§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the(a) numbers of and (b) cost to the NHS of employing locum doctors in (i) general practice and (ii) hospital medicine for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [112395]
§ Mr. DenhamFigures on the number of locum staff working in the hospital medical sector are no longer collected centrally. The figures were last collected in September 1996 when there were 2,500 hospital medical locums. Figures on the number of locum staff working in general practice are not collected centrally.
The latest available information on costs to the National Health Service for locum medical staff in the Hospital and Community Health Service is shown in the table.
Breakdown of Locum doctors (Medical/Dental) for HCHS expenditure £000 TFR3 HFR 25 Total 1994–95 108,851.61 164,250.81 273,102.43 1995–96 109,321.44 1,876.80 111,198.24 1996–97 116,581.75 409.23 116,990.98 Notes:
Data after 1996–97 is not available
Data provided by FPB-ATA
Locum costs in general practice are not separately identified from other practice expenses. Information is available only on locum allowances paid to GPs in respect of attendance at training courses, prolonged study leave, sickness and confinement. Expenditure was as follows: