Problems and priorities of plastic surgical waiting list initiative schemes: an audit.

According to figures published by the College of Health, 34,837 patients were waiting for in-patient plastic surgery treatment nationwide in 1986. By 1989 this number had increased to 40,085--an increase of 15%. Out of this waiting list, nearly 2000 patients were waiting in Manchester in 1990. Increasing public concern over the length of surgical waiting lists forced the Government to allocate extra resources to reduce both waiting lists and waiting times. We have reviewed the extra work done on a waiting list initiative scheme in Manchester in one year, from 1 August 1990 to 31 July 1991. The waiting list was reduced by 932 patients in one year. The attendance rate of the patients for surgery was excellent and the patients in general were very grateful for having had the treatment. The problems associated with setting us such schemes are enormous and are discussed in detail, with alternative suggestions for preventing waiting lists from building up again in future.