§ John CryerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many additional nurses have been employed in the Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals Trust since(a) 1997 and (b) 2001. [157328]
§ Mr. HuttonBarking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals National Health Service Trust was established in 2001. Figures for qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff are shown in the table.
NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in the Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust as at 30 September each specified year Headcount and Percentage headcount 2001 1,761 2002 1,814 Increase 53 Percentage increase 3.0 Source: Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.
§ Mr. AmessTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures the Government are taking to ensure that the NHS does net employ nurses and other medical staff from developing countries with whom they do not have a bilateral agreement or memorandum of understanding. [157142]
§ Mr. HuttonAll national health service employers involved in international recruitment are strongly commended to adhere to the code of practice published by the Department in 2001. One of the guiding principles of this code is that developing countries should not be targeted for recruitment. We have issued a list of developing countries that the NHS should not actively recruit from. A copy of this code is available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HumanResourcesAndTraining/MoreStaff/fs/en.
We publish a list of recruitment agencies who have agreed to comply with the code. NHS bodies are strongly commended to use recruitment agencies on that list. We monitor compliance to the code of practice through information supplied by strategic health authorities.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing students qualified but did not join the Nursing Register in each year since 1996. [156280]
§ Mr. HuttonThis information is not collected centrally but can be obtained from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, which is an independent statutory body.