Written question asked by John Baron (Conservative) on Tuesday, 15 July 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 September 2003. It was answered by Lord Hutton of Furness (Labour) on Monday, 8 September 2003 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were waiting (a) 0-4 weeks, (b) 4-13 weeks, (c) 13-17 weeks, (d) 17-21 weeks, (e) 21-26 weeks and (f) more than 26 weeks from the receipt of a GP written referral request to a first specialty outpatient attendance in (i) pain management and (ii) ophthalmology in each quarter since Quarter 1 of 1996-97 for each NHS trust and primary care trust and for England as a whole. - Includes figures and information requested is being held in Library.

Answer: Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were waiting (a) 0-4 weeks, (b) 4-13 weeks, (c) 13-17 weeks, (d) 17-21 weeks, (e) 21-26 weeks and (f) more than 26 weeks from the receipt of a GP written referral request to a first specialty outpatient attendance in (i) pain management and (ii) ophthalmology in each quarter since Quarter 1 of 1996-97 for each NHS trust and primary care trust and for England as a whole. [127025] Mr. Hutton: The information requested is being held in the Library. Patients still waiting over 26 weeks for first consultant outpatient appointment following general practitioner written referral have reduced from end of quarter 1 1996-97 for the ophthalmology specialty from 4,845 to 3 in quarter 4 2002-03. Prior to quarter 1 1997-98 the pain management specialty was a sub-set of the anaesthetic specialty. For the pain management specialty, the reduction in patients still waiting over 26 weeks was 479 in quarter 1 1997-98 to 0 in quarter 4 2002-03. Monday 8 September 2003

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 127025; 410 c13W
Session: 2002-03
Subjects: Hospitals Primary care trusts NHS trusts Ophthalmic services Out-patients Pain Waiting lists
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk