§ Mr. GalbraithTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the cost to the National Health Service if all prosthetists currently employed by health boards became contractor employed.
§ Mr Michael ForsythThe trade union representing the prosthetists gave notice in March to the Scottish Home and Health Department that their members intended to resign from the National Health Service, and take up employment with the contractors who manufacture artificial limbs, from the summer. The cost of this change cannot yet be precisely estimated, but is unlikely to be substantial, in view of the saving of the salaries of prosthetists who resign, (arid the overheads, such as national insurance and superannuation, associated with their employment) and in view of the competitive tendering, for the supply of artificial limbs from 1 January 1989.
§ Mr. GalbraithTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the salaries for prosthetists in the National Health Service who are(a) contractor employed and (b) employed by health boards.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe NHS salary ranges (effective from 1 November 1987) for the grades of prosthetists employed by health boards are as follows:
Minimum Maximum £ £ Intern 6,680 7,800 Basic Grade (non-National Centre qualified) 7,800 10,020 Basic Grade (National Centre qualified) 9,470 12,250 Senior/Manager 11,690 14,750 Prosthetists who transfered to the NHS from the commercial companies in 1980 retained as part of that transfer agreement their commercial rates of pay which (effective from 1 July 1987) are as follows:
655W
£ Over 30 years service 14,240 15–30 years service 14,210
£ 10–15 years service 14,035 Up to 10 years service 13,985 In addition to the salaries of the staff involved, the NHS is of course liable for national insurance contributions, and other overheads.