HC Deb 04 July 1988 vol 136 cc447-8W
Ms. Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many nurses with special skills required for children's intensive care are employed in each of the regional health authorities, and by hospital; how many posts are funded, region by region; and how many of those are currently unfilled;

(2) what he has done to encourage trained children's intensive care nurses who have left the profession to return; how many of those currently employed have returned; and what special arrangements have been agreed to provide transport, flexible working hours and child care facilities.

2. Mr. Newton

Nationally, the recent pay awards and the new clinical grading structure should encourage specialised nurses who have left the profession to return and a NHS/DHSS working group on equal opportunities for women will in particular be making recommendations on managing the career break. Information on the number of nurses who have returned to the service is not available centrally.

We are encouraging health authorities to be more flexible in their working arrangements, but it is for the individual authorities to decide what facilities need to be provided for their staff in the light of the local situation.

Information on the number of nurses holding specific qualifications and the number of funded and unfilled posts is not collected centrally. A survey of nurses in high technology care, which includes paediatric intensive care and special care baby units is currently being carried out by the Department and will provide additional information later this year. The total number of nursing and midwifery staff working in paediatric intensive care units and special care baby units in regional health authorities and special health authorities in England is given in the table. Information by hospital could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

NHS Nursing & Midwifery Staff working in Paediatric Intensive Care and Special Care Baby Units (SCBUs) As at 30 September 1986
Whole time equivalent
Region Intensive Care Paediatrics SCBU Nursing SCBU Midwives
England 360 1,940 920
Northern 40 120 40
Yorkshire 50 120 100
Trent 30 280 70
East Anglia 10 90 30
North West Thames * 140 60
North East Thames * 60 60
South East Thames 10 140 70
South West Thames 20 60 30
Wessex 20 110 60
Oxford 20 120 50
South Western 20 120 70
West Midlands 20 280 110
Mersey 50 70 50
North Western 30 190 110
SHAs 20 30 10

Source: DHSS (SR7) Annual Census of NHS Non-Medical Manpower.

Notes: 1. Figures have been independently rounded to the nearest 10 whole time equivalents.

* Less than 5 whole time equivalents.

Ms. Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services why he has postponed the commencement of the Birmingham training course for intensive care nurses for children from July, as agreed in February, to autumn 1988.

Mr. Newton

The start of the training course has not been postponed. In February this year I informed the hon. Member that the start date had been brought forward from January 1989 to October 1988. The course requires approval by the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, which I am glad to say was given on 15 June.