§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many trained and experienced staff have left hospital nursing in hospitals in the area of the Manchester Regional Hospital Board in each of the last five years; how long each of the nurses concerned had been in the hospital service; what is the cost to public funds 367W of training a nurse for the hospital service; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. John DunwoodyI regret that the information needed to answer the first two parts of the Question is not available. The numbers (in terms of whole time equivalents) of qualified nurses and midwives in post in hospitals in the area in March, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969 were 7,554, 8,766, 9,404, 9,751 and 9,995 respectively, representing an increase of 32 per cent. over the period. Expenditure on teachers' salaries, lecture fees, teaching equipment, textbooks and stationery is estimated to be £235 for the training of a registered nurse and £158 for an enrolled nurse but to this must be added other costs which cannot be separately identified. These would include a proportion of the nurses' training allowances, which vary according to age and type of training and which are not exclusively a training cost since they include payment for the work done by the student for the hospital.