§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are waiting(a) to see a cardiologist and (b) for cardiac surgery in Northern Ireland. [133871]
§ Angela SmithThe number of people waiting for a first out-patient appointment and for in-patient admission by specialty is returned to the Department on a quarterly basis by Trusts. The returns provide information about the number of people waiting for a first out-patient appointment and in-patient admission on the last day of each quarter. Information in this answer is provided for Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery specialties. The information in this answer relates to the position at 30 June 2003 (the most recent information available)
(a) At 30 June 2003 there were 4,181 patients awaiting a first out-patient appointment in the cardiology specialty and 139 patients awaiting a first out-patient appointment at a Cardiac Surgery clinic.(b) At 30 June 2003, 430 patients were awaiting admission to the Cardiac Surgery specialty in Northern Ireland, while 1,363 patients were awaiting admission to the Cardiology specialty.