Health written question – answered at on 24 January 2008.
Andrew Dismore
Labour, Hendon
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time was in the Barnet Primary Care Trust area for (i) operations for (A) cataracts, (B) heart disease, (C) hip replacement, (ii) cancer, (iii) an MRI scan and (iv) a CT scan in (1) 2006-07, (2) 2007-08 to date and (3) 1997; in each category of treatment how many procedures were conducted; and if he will make a statement.
Ben Bradshaw
Minister of State (Regional Affairs) (South West), The Minister of State, Department of Health
The following tables show the average (median) and longest waiting times and total admissions in the Barnet Primary Care Trust (PCT) area for the trauma and orthopaedic speciality (including hip replacements) the ophthalmology speciality (including cataract surgery), and the cardiothoracic speciality (including heart surgery) for 2006-07, 2007-08 to date and 1996-97, and waiting times and total activity for MRI and CT scans for 2006-07, 2007-08 to date. Figures for waiting times and activity for MRI and CT scans in 1997 is not available.
Statistics on average waiting times for cancer patients and average waiting times for different types of cancer treatment are not collected centrally. Cancer waiting times' standards of a maximum wait of 31 days from diagnosis to first cancer treatment, and a maximum wait of 62 days from urgent referral for suspected cancer to first cancer treatment were introduced for all cancer patients from December 2005. In the last quarter (July to September 2007) national performance against these standards was 99.7 per cent. and 97.2 per cent. respectively. This information is not available by individual PCTs.
Today waiting times are at a record low; patients can expect a maximum 13 week wait for their first out-patient appointment and a maximum six month wait for an operation.
Latest data show that over half of admitted patients (patients who require admission to hospital for treatment) and over three quarters of non-admitted patients are treated within 18 weeks.
| In-patient waiting statistics concerning the trauma and orthopaedic specialty for the Barnet PCT area | |||||
| Month ending | Area | Median waiting time (weeks) | Longest wait | Total admissions | |
| 2007-08 | September | Barnet PCT | 7.3 | 22-23 weeks | 2,701 |
| 2006-07 | March | Barnet PCT | 7.1 | 22-23 weeks | 2,747 |
| 1996-97 | March | Barnet HA | 18.0 | 18-20 months | 1,825 |
| In-patient waiting statistics concerning the cardiothoracic surgery specialty for the Barnet PCT area | |||||
| Month ending | Area | Median waiting time (weeks) | Longest wait | Total admissions | |
| 2007-08 | September | Barnet PCT | n/a | 10-11 weeks | 49 |
| 2006-07 | March | Barnet PCT | n/a | 8-9 weeks | 162 |
| 1996-97 | March | Barnet HA | 13.76 | 9-11 months | 283 |
| In-patient waiting statistics concerning the ophthalmology specialty for the Barnet PCT area | |||||
| Month ending | Area | Median waiting time (weeks) | Longest wait | Total admissions | |
| 2007-08 | September | Barnet PCT | 5 | 22-23 weeks | 979 |
| 2006-07 | March | Barnet PCT | 5.5 | 25-26 weeks | 1,691 |
| 1996-97 | March | Barnet HA | 14.32 | 12-14 months | 1,484 |
| Diagnostic waiting statistics concerning MRI scans in the Barnet PCT area | |||||
| Month ending | Area | Median waiting time (weeks) | Longest wait | Total activity | |
| 2007-08 | October | Barnet PCT | 2.8 | 12-13 weeks | 3,914 |
| 2006-07 | March | Barnet PCT | 4.5 | 31-32 weeks | 4,928 |
| Diagnostic waiting statistics concerning CT scans in the Barnet PCT a rea | |||||
| Month ending | Area | Median waiting time (weeks) | Longest wait | Total activity | |
| 2007-08 | October | Barnet PCT | 2.4 | 12-13 weeks | 5,394 |
| 2006-07 | March | Barnet PCT | 3.2 | 11-12 weeks | 8,011 |
| Notes: 1. The data are reported as a snapshot at a point in time. For this purpose the latest available period within the financial year is used. 2. The figures for trauma and orthopaedics, cardiothoracic and ophthalmology specialities show the median waiting times for patients still waiting for admission at the end of the period stated. In-patient waiting times are measure from decision to admit by the consultant to admission to hospital. 3. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits. This should be taken into account when interpreting the data. 4. The parliamentary question states heart, hip and cataract operations. These are sub-sets of the cardiothoracic, trauma and orthopaedic and ophthalmology specialities respectively. 5. Data are not collected for the 1997 period for MRI and CT scan waiting times. 6. For the cardiothoracic speciality, when there is less than 50 waiters in the category, no median has been calculated as the small data set may lead to statistical inaccuracies. 7. Activity numbers are provided for MRI and CT scans, and admission data are provided for the trauma and orthopaedics, cardiothoracic and ophthalmology specialities. These terms both directly relate to the number of procedures undertaken. | |||||
Yes4 people think so
No2 people think not
Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.
