§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average length of time taken by nurses while undergoing training; what percentage of nurses do not complete their training; and what reduction of intake has been made to allow for the general reduction of planned National Health Service manpower.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeTraining to be a registered first level nurse (previously a registered nurse) takes just over three years and a registered second level nurse (previously an enrolled nurse) two years. Information provided by the General Nursing Council for England and Wales shows that about 22 per cent. of those training to be a registered nurse and 20 per cent. of those training to be an enrolled nurse had discontinued training prior to their final examination or assessment. Information is not available centrally on whether intakes have been adjusted to take account of NHS manpower targets. We are urging all health authorities to exercise more care in matching their training programmes to their needs for nurse manpower.