48
asked the Minister of Health how many women are on the waiting lists for gynæcological treatment for repair of prolapse; the average period of waiting; and what is being done to provide more speedy treatment for such cases.
The information asked for in the first two parts of the Question is not available, but the number of beds allocated to this work and the number of patients treated by the hospital service since 1949 have steadily increased.
Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that bodies like the
| Hospital | Bed Complement | Staffed Beds | Nursing and Midwifery Staff | |||
| Whole-time | Part-time | |||||
| St. Mary's, Paddington | … | … | 485 | 447 | 448 | 4 |
| University College Hospital | … | … | 721 | 705 | 801 | 4 |
| St. Charles' Hospital | … | … | 529 | 449 | 192 | 19 |
| Paddington Hospital | … | … | 564 | 509 | 254 | 38 |
| Queen Charlotte's Hospital | … | … | 161 | 161 | 160 | 8 |
National Birthday Trust Fund, which have studied this subject, are alarmed at the fact that the number of cases also seems to be on the increase, and at the apparent lack of facilities when dealing with this rather serious question?
It is true that there is a slight increase in the waiting list, but the waiting time, which is a great deal more important, has, in fact, been steadily reduced recently because of the greatly increased turnover in these cases. However, I quite agree that it is a most important and serious matter, and I am watching it.