§ Mr. Robin CookTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total level of expenditure on pay for nurses, in cash and constant prices, in each year since 1973.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe information requested for the financial years since NHS reorganisation on 1 April 1974 is shown in the table.
The level of expenditure in 1989–90 reflects the transfer of many senior nurse managers from the nursing and midwifery pay structure to general senior management pay categories, a planned reduction in the overall number of students in training and other factors.
NHS expenditure on salaries and wages—nursing and midwifery staff Total salaries and wages costs £000 (cash) £000 (at 1989–90 prices) 1974–75 761,521 3,201,069 1975–76 985,114 3,298,763 1976–77 1,122,979 3,311,980 1977–78 1,220,263 3,165,533 1978–79 1,375,652 3,218,475 1979–80 1,679,338 3,367,308 1980–81 2,338,084 3,961,953 1981–82 2,554,240 3,947,322 1982–83 2,747,676 3,964,759 1983–84 2,858,812 3,942,959 1984–85 3,074,483 4,035,413 1985–86 3,261,598 4,059,776 1986–87 3,566,025 4,291,889 1987–88 4,013,321 4,580,604 1988–89 4,750,229 5,052,819 1989–90 5,028,195 5,028,195 Annual accounts of regional and disrict health authorities in England and those of the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals. (Predecessor authorities for the years prior to 1982–83).
NOTES TO THE TABLE
1. The figures are gross pay costs including employers' national insurance and superannuation contributions. Expenditure on non-NHS (agency, etc.) staff is also included.
2. The figures for earlier years have been expressed at 1989–90 prices by the use of Gross Domestic Product deflators.