HL Deb 16 April 1953 vol 181 cc889-92WA
LORD CROOK

asked Her Majesty's Government for the following information as to the Nursing Services, namely:

  1. 1. The number of trained nurses employed in hospitals.
  2. 2. The number of other trained nursing staff employed in hospitals.
  3. 3. The number of student nurses in training.
  4. 4. The number of nurses employed by local authorities.
  5. 5. The number of nurses employed in miscellaneous services and private practice.
  6. 6. The number of assistant nurses now employed.
  7. 7. The total number of beds in hospitals at present.
  8. 8. The number of beds not provided with nursing service at the moment.
  9. 9. The number of part-time nurses employed in each of the last five years.
  10. 10. The number of married women nurses employed in each of the last five years.
  11. 11. The number of male nurses employed in each of the last five years.
  12. 12. The wastage in the trained nurse supply in each of the last five years.
  13. 13 The present estimated shortage of trained nurses in the country with comparable figures as at some convenient date in each of the four preceding years.

Date In hospitals By local health authorities
Trained Nurses Other Nursing Staff Total Trained Nurses Other Nursing Staff Total
31st December, 1948 5,567 14,038 19,605 Information not available
31st December, 1949 6,359 16,065 22,424 8,978 862 9,840
31st December, 1950 7,526 16,714 24,240 11,049 968 12,017
31st December, 1951 7,964 17,059 25,023 11,098 1,094 12,192
31st December, 1952 8,381 17,413 25,794 11,468 1,064 12,532

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY OF LANCASTER (LORD WOOLTON)

The following is the information required. The figures relate to December 31, 1952, except where otherwise stated, and are totals for England and Wales (except those in paragraph 5, which relate to Great Britain). The figures for hospitals relate to all civilian hospitals, including Ministry of Pensions hospitals and those outside the National Health Service.

  1. 1 and 2. Number of trained nurses employed in hospitals—47,673 Full-time, 8,381 Part-time.
  2. 3. Number of student nurses in training, 50,475.
  3. 4. Nursing staff employed by local health authorities:
    • Trained—6,536 Full-time,11,468 Part-time.
    • Others (including nursery nurses)—7,523 Full-time, 1,064 part-time.
  4. 5. Approximately 1,700 nurses are employed in the Nursing Services of the Crown; 2,650 in school nursing and 4,000 in industrial nursing. No recent information is available as to the number of nurses engaged in private practice.
  5. 6. Number of enrolled assistant nurses employed:
    1. (a) In hospitals—11,501 Full-time, 5,300 part-time.
    2. (b) By local health authorities—421 Full-time, 1,007 Part-time (included in 4 above).
  6. 7. Number of hospital beds (staffed and unstaffed), 516,114.
  7. 8. Number of unstaffed hospitals beds, 28,502.
  8. 9. Part-time nursing staff employed:
    9. 891
  9. 10. No information is available as to the number of married women nurses employed.
  10. 11. Number of male nurses employed in hospitals:

— Full-time Part-time
31st December, 1948 22,858 261
31st December, 1949 24,774 249
31st December, 1950 25,536 230
31st December, 1951 25,043 275
31st December, 1952 25,178 315

There are no separate figures for male nurses employed by local health authorities, but the number is known to be very small.

12. No records are available of the wastage of trained nurses.

13. Additional trained nurses required (totals of estimates submitted by individual employing authorities):

Date In hospitals By local health authorities
31st December, 1948 12,575 1,776
31st December, 1949 12,964 1,883
31st December, 1950 11,541 1,766
31st December, 1951 11,168 1,564
31st December, 1952 10,420 1,331

House adjourned at nine minutes past six o'clock.