HC Deb 27 July 1979 vol 971 cc677-9W
Mr. Woolmer

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total number of general medical practitioners, and the number per 10,000 population, in the Batley and Morley constituency; and what were the corresponding numbers in 1970, 1975 and 1977.

Dr. Vaughan

I regret that information is not collected centrally on the detailed basis requested.

NUMBER OF GENERAL MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS* AND THEIR RATIO PER 10,000 POPULATION AT 1 JULY
Yorkshire Region England and Wales
Year Total numbers Number per 10,000 population Total numbers Number per 10,000 population
1970 —† —† 20,294 4.2
1975 1,515 4.3 21,594 4.4
1977 1,566 4.4 21,949 4.5
1978 1,581 4.4 22,189 4.5
* Doctors providing the full range of general medical services.
† Figures are not available because of boundary changes due to the 1974 NHS reorganisation.

Mr. Woolmer

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the total numbers of general medical practitioners and the number per 10,000 population in (a) the Dewsbury district of the Kirklees area health authority and (b) the Leeds western district of the Leeds area health authority; and

NUMBER OF GENERAL MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS* AND THEIR NUMBER PER 10,000 POPULATION AT 1 JULY
Kirklees AHA Leeds AHA(T)
Year Total numbers Number per 10,000 population Total numbers Number per 10,000 population
1975 149 4.0 323 4.3
1977 153 4.1 331 4.5
1978 153 4.0 337 4.6
* Doctors providing the full range of general medical services.

Mr. Dormand

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in which fields there is a shortage of consultants in the Northern region; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Woolmer

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the total numbers of general medical practitioners and the number per 10,000 population in (a) the Dewsbury district of the Kirkless area health authority and (b) the Leeds western district of the Leeds area health authority; and what were the corresponding numbers in 1970, 1975 and 1977.

Dr. Vaughan

I regret that information is not collected centrally on the detailed basis requested.

Mr. Woolmer

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the total numbers of general medical practitioners and the number per 10,000 population in the Yorkshire region and in England and Wales; and what were the corresponding numbers in 1970, 1975 and 1977.

Dr. Vaughan

The information requested is given in the table below:

what were the corresponding numbers in 1970, 1975 and 1977.

Dr. Vaughan

The information requested for the years 1975, 1977 and 1978 is shown in the table below. I regret that figures are not available for 1970 because of boundary changes due to the 1974 NHS reorganisation.

Dr. Vaughan

There are no generally applicable criteria which can be used to judge what constitutes a shortage of consultants in different fields in individual regions. Crude ratios of consultants in post per 100,000 population, broken down by specialty, for each region compared with the national average are, however, given in the regional whole-time equivalent tables for hospital medical staff in England and Wales at 30 September 1978, a copy of which is in the Library.

The medical school expansion programme has been designed to improve the supply of doctors overall and this should help recruitment to the less well-staffed regions. In addition, in considering requests for central approval to establish new consultant posts, the Department gives preference in the shortage specialties to regions whose staffing levels are below the national average.

WHOLE TIME EQUIVALENT—HEALTH VISITORS, DISTRICT NURSES AND MIDWIFERY STAFF (HOSPITAL AND COMMUNITY) IN ENGLAND
1977
Region Health Visitors Per 10,000 population* District Nurse†‡ Per 10,000 population* Midwives†§ Per 10,000 population*
Northern 561 1.80 937 3.01 946 3.04
Yorkshire 636 1.78 923 2.58 1,059 2.96
Trent 748 1.65 1,245 2.74 1,340 2.95
East Anglia 291 1.59 457 2.50 559 3.06
North West Thames 654 1.91 864 2.52 1,026 2.99
North East Thames 566 1.53 892 2.41 1,373 3.71
South East Thames 663 1–86 1,070 3.00 1,145 3.21
South West Thames 624 2.19 891 3.12 780 2.73
Oxford 504 2.25 631 2.82 739 3.30
South Western 544 1.71 787 2.47 914 2.87
West Midlands 881 1.71 1,293 2.51 1,666 3.23
North Western 835 2.07 1,323 3.27 1,500 3.71
Wessex 509 1.91 678 2.55 785 2.95
Mersey 426 1.72 662 2.67 816 3.30

1975
Region Health Visitors Per 10,000 population* District Nurse†‡ Per 10,000 population* Midwives†§ Per 10,000 population*
Northern 494 1.58 801 2.56 967 3.09
Yorkshire 576 1.61 850 2.38 993 2.78
Trent 672 1.48 1,112 2.45 1,398 3.08
East Anglia 254 1.42 409 2.28 562 3.13
North West Thames 563 1.62 790 2.28 988 2.85
North East Thames 522 1.40 771 2.07 1,152 3.10
South East Thames 587 1.63 1,013 2.82 1,094 3.05
South West Thames 554 1.93 829 2.89 755 2.63
Oxford 465 2.12 620 2.82 680 3.09
South Western 513 1.63 722 2.29 847 2.69
West Midlands 840 1.63 1,248 2.41 1,475 2.85
North Western 757 1.86 1,216 2.99 1,440 3.54
Wessex 478 1.81 647 2.46 834 3.17
Mersey 381 1.53 637 2.55 687 2.75
* Based on updated OPCS figures for 30 June.
† DHSS Returns—30 September.
‡ District Nurses (SRN, SEN) with and without district training but excluding qualified nursing staff assisting in home nursing services.
§ Excludes tutorial staff but includes senior staff.

Mr. Woolmer

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the total numbers of health visitors, of district nurses and of midwives in (a) the