§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new nurses have been recruited during each of the past five years; what is the target of new nursing recruits for the next 12 months; what initiatives are being pursued to attract more young people into nursing; and what is the cost of these initiatives. [96251]
§ Mr. DenhamThe number of pre-registration diploma and degree recruits into nursing and midwifery training in England over the last five years are:
Year Number 1994–95 11,463 1995–96 12,364 1996–97 13,967 1997–98 15,522 The latest estimate of outturn for 1998–99 is 17,221.
The number of pre-registration diploma and degree nursing and midwifery recruits planned for 1999–2000 is 19,332.
We are supporting a number of initiatives to attract more people into nursing, including a national competition run in secondary schools (£100,000), the national nurse recruitment campaign (£5 million), NHS Careers (£500,000), widening access to nurse training and the Positively Diverse initiative. In addition, the Government have implemented in full the Nurse Pay Review Body recommendations for a 12 percent. pay rise for newly qualified staff.