§ Mr. Hobdenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will state the number of vacancies for nurses in the area served by the Brighton Hospital Management Committee; and how this compares with the total establishment in the area.
§ Dr. John DunwoodyThere is no longer a fixed establishment of nursing staff: the Hospital Management Committee is free to vary the number employed from time to time provided that its expenditure on nursing staff during the financial year does not exceed the financial allocation made by the Regional Hospital Board. It is at present seeking to recruit about 24 additional nurses.
§ Mr. Hobdenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will state the number of nurses from agency services being used in the area served by the 103W Brighton Hospital Management Committee to cover vacancies; and how the cost of agency assistance compares with the cost for ordinary nursing.
§ Dr. John DunwoodyTwo staff nurses and 3 staff midwives at costs ranging between £20 2s. 0d. and £21 5s. 0d. per week each, excluding employers' National Insurance contributions, Selective Employment Tax and additional payments for night duty. Comparable costs for directly employed staff are estimated to range from £18 18s. 0d. to £23 15s. 0d. for nurses and from £19 12s. 0d. to £24 9s. 0d. for midwives.