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30 Jun 2003 : Column 164W—continued

Neurology Services

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many neurology training places leading to consultant posts were available in England in each of the last five years. [118999]

Mr. Hutton: The table shows the number of hospital medical staff in the training grades with a specialty in neurology from 1997 to September 2001.

The number of consultants in neurology has increased from 278 in September 1997 to 372 in March 2002, an increase of 34 per cent.

Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): Hospital medical staff, in the training grades with a specialty in neurology; 1997–2001, EnglandNumbers (headcount)

	Registrar group	Senior house officers	Houseofficers
1997	159	141	10
1998	149	119	7
1999	162	115	8
2000	151	115	9
2001	162	122	1

⁽³¹⁾ Data as at 30 September each year

Source:

Department of Health medical and dental workforce census

NHS Pay Beds

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pay beds there are within each individual NHS hospital; who makes the decision about the number of pay beds in each hospital; and if he will make a statement. [120055]

Mr. Hutton: The Department does not collect information on the number of beds in national health service hospitals used wholly or partly for the treatment of private patients. Information on the number of beds in dedicated private patient units in NHS hospitals is collated by Laing and Buisson Ltd. and published in Laing's Healthcare Market Review 2002–03. It is for the NHS trust responsible for the management of each hospital to decide the extent to which private patient services are provided in that hospital, but the national health service and Community Care Act 1990 provides that trusts may not offer private patient services if they would to any significant extent interfere with the performance by the trust of its NHS obligations.

NHS Staff

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) hospital consultants in the NHS and (b) in England were aged (i) under 30, (ii) 30–40, (iii) 40–50, (iv) 50–60 and (v) over 60 in each year since 1992, broken down by region. [120440]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

The number of consultants practising in the national health service has increased by 50 per cent. since 1992 and the age profile of the consultant work force has become younger.

30 Jun 2003 : Column 165W

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole-time-equivalent (a) general practitioners, excluding GP retainers and registrars and (b) hospital consultants there were per 100,000 population in each year since 1997. [120442]

Mr. Hutton: The number of whole-time-equivalents ¹ for (a) general practitioners excluding general practitioner retainers and registrars ² and (b) hospital consultants per 100,000 population in each year since 1997 in England ³ is shown in the table.

¹ All Practitioners WTE data has been estimated using the results from the 1992–93 GMP Workload Survey; Full time =1.00 wte; three quarter time =0.69 wte; job share =0.65 wte; half time =0.60 wte.

² All Practitioners (excluding GP Retainers and GP Registrars) includes Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents, Restricted Principals, Assistants, Salaried Doctors and PMS Other.

³ Consultant England totals do not equal the sum of component parts as they include consultants working for special hospitals, the national blood authority and public health laboratory service.

Whole-time-equivalents

	General practitioners	Hospital consultants
1997	54.3	40.3
1998	54.4	41.8
1999	54.4	43.6
2000	54.2	45.1
2001	54.1	46.7

30 Jun 2003 : Column 166W

Note: All Practitioners data as at 1 October 1997–99 and 30 September 2000–01. Consultants data as at 30 September each year. Source: Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics. Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census. ONS 2001 Census based resident population estimates.

Compared to 1997 the number of GPs (excluding GP registrars and GP retainers) has increased by 904 or 3.2 per cent. In addition, those entering training as GP registrars has risen by 565 or 42.1 per cent., since 1997.

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many junior doctors there were in (a) South Tyneside, (b) the North East and (c) the UK in each year since 1997. [120582]

Mr. Hutton: The table shows the number of doctors in training in England and the North East which covers the two strategic health authorities of County Durham and Tees Valley and Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and South Tyneside Healthcare national health service trust in each year since 1997. Information on Scotland and Wales are matters for the devolved administrations. While the institutions in Northern Ireland are dissolved, responsibility rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.

The number of doctors in training in England increased by 8 per cent. between September 1997 and September 2001.

Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): Doctors in training⁽³²⁾ in England, the North East and South Tyneside Healthcare NHS Trust as at 30 September 1997–2001Number (headcount)

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
England	30,313	30,848	31,527	31,922	32,792
of which:
County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic Health Authority Area	586	606	658	659	667
Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority Area	1,150	1,028	1,194	1,270	1,282
of which:
South Tyneside Healthcare NHS Trust	73	63	78	97	161

⁽³²⁾ The figures in this table refer to staff in the HCHS sector only and thus exclude GP registrars on the vocational part of their training

Note:

Doctors in training includes the Registrar Group, House Officers (HOs) and Senior House Officers (SHOs)

Source:

Department of Health medical and dental workforce census

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each NHS trust how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses there were six years ago; and how many there are now. [120717]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps are being taken to reduce (a) incidences of violence to staff, (b) accidents to staff and (c) levels of sickness absence in the NHS; and if he will make a statement; [120631]

(2) what plans there are to standardise awareness and reporting of (a) violence to staff, (b) accidents to staff and (c) levels of sickness absence in NHS trusts; and if he will make a statement. [120632]

Mr. Hutton: The Department has issued a wide range of guidance on violence towards staff, staff accidents and also management of sickness absence in the national health service that should be followed by NHS trusts. The Department will reinforce this message in new guidance to be produced in the autumn of 2003. The National Audit Office (NAO) report, "A Safer Place to Work—Improving the Management of Health and Safety risks to staff in NHS Trusts", shows that the guidance is working, as the number of serious accidents reported by NHS trusts to the Health and Safety Executive have decreased by 25 per cent., over the last five years.

From 1 April 2003, the Counter Fraud and Security Management Service will take over lead responsibility for tackling violence against NHS staff and will be leading a programme of work in 2003–04 to consider how best to implement the recommendations contained in the NAO's recent report. These include

30 Jun 2003 : Column 167W

recommendations to improve the risk assessment process, to standardise the training staff receive, to deal with violence and ensuring that NHS employing organisations are managing the problem of violence within a clear legal framework.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses employed in the NHS have refugee status. [120375]

Mr. Hutton: The Department does not collect data on the number of doctors and nurses employed in the national health service with refugee status.

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Nurses

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole time equivalent nurses there were, and how many there were per 100,000 population in the NHS in (a) England and (b) each region in each year since 1997. [120444]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table.

In September 2001, there were 277,330 whole time equivalent qualified nurses. This represents 564 per 100,000 population and an increase of 8 per cent. since 1997.

All qualified nurses in hospitals and primary care, including Practice Nurses employed by Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents (UPEs)⁽³³⁾ per head of population, in England (by 2001 regions); 1997–2001whole time equivalent

	1997		1998		1999
Region	All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses	All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses per 100,000 of population	All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses	All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses per 100,000 of population	All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses	All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses per100,000 of population
England	256,093	528	257,597	529	261,340	535
Northern and Yorkshire	34,844	559	35,045	563	35,866	577
Trent	26,216	518	26,546	524	27,060	534
West Midlands	26,804	510	27,573	524	27,498	522
North West	37,932	585	38,018	587	38,742	600
Eastern	21,838	414	22,142	417	22,481	421
London	44,050	636	43,651	626	44,333	630
South East	38,287	452	38,123	448	38,587	450
South West	24,506	509	24,822	512	25,099	515

⁽³³⁾ UPEs include CMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs.

Note:

HCHS data as at 30 September each year

Practice nurse data as at 1 October 1997–99 and 30 September 2000–01

England totals do not equal the sum of component parts as they include HCHS nurses working for Special Health Authorities.

Figures exclude learners and agency staff.

Source:

Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.

2001 ONS Population Census

All qualified nurses in hospitals and primary care, including Practice Nurses employed by Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents (UPEs)⁽³⁴⁾ per head of population, in England (by 2001 regions); 1997–2001whole time equivalent

	2000		2001
Region	All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses	All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses per 100,000 of population	Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses	All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses per 100,000 of population
England	266,987	545	277,334	564
Northern and Yorkshire	37,015	596	38,459	618
Trent	27,454	541	28,003	550
West Midlands	28,032	533	29,469	559
North West	39,678	615	40,716	631
Eastern	23,758	442	25,214	467
London	44,727	630	46,870	652
South East	39,012	453	41,008	475
South West	25,531	520	26,630	540

⁽³⁴⁾ UPEs include CMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs.

Note:

HCHS data as at 30 September each year

Practice Nurse data as at 1 October 1997–99 and 30 September 2000–01

England totals do not equal the sum of component parts as they include HCHS nurses working for Special Health Authorities.

Figures exclude learners and agency staff.

Source:

Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.

2001 ONS Population Census

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