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Written question asked by Liam Fox (Conservative) on Monday, 10 June 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 July 2002. It was answered by Lord Hutton of Furness (Labour) on Wednesday, 10 July 2002 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question
To 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) 1st January 2002 to date. - Inc table and ref to the National Audit Office report 'Inappropriate Adjustments to NHS Waiting Lists' (HC 452) Session 2001-02.
Answer

Dr. Fox: To 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. Hutton: The 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 May 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 begin way this month. We 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.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
61444; 388 c1034-5W
Session
2001-02
Subjects
Hospitals Maladministration Misconduct Waiting lists
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk