§ Mr. Moyleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the cost of training a person to maintain a renal dialysis machine; and how long such training takes.
Dr. VanghanTechnicians employed in maintaining dialysis machines are recruited from those with a general qualification in engineering—usually at ordinary national certificate level. Training is provided on the job and takes about a year to complete. Information from which its cost could be estimated is not available.
§ Mr. Moyleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the cost of training a nurse to work in renal dialysis; and what is the period of time such training takes.
§ Dr. VaughanAny registered nurse appointed to a dialysis unit can be given in-service training there. The nurse would be a full member of the nursing team; while the additional cost of the training is not quantifiable, it would be small. Specialist courses are also approved by the joint board of clinical nursing studies and last 24 weeks for renal nursing and 40 weeks for renal and urological nursing. No recent figures on the cost of joint board of clinical nursing studies courses are available, but an estimate in 1976 suggested that the average cost of training, excluding the student's salary and other costs not directly attributable to training, was then about £17 per week.
§ Mr. Moyleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has consulted the Birmingham area health authority (teaching) concerning the non-use of some kidney machines because of lack of trained staff; and what has been the outcome of the consultations.
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§ Dr. VaughanI understand that it is unlikely that the Birmingham area health authority (teaching) will be able to bring these machines into use in the immediate future, not least because the authority is experiencing considerable difficulty in recruiting and retaining sufficient trained nurses to staff the machines already in operation. The further expansion of renal dialysis in Birmingham will depend on the availability of staff and the authority's ability to allocate sufficient resources in the light of competing demands.