§ Andy KingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for an initial referral to a consultant rheumatologist is in each strategic health authority. [144547]
§ Mr. HuttonThe table shows average waiting times for a first rheumatology out-patient appointment following general practitioner (G(D)P) referral.
Average (median) waiting times for first consultant out-patient appointment following G(D)P referral: rheumatology specialty: Strategic health authorities:
England: Quarter 2 2003–04 Strategic health authority Median waiting times (weeks)
Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire HA 11.1 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire HA 9.9 Essex HA 8.3 North West London HA 10.2 North Central London HA 8.6 North East London HA 10.8 South East London HA 9.1 South West London HA 14.0 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 7.6 County Durham & Tees Valley 7.7 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire HA
10.5 West Yorkshire HA 8.8 Cumbria & Lancashire HA 9.7 Greater Manchester HA 10.6 Cheshire & Merseyside HA 10.2 Thames Valley HA 7.7 Hampshire and Isle of Wight HA 7.8 Kent and Medway HA 9.6 Surrey and Sussex HA 8.9 Avon, Gloucestershire & Wiltshire HA 8.7 South West Peninsula HA 10.6 Somerset & Dorset HA 7.2 South Yorkshire HA 8.0 Trent HA 8.7 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland HA 10.4 Shropshire and Staffordshire HA 11.1 Birmingham and The Black Country HA 8.2 Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire HA 12.6 Source:
Department of Health form QM08