Mr. Wellsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing for the years 1961, 1971 and 1981 the total number of patients treated as in-patients in hospitals in England and Wales in each year, the numbers of nurses, other staff in contact with patients and administrators in each of those years together with the average hours worked by each category and their average gross pay, adjusted for inflation.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergFull information in the form requested in not available. The only complete staff group (other than doctors and nurses) which it is possible to identify as coming into contact with patients as part of normal duty is that comprising professions supplementary to medicine (PSMs). Information about average hours worked for the staff groups specified, including PSMs, is not available but details are given in the following table of the basic working week. Information about average gross pay is available only for 1981.
Thousands 1961 1971 1980 In-patients treated (recorded as number of discharges and deaths) 4,269 5,494 6,036 Note: Figures for 1980 are the latest available.
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NHS Directly Employed Staff: England and Wales (30 September) 1961* 1971* 1981 Whole Time Equivalents Nursing and Midwifery (i) number of staff† ‡212,700 ‡304,900 ≑1417,600 (ii) basic hours 44 42 37½ (iii) average gross pay N/A N/A £5,522 PSMs (i) number of staff 9,800 14,700 ¶30,110 (ii) basic hours (range) 33–42 33–38 33–37 (iii) average gross pay N/A N/A £6,698 Adminstrative and Clericals• (i) number of staff 35,300 50,900 114,900 (ii) basic hours 38 38 37 (iii) average gross pay N/A N/A £5,000 Notes: * Figures relate to the hospital service and are therefore not comparable with the figures for 1981 which relate to the hospital and community health services.
† Between 1961 and 1981 the length of the working week was reduced several times, but no adjustment has been made for these reductions.
‡ Numbers; whole-time equivalent figures not recorded.
≑ Includes agency staff.
¶ This figure relates to 1980, since 1981 figures for PSMs are not yet available.
• Staff covered by the A and C Staffs Whitley Council which will include significant numbers of people in direct contact with patients and/or in direct support of clinical staff.