§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many enrolled nurses have been turned away from conversion to first-level nursing places in the last year;
(2) what is the current average waiting list for an enrolled nurse conversion course.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThis information is not held centrally.
§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many practising enrolled nurses there are in the United Kingdom.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThis information is not collected centrally. Information provided by the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting about the numbers in the United Kingdom who have paid the periodic fee and were therefore on the effective register shows that on 31 March 1989 there were 158,500 people who held an enrolled nurse qualification.
§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by health district(a) the current nursing staff establishment, (b) the number in post at the latest available date and (c) the number who had left the National Health Service in the preceding year.
§ Mrs. Virginia Bottomley[holding answer 3 November 1989]: Information on the number of nursing and midwifery staff employed in each district health authority in England at 30 September 1988 is given in the table.
We do not collect information on nursing staff establishments centrally. Reliable information on the numbers leaving the National Health Service last year is not yet available.