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Hip Replacements

Volume 457: debated on Monday 5 March 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients in Northern Ireland referred for hip replacement surgery had their operation outside Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. (124688)

The information requested is not held centrally and will take some time to collate. I will write to the hon. Gentleman with the relevant information as soon as it becomes available and place a copy in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients referred for hip replacement surgery failed to attend for their operation in (a) Musgrave Park hospital, (b) the Ulster Hospital, (c) Royal Victoria hospital, (d) Lagan Valley hospital, (e) Belfast City hospital and (f) the Mater hospital in each of the last five years. (124689)

Over the last five years, Musgrave Park hospital and Altnagelvin Area hospital have been the only hospitals in Northern Ireland that routinely admit elective patients for hip replacement surgery.

The following table shows the number of patients who have cancelled their operation and those who did not attend for their operation at Musgrave Park hospital.

Cancelled

Did not attend

Total

2001-02

64

2

66

2002-03

58

1

59

2003-04

53

2

55

2004-05

83

1

84

2005-06

86

3

89

Source: Green Park Healthcare HSS Trust

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many hip replacement operations were carried out on patients aged between (a) 40 and 50 years, (b) 51 and 60 years, (c) 61 and 70 years and (d) 71 and 80 years in (i) Musgrave Park Hospital, (ii) the Ulster Hospital, (iii) Royal Victoria Hospital, (iv) Lagan Valley Hospital, (v) Belfast City Hospital and (vi) the Mater Hospital in each of the last five years. (124690)

The following table details the approximate number of individuals1, in each of the defined age groups, who received a hip replacement operation in selected hospitals in Northern Ireland, during each year between 2001-02 and 2005-06 (the latest year for which data are available). No such operations were recorded in the Belfast City or Mater hospitals during these years.

For the hospitals specified, Musgrave Park hospital is the only hospital that routinely admits elective patients for hip replacement surgery. For the other hospitals listed, some emergency hip replacement operations were undertaken at the Ulster, Royal Victoria and the Lagan Valley hospitals for the age groups in question.

1 Individuals have been approximated using date of birth, postcode and sex.

Hospital

Age group

Musgrave Park

Ulster

Royal Victoria

Lagan Valley

2005-06

40-49

45

1

5

0

50-59

182

7

19

0

60-69

420

14

51

0

70-79

424

62

158

0

2004-05

40-49

65

1

3

0

50-59

181

1

11

0

60-69

386

13

38

0

70-79

453

53

168

0

2003-04

40-49

52

0

2

0

50-59

134

4

14

0

60-69

331

12

60

0

70-79

347

74

189

0

2002-03

40-49

35

1

3

0

50-59

134

4

10

0

60-69

361

17

35

1

70-79

354

53

169

0

2001-02

40-49

37

0

2

0

50-59

122

5

9

0

60-69

330

16

44

0

70-79

347

71

169

0

Source: Hospital In-patient System.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how patients waited up to (a) six months, (b) 12 months, (c) 18 months and (d) 36 months or more for (i) an assessment for hip replacement surgery and (ii) the surgery itself in (A) Musgrave Park hospital, (B) the Ulster hospital, (C) Royal Victoria hospital, (D) Lagan Valley hospital, (E) Belfast City hospital and (F) the Mater hospital in each of the last five years; and how many such operations were carried out in each hospital in each year. (124691)

Over the last five years, Musgrave Park hospital and Altnagelvin Area hospital have been the only hospitals in Northern Ireland that routinely admit elective patients for hip replacement surgery.

The following table shows the number of patients who have waited for an outpatient assessment for hip replacement surgery by time-band at Musgrave Park hospital.

Patients who waited

More than six months

More than 12 months

More than 18 months

More than 36 months

2001-02

400

164

72

0

2002-03

429

140

77

7

2003-04

294

73

41

9

2004-05

583

231

144

60

2005-06

1,683

453

212

28

Source: Green Park Healthcare HSS Trust

The following table shows the number of patients who have waited for hip replacement surgery by time-band at Musgrave Park hospital.

Patients who waited

More than six months

More than 12 months

More than 18 months

More than 36 months

2001-02

1,336

521

175

4

2002-03

1,582

682

212

29

2003-04

1,712

1,006

415

9

2004-05

2,094

935

189

12

2005-06

1,742

502

142

13

Source: Green Park Healthcare HSS Trust

The following table shows the number of hip replacement procedures that where carried out at Musgrave Park hospital.

Number of procedures carried out

2001-02

1,035

2002-03

1,101

2003-04

1,047

2004-05

1,300

2005-06

1,260

Source: Hospital inpatient system

I have set targets to ensure that no patient waits longer than 26 weeks for a first outpatient appointment by 31 March 2007, reducing to 13 weeks by March 2008, and no longer than six months for surgery by 31 March 2007, reducing to 21 weeks by March 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average waiting time for a patient requiring a hip replacement following a GP referral for (a) assessment and (b) hip replacement surgery in Northern Ireland was in the last period for which figures are available. (124692)

Currently, Musgrave Park hospital and Altnagelvin Area hospital are the only hospitals in Northern Ireland that routinely admit elective patients for hip replacement surgery.

(a) The average waiting time at Musgrave Park hospital, for a patient requiring a hip replacement following a GP referral for assessment, at the 31 December 2006 was 160 days.

At Altnagelvin Area hospital outpatient assessments are recorded by specialty rather than condition. In the case of hip replacements, Altnagelvin Area hospital record these assessments under the trauma and orthopaedics specialty. This specialty will include a number of orthopaedic conditions affecting, for example, shoulders, knees, ankles etc. It is therefore not possible to calculate the average waiting time specifically for a hip replacement assessment at Altnagelvin Area hospital. Altnagelvin Area hospital is able to say that 91 per cent. of patients waiting under the trauma and orthopaedic specialty were waiting eight months or less at 31 December 2006.

(b) The average waiting time at Musgrave Park hospital, for a patient requiring a hip replacement surgery following a referral, at 31 December 2006 was 94 days.

The average waiting time at Altnagelvin Area hospital, for a patient requiring a hip replacement surgery following a referral, at the 31 December 2006 was approximately seven months.

I have set targets to ensure that no patient waits longer than 26 weeks for a first outpatient appointment by 31 March 2007, reducing to 13 weeks by March 2008, and no longer than six months for surgery by 31 March 2007, reducing to 21 weeks by March 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many hip replacement operations were carried out on patients of 80 years and above in the (a) Musgrave Park Hospital, (b) Ulster Hospital, (c) Royal Victoria Hospital, (e) Lagan Valley Hospital, (f) Belfast City Hospital and (g) Mater Hospital in each of the last five years. (125341)

The following table details the approximate number of individuals1, aged 80 years and above, who received a hip replacement operation in selected hospitals in Northern Ireland, during each year between 2001-02 and 2005-06 (the latest year for which data are available). No such operations were recorded in the Lagan Valley, Belfast City or Mater hospitals during these years.

For the hospitals specified, Musgrave Park hospital is the only hospital that routinely admits elective patients for hip replacement surgery. For the other hospitals listed, some emergency hip replacement operations were undertaken at the Ulster and Royal Victoria hospitals for the age group in question.

1 Individuals have been approximated using date of birth, postcode and sex.

Hospital

Age group

Musgrave Park

Ulster

Royal Victoria

2005-06

80 and over

152

159

280

2004-05

80 and over

155

130

283

2003-04

80 and over

151

138

305

2002-03

80 and over

167

99

277

2001-02

80 and over

143

136

254

Source: Hospital In-patient System.