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Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Volume 472: debated on Wednesday 27 February 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average hospital waiting times were in (a) Cornwall, (b) the south west and (c) England for each specialty in each year since 1997. (186915)

The information is shown in the following tables.

Inpatient median waiting times, Commissioner Basis (Cornwall Area)

Organisation: Cornwall and Isles of Scilly primary care trust (PCT): median waiting time for elective admission

Weeks

Specialty

Period ending March 2007

General surgery

7.2

Urology

6.1

Trauma AND Orthopaedics

7.4

Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)

8.2

Ophthalmology

7.2

Oral surgery

7.4

Oral and Maxillo Facial Surgery

8.4

Neurosurgery

8.9

Plastic surgery

9.4

Cardiothoracic surgery

4.2

General medicine

n/a

Gastroenterology

n/a

Cardiology

4.6

Dermatology

5.2

Thoracic medicine

n/a

Genito-urinary medicine

n/a

Clinical Neuro-Physiology

n/a

Rheumatology

n/a

Paediatrics

n/a

Geriatric medicine

n/a

Gynaecology

7.2

All specialties

7.0

West of Cornwall PCT: median waiting time for elective admission

Weeks

Period ending

Specialty

March 2006

March 2005

March 2004

March 2003

General surgery

6.0

6.9

9.1

8.7

Urology

6.6

9.2

9.4

10.4

Trauma and Orthopaedics

10.9

11.9

15.0

18.2

ENT

8.5

7.7

11.6

12.8

Ophthalmology

5.2

6.1

10.3

20.6

Oral surgery

8.2

8.9

8.9

7.5

Neurosurgery

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Plastic surgery

9.8

16.2

16.9

22.3

Cardiothoracic surgery

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Endocrinology

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Cardiology

7.6

8.2

10.8

n/a

Dermatology

6.3

4.2

8.1

7.8

Gynaecology

8.5

8.0

10.7

14.5

Neuropathology

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

All specialties

7.9

8.8

11.0

12.8

North and East Cornwall PCT: Median waiting time for elective admission

Weeks

Period ending

Specialty

March 2006

March 2005

March 2004

March 2003

General surgery

9.0

9.9

11.4

15.2

Urology

6.1

8.2

10.4

10.5

Trauma and Orthopaedics

11.2

12.5

14.7

19.6

ENT

10.5

14.3

17.6

19.6

Ophthalmology

5.7

5.3

9.6

20.7

Oral surgery

8.2

9.9

10.0

9.9

Neurosurgery

n/a

n/a

9.5

n/a

Plastic surgery

10.3

13.2

17.4

19.9

Cardiothoracic surgery

n/a

n/a

10.7

n/a

Endocrinology

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Cardiology

8.0

10.8

10.7

10.1

Dermatology

7.4

9.9

9.1

n/a

Gynaecology

7.8

7.8

12.7

14.4

Neuropathology

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

All specialties

8.5

10.1

12.2

16.8

Central Cornwall PCT: Median waiting time for elective admission

Weeks

Period ending

Specialty

March 2006

March 2005

March 2004

March 2003

General surgery

7.9

9.8

11.4

12.8

Urology

7.3

7.4

9.3

10.7

Trauma and Orthopaedics

10.7

12.7

15.2

18.0

ENT

9.7

8.0

11.9

13.4

Ophthalmology

6.1

5.8

10.4

17.9

Oral surgery

8.0

8.0

8.6

7.8

Neurosurgery

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Plastic surgery

10.7

17.6

16.5

22.3

Cardiothoracic surgery

n/a

n/a

10.6

13.2

Endocrinology

6.6

n/a

n/a

n/a

Cardiology

4.1

7.7

10.8

n/a

Dermatology

n/a

3.4

7.2

8.3

Gynaecology

8.5

7.5

10.7

13.3

Neuropathology

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

All specialties

8.1

9.2

11.6

14.3

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly health authority: median waiting time for elective admission

Weeks

Period ending

Specialty

March 2002

March 2001

March 2000

March 1999

March 1998

March 1997

General surgery

12.2

13.1

11.5

11.1

12.0

10.6

Urology

11.7

13.2

10.5

12.5

11.7

11.4

Trauma and Orthopaedics

20.1

21.1

18.2

16.3

17.2

13.5

ENT

15.7

12.8

15.6

22.6

22.4

15.0

Ophthalmology

20.4

17.9

19.6

17.3

19.4

17.7

Oral surgery

7.8

8.7

11.2

16.5

13.5

12.3

Neurosurgery

14.9

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Plastic surgery

17.8

18.5

20.3

20.8

13.5

14.7

Cardiothoracic surgery

20.3

20.0

22.8

24.0

17.5

13.3

Gastroenterology

n/a

n/a

n/a

8.7

16.1

9.8

Cardiology

17.0

20.3

28.3

19.2

13.9

14.6

Dermatology

8.0

7.9

7.7

7.3

7.1

7.0

Gynaecology

12.6

11.6

12.6

11.6

14.0

13.0

All Specialties

15.6

15.6

14.6

14.9

15.4

12.9

Notes:

1. The figures show the median waiting times for patients still waiting for admission at the end of the period stated. Inpatient waiting times are measured from decision to admit by the consultant to admission to hospital.

2. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits. In particular, specialties with low numbers waiting are prone to fluctuations in the median. This should be taken into account when interpreting the data.

3. Medians are not provided for inpatients not seen with total of less than 50 because this population is too small for a statistically meaningful median to be calculated so a n/a shown in that case.

4. Up to March 2002, Cornwall and Isles of Stilly health authority was in existence. From April 2002 up to the end of September 2006, West of Cornwall PCT, North and East Cornwall PCT and Central Cornwall PCT represented the area. From October 2006 onwards these three trusts were merged to form Cornwall and Isles of Stilly PCT. Source:

QF01