asked the Minister for Health the number of people who are waiting for hip replacement operations; and the average waiting period for same.
Written Answers. - Hip Replacement Operations.
15.
The information available to my Department indicates that there are something under 2,000 patients on waiting lists for total hip replacements. A figure for the average waiting period for such operations nationally is not readily available to my Department.
I should point out that waiting lists are of themselves very unreliable as a gauge of how well a particular service is operating. Waiting lists for in-patients include: (a) patients presenting for first time treatment and those receiving continuing care; and (b) patients who may be on one, or more than one, consultant's list for the same condition.
Waiting lists are also distorted by different consultants' policies on whether patients who are unlikely to be operated on, or patients who do not currently but will in the near future, require admission are added to the lists or not. Waiting lists have been a feature of health services in this and other countries over the years.