HC Deb 10 November 1980 vol 992 cc74-5W
Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many consultant posts are unfilled in the West Midlands; what percentage of the establishment this represents; and if he will list the specialties where posts are unfilled.

Sir George Young

The latest complete information available centrally on vacant consultant posts relates to 30 September 1979 when there were 56 consultant posts, representing just under 5 per cent. of total filled and unfilled posts, without a permanent holder in medical specialities in the West Midlands region. The unfilled posts were in the following specialties:

General Medicine 1
Paediatrics 3
Diseases of the chest 5
Dermatology 2
Rheumatology and rehabilitation 1
Genito-urinary medicine 1
Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics 1
Geriatric medicine 1
Clinical neuro-physiology 1
General surgery 1
Ear, nose and throat 4
Traumatics and orthorpaedic surgery 1
Ophthalmology 2
Radiotheraphy 3
Plastic surgery 1
Mental illness 1
Child and adolescent psychiatry 3
Psychotherapy 2
General pathology 1
Histopathology 2
Medical microbology 3
Radiology 3
Anaesthetics 11