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27 Feb 2008 : Column 1743W—continued
Information is not available in this format for previous years.
Doctors: Foreign Nationals
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many European doctors have sought work in the United Kingdom since the implementation of the EU Professional Qualifications Directive for Health Professionals in October 2007. [186639]
Ann Keen: The number of European doctors who have sought work in the United Kingdom is not collected centrally. However, for information the General Medical Council will be able to identify the number of European doctors who have applied for UK registration. The last workforce census showed that there were a total of 7,261 qualified medical staff working in the national health service from the European Economic Area as at 30 September 2006.
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what safeguards are in place to ensure that European doctors applying for hospital posts in the United Kingdom are able to communicate in English and are fit to practise, following the implementation of the EU Professional Qualifications Directive for Health Professionals; [186641]
(2) what criteria are used to assess whether European doctors applying for hospital posts in the United Kingdom are fit to practise following the implementation of the EU Professional Qualifications Directive for Health Professionals; [186642]
(3) what mechanisms are in place to support European doctors working in the UK without the required language and communications standards and competencies; and how such support is funded. [186643]
Ann Keen: The Department's code of practice for the International Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals, which covers recruitment from inside and outside the European economic area, emphasises that all international healthcare professionals should have the appropriate level of English language to enable them to undertake their role effectively and that they should be registered with the relevant regulatory body. The General Medical Council are responsible for assuring themselves that a doctor is fit to practise before granting registration.
In addition NHS Employers' guidance makes clear that
“It is important to remember that all international healthcare professionals need to demonstrate their communication skills... the employer should satisfy themselves of a candidate's ability to communicate to the required standard for the post.”
All applicants for foundation programmes or specialty registrar training opportunities are required to demonstrate competence in the English language.
It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that any concerns about a doctor's competence are addressed.
The European Union Professional Qualifications Directive has not changed the position in relation to European doctors qualifications, or English language competence on entering the United Kingdom.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many foreign nationals were employed as doctors by the NHS in (a) 2007 and (b) each of the previous 10 years; [187158]
(2) what percentage of NHS doctors were EU nationals in the last five years; [187159]
(3) what percentage of doctors working in the NHS were non-EU foreign nationals in 2007; [187160]
(4) what percentage of doctors working in the NHS were UK nationals in the most recent period for which figures are available; [187161]
(5) what percentage of doctors who migrated to the United Kingdom were EU nationals in the last five years. [187156]
Ann Keen: The national health service work force census does not collect the nationality of NHS Staff; it does however collect the country of primary qualification. The available information is shown in the following tables. The publication of the 2007 figures is provisionally planned for this March.
| HCHS: Medical and Dental staff( 1,2) and GPs (excluding retainers)( 3,4) by country of primary qualification —England | ||||||||||
| Numbers (headcount) | ||||||||||
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |
| (1) Excludes medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals. (2) Medical and dental data as at 30 September each year. (3) General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers) includes GP providers, GP others and GP registrars. (4) GP data as at 1 October 1997-99, 30 September 2000-06. (5) Qualified outside the UK consists of those staff which qualified within the remaining EEA and elsewhere in the world. (6) Information about HCHS staff country of qualification is derived from the General Medical Council. Therefore the country of qualification in shown as unknown for all staff in dental specialties with a General Dental Council registration. Sources: 1. The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census 2. The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics | ||||||||||
Doctors: Vacancies
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many posts were available for trainee (a) doctors and (b) physiotherapists in the NHS in each of the last five years. [185317]
Ann Keen: The number of places available for trainee doctors in the national health service was not collected centrally prior to 2007. In 2007, 5,020 foundation programmes were filled through the Medical Training Service in England. This was in addition to posts that were filled locally.
In 2008, 5,900 places on Foundation Programmes in England have been advertised on the Application Modernising Medical Careers Service. In addition, approximately 300 academic programmes have been recruited to separately.
There are no trainee places for physiotherapists in the NHS. The number of qualified physiotherapists employed in the NHS is 19,820 (as at 30 September 2006) this is an increase of 5,577 or 39 per cent. since September 1997.
Drugs: Rehabilitation
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2008, Official Report, column 670W, on drugs: rehabilitation, what definition of in treatment is used in the answer. [189169]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 26 February 2008]: The figures given in the answer of 19 February 2008, Official Report, column 670W, are taken from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS). NDTMS is a data collection system used to maintain treatment activity.
The definition used by the treatment providers submitting data to NDTMS is contained within the Models of Care guidance document is as follows:
“... a range of interventions that are intended to remedy an identified drug-related problem or condition relating to a person's physical, psychological or social (including legal) well-being. This data should include:
drug misusers being treated/assessed/referred for tier 3 or 4 services;
(substitute/detox prescribing, structured counselling, structured day care programme, other psychotherapeutic interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy and motivational interventions, residential rehabilitation or community-based aftercare programmes);
those referred from the criminal justice system;
drug misusers in treatment who are resident in the drug action team area regardless of where they are being treated;
all drug misusers for whom a service is provided, irrespective of setting and funding (but excluding drug misusers treated in prison). This will include drug misusers receiving services from national health service, voluntary and private residential and non-residential drug treatment agencies as well as general practitioners treating drug misusers.
Structured drug treatment follows assessment and is delivered according to a care plan, with clear goals, which is regularly reviewed with the client.”
Source:
Models of Care for the Treatment of Adult Drug Misusers (National Treatment Agency, 2002).
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