85
Medical ophthalmology
Gynaecology 8,341
Antenatal clinic 202
Postnatal clinic
Mental handicap 8
Mental illness 468
Child and adolescent psychiatry 216
Forensic psychiatry 4
Psychotherapy 12
Old age psychiatry 157
Clinical Oncology 5
Radiology 2
General pathology 19
Blood transfusion
Chemical pathology 108
Haematology 40
Histopathology
Immunopathology 36
Medical microbiology
Neuropathology
Community medicine 18
Occupational medicine
Joint consultant clinic 25
All specialties 158,831

Source:

Department of Health form QM08