§ Dr. D. Johnsonasked the Minister of Health the total number of qualified doctors employed by the National Health Service; and the numbers who are employed by each of the three branches of the service, local authority, hospitals and executive councils, respectively.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithSuch figures are not collected for the Service as a whole.172W The approximate numbers employed in the hospital service and in general practice under the Service are:
Hospital service (excluding honorary staff)—17,300 at the end of 1956.General practice (including assistants)—22,000 in January, 1957.These figures are not mutually exclusive, as many doctors are employed both in the hospital service and in general practice.The latest available figure for local authorities relates to 1954, when 2,100 doctors were employed by local authorities generally: I regret that the number employed in the provision of local health services under the National Health Service is not available.