HC Deb 20 November 2000 vol 357 cc53-4W
Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many students started(a) a diploma in nursing and (b) a degree in nursing studies in each year since 1997; and what the drop out rate was for each year's intake. [138694]

Mr. Denham

The information requested for England is given in the tables.

Student commissions
Nursing Midwifery
Year diploma degree Adjusted diploma degree total1
1997–98 14,429 297 572 224 16,539
1998–99 15,523 21,314 597 255 17,689
1999–2000 16,020 1,726 620 403 18,769
2000–013 16,799 2,407 615 504 20,325

Average attrition rates as at December 1999
Percentage
Year/cohort Diploma Degree Combined diploma and degree
1997–984 15.7 13.47 15.48
1998–99 6.92 8.34 7.07
1999–2000 5 5 5
2000–01 5 5 5
1Forecast outturn commissions based on Q2 2000–01 NMET performance management report
2Adjusted to take account of Dearing transfer 1,017 places 1992–93 to 1997–98 inclusive
3The step change in degree commissions in 1998–99 is as a result of the transfer from DfEE to DH following Dearing
4The data held for 1997–98 only cover the first year of the course, data that include the second year should be available after December 2000.
5Data not yet available

Source:

English National Board

Data held for the 1995–96 cohort—the majority of these students have now completed their training—shows an attrition figure of 17 per cent. Attrition rates also vary from year to year, from university to university and across nursing branches. The human resources performance framework, published on 4 October 2000 set a target for training intakes from 2000–01 of an attrition rate no higher than 13 per cent. in pre-registration nursing and midwifery training.

Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many students started medical training and what the drop-out rate was in each year since 1997. [138692]

Mr. Denham

Figures provided by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) on the number of full-time undergraduate entrants to medical schools in United Kingdom higher education institutions since 1997–98 are as follows:

UK England
1997–98 5,062 3,749
1998–99 5,069 3,735
1999–2000 15,306 13,980
1The 1999–2000 figures are provisional. Awaiting confirmation of July 2000 figures in HEFCE November 2000 Survey.

Information on the attrition rate of medical students is not collected centrally.

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