Mr. Anthony D. WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes there have been to NHS waiting list times for residents of Great Yarmouth in the last seven years. [186703]
§ Dr. LadymanThe changes to national health service waiting times for the residents of Great Yarmouth over the past seven years, the latest data available, are shown in the following table.
Count of elective in-year admissions (waiting list and booked cases) with mean and median time waited, 1996–97 to 2002–03 primary care trust (PCT) code (PCT of residence) = 5GT (Great Yarmouth)–NHS hospitals, England In-year admissions Days Mean time waited Median time waited 1996–97 10,171 70 28 1997–98 9,933 78 28 1998–99 10,280 79 33 1999–2000 9,792 68 31 2000–01 9,563 71 33 2001–02 7,501 78 33 2002–03 8,211 93 36 Note: 1. An in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the datayear. Periods of care ongoing at the end of the datayear (unfinished admission episodes) are included. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 2. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). 3. Time waited statistics from hospital episode statistics (HES) are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the time waited as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension. Source: HES, Department of Health.