§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services to what extent rota commitments in respect of hours of work of junior hospital doctors have varied from year to year since 1981.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe do not routinely collect this kind of information. A special survey of health authorities in 1983 showed that between 30 November 1982 and 1 August 1983 the number of junior hospital medical posts with regular rota commitments requiring doctors to be on duty more than one night and one weekend in three fell or was planned to fall from 5,000 to 4,000. Since 1 July 1983 regular commitments more onerous than one night and one weekend in two have required central approval. In the year to date, the number of such approvals in force has fallen from 30 to eight.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Srvices what reply he has received from the joint consultants' committee in response to the report he sent to it in December in respect of 38 medical and 66 surgical vacant posts for pre-registration house officers, and of 57 unplaced graduates.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe report was for a regular meeting pre-arranged between the joint consultants' committee (JCC) and our Department for January 1985. It could only state the figures of posts known in December 1984 to be available in February 1985 and of graduates (ie provisionally registered doctors requiring pre-registration house officer (PRHO) posts with a view to full registration with the General Medical Council) unplaced for February 1985. 57 graduates were unplaced in December 1984 but this meant that the majority (about 2,800) had already made satisfactory arrangements for February 1985. The figures were updated at the JCC —DHSS meeting in January when the number of unplaced graduates was six. The figures of vacant posts then were 75 total, 24 medical and 51 surgical. JCC noted the position.
On a JCC query about prospects for August 1985, our Department expressed cautious optimism. There has been no subsequent approach from the JCC. The latest information confirms that all graduates seeking PRHO posts were placed by February 1985.