§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what information he has concerning the numbers of (a) general practitioners, (b) hospital doctors and (c) consultants operating in the north-western region in each of the years since 1978;
(2) if he will give a breakdown by region of the total numbers of medical personnel employed in the north-western region in each of the years since 1978.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke:The numbers of general practitioners, hospital doctors and consultants operating in the north-western region, and the total numbers of medical personnel employed in this region at 30 September in each year since 1978 are given in the table. It is not possible to provide a sensible breakdown in more detail for medical personnel as a large proportion are employed by the regional health authority itself, although they work in the district. Many doctors also work in more than one district within the region. We do not collect centrally information on the allocation of time worked between districts for staff whose contract is with the RHA.
180W