§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the figures of total manpower for each regional health authority on which the recently announced changes in manpower are based, together with the date to which these figures refer and the number of unfilled vacancies in each region at that time; and what were the estimated manpower levels in each region in March 1984 before the recent manpower changes were announced.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe recently announced changes in manpower were based on figures for staff in post at 31 March 1983 which had been agreed with the regional health authorities. The total for each region is as follows:
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Numbers of unfilled vacancies and Region's manpower plans for March 1984 as at July 1983 not available centrally NHS directly employed staff: England (whole time equivalents)* Region Total staff in post at31 March 1983 Northern 54,100 Yorkshire 61,900 Trent 74,000 East Anglian 29,900 North West Thames 59,600 North East Thames 73,700 South East Thames 64,500 South West Thames 47,500 Wessex 38,400 Oxford 31,000 South Western 49,000
Region Total staff in post at 31 March 1983 West Midlands 75,700 Mersey 43,400 North Western 66,700 * Locum medical and dental and agency nursing and midwifery staff are excluded. All figures rounded to the nearest 100.