1. Mr. Andy StewartTo ask the Secretary of State for Health by how much the number of support staff for general practitioners has changed since 1979.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Mr. Stephen Dorrell)The number of staff in England covered by the practice staff scheme has risen from 20,100 in 1979 to 44,800 at October 1990. That represents an increase of 123 per cent.
Mr. StewartI thank my hon. Friend for that valuable information, which belies the suggestion by Opposition Members that we are cutting services in the national health service. How many practice nurses are there in the Nottingham health authority area and how do they help patients?
§ Mr. DorrellMy hon. Friend is right that it gives the lie to the suggestion that we are cutting the service. It also emphasises the extent to which we are investing in primary health care. My hon. Friend will be interested to know that we now employ 164 practice nurses in Nottinghamshire and that the family health services authority that covers Ribble Valley employs 84 practice nurses— an increase of 290 per cent. since 1985.