§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will set out the basis of her calculation that the administrative and clerical staff of the National Health Service increased by 23 per cent. between 1970 and 1974.
§ Mr. MeacherThe number of staff—by whole-time equivalents—employed in the National Health Service in England and falling within the purview of the Administrative and Clerical Staff Whitley Council as at 30th September 1970 was 69,248. On 30th September 1974 the total was 85,172, an increase of 23 per cent.
Administrative and clerical staff in the NHS have a variety of functions including the maintenance of medical records 861W and provision of secretarial and clerical services for professional staff, the management of catering, domestic and laundry services, and the payment of doctors, dentists and other professional staff in both the hospital and the family practitioner services. Since April 1974 they have also been responsible for administering the community health services which were transferred at that time to the National Health Service from local authorities, though without any corresponding transfer of staff.
Some 25 per cent, of administrative and clerical staff work part-time.