§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of serving transplant surgeons in the NHS. [104312]
§ Mr. DenhamAt national level we do not plan centrally the numbers of consultants who specialise in transplant surgery. We plan the numbers of consultants in general surgery and related specialities, taking into account information gathered from a range of sources, including the medical Royal Colleges, Regional Postgraduate Medical Deans and National Health Service management, which includes information about consultants specialising in transplant surgery.
At local level, it is NHS trusts and health authorities who are accountable for the quality of the services they provide, to determine how their services are configured and delivered, in the light of local circumstances, in order to provide quality services to patients. This includes deciding on the number and grades of posts in their locality.
236WAt national level, The Speciality Workforce Advisory Group (SWAG) advises on the numbers of higher specialist trainees needed to meet future requirements for consultants. SWAG has advised previously that general surgery has been a speciality with shortages of consultants. Over the past four years, it has recommended increases in the numbers of higher specialist training opportunities. We are now satisfied that there are enough training opportunities in general surgery for there to be sufficient candidates qualifying for consultant posts over the next few years.
Representations have been made to the Department about shortages of transplant surgeons in the NHS. We will continue to engage in discussions with the Royal College of Surgeons and the Regional Postgraduate Medical Deans and others responsible for training and career prospects, with the aim of ensuring that all the organ transplant services are fully supported.