§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many hospital doctors have left the national health service who qualified(a) five years previously and (b) 10 years previously in each year since 1991; [2279]
(2) if he will list the number of hospital (a) consultants and (b) doctors who have left the national health service through taking (i) early retirement or (ii) other voluntary reasons in each year since 1991. [2280]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe information requested is not available centrally. Evidence of doctors leaving the profession prematurely is available from studies published in 1991 by Professor James Parkhouse. These studies suggested that although 20 per cent. of doctors were not practising in the national health service five years after qualification, the majority of these were not lost permanently to medicine. Many were working in short-term postings overseas, to develop further their skills, while others were working in United Kingdom medical work outside the NHS, or taking short career breaks.