HC Deb 14 March 2003 vol 401 cc451-2W
Mr. Hoyle

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what budget provision has been made for the employment of agency(a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) other staff at Chorley Hospital for the next financial year. [101816]

Jacqui Smith

There is no specific budget set aside for agency staff at the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Trust.

Mr. Hoyle

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many agency staff have been employed at Chorley Hospital(a) as doctors, (b) as nurses and (c) in other capacities in each of the last three years. [101413]

Jacqui Smith

The information available is shown in the tables.

Doctors employed at Chorley Hospital since March 2000
Number
1 March 2000 to 28 February 2001 83
1 March 2001 to 28 February 2002 149
1 March 2002 to 28 February 2003 187

Note:

The figures are shown as employment episodes. The length of each employment episode varies from a 1 day/night cover to very occasional periods of several months.

Nurses employed at Chorley Hospital since March 2000
Number
1 March 2000 to 28 February 2001 No records kept
1 March 2001 to 28 February 2002 2,831
1 March 2002 to 28 February 2003 4,280

Note:

The figures shown are for the number of shifts agency nurses have worked. Data is only collected in this manner.

Other staff employed at Chorley Hospital since March 2000
Number
1 March 2000 to 28 February 2001 No records kept
1 March 2001 to 28 February 2002 4
1 March 2002 to 28 February 2003 13

Note:

Other staff comprises of staff in the allied health professions and includes physiotherapists, radiographers and occupational therapists. The figures are shown as whole time equivalents.

Source:

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

In all three categories, and particularly medical staff, the increase of the number of posts is due to major expansion of services since 2001.

Mr. Hoyle

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mental health beds are available at Chorley hospital; and how many were available in each of the last 30 years. [102545]

Jacqui Smith

Information on bed numbers is collected at national health service trust level and not by individual hospital site.

From 1996–97 bed information for each NHS trust is available from the Department of Health website http://www.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/