HC Deb 13 April 1988 vol 131 cc182-7W
Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of midwives and health visitors employed in each district health authority, health region and in the United Kingdom; and what knowledge on a national or regional basis his Department has about the case load each midwife and health visitor has.

Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many midwives and health visitors are employed by each of the health authorities in the North-West regional health authority.

Mr. Newton

[holding answer 1 February 1988]: The number of midwives and health visitors in each district health authority in England at 30 September 1986 is shown in table 1. The total number of live and still births in each region in England during 1986 and the number of home visits by health visitors over the same period are shown in tables 2 and 3 respectively. A direct comparison between the staffing and activity figures may be misleading as the activity information given does not reflect the full work load of these staff.

The information for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and Northern Ireland.

Table 1
Midwifery staff and health visitors by district health authority 30 September 1986
whole-time equivalents1
District Health Authority Midwives2 Health Visitors3
England4 19,153 10,428
Northern RHA 1,305 691
Hartlepool 53 22
North Tees 84 33
South Tees 145 61
East Cumbria 77 35
South Cumbria 47 36
West Cumbria 70 32
Darlington 58 24
Durham 71 42
North West Durham 39 20
South West Durham 63 35
Northumberland 105 71
Gateshead 57 54
Newcastle 176 80
North Tyneside 56 45
South Tyneside 59 30
Sunderland 144 71
Yorkshire RHA 1,524 743
Hull 102 47
East Yorks 64 41
Grimsby 87 27
Scunthorpe 60 38
Northallerton 26 27
York 98 51
Scarborough 54 31
Harrogate 60 22
Bradford 202 86
Airedale 68 35
Calderdale 93 48
Huddersfield 77 49
Dewsbury 88 35
Leeds Western 123 71
Leeds Eastern 149 73
District Health Authority Midwives2 Health Visitors3
Wakefield 78 26
Pontefract 96 36
Trent RHA 1,778 956
North Derbyshire 113 79
Southern Derbyshire 160 91
Leicestershire 307 187
North Lincolnshire 84 52
South Lincolnshire 107 58
Bassetlaw 30 19
Central Nottinghamshire 128 64
Nottingham 296 141
Barnsley 83 48
Doncaster 115 59
Rotherham 99 53
Sheffield 256 106
East Anglian regional health authority 800 375
Cambridge 114 60
Peterborough 95 42
West Suffolk 111 46
East Suffolk 93 57
Norwich 199 78
Great Yarmouth and Waveney 59 36
West Norfolk and Wisbech 71 31
Huntingdon 59 26
North West Thames regional health authority 1,223 810
North Bedfordshire 88 54
South Bedfordshire 121 64
North Hertfordshire 82 39
East Hertfordshire 70 53
North West Hertfordshire 72 51
South West Hertfordshire 87 48
Barnet 114 71
Harrow 94 48
Hillingdon 89 49
Hounslow and Spelthorne 99 68
Ealing 59 82
Brent 62 56
Paddington and North Kensington 87 46
Riverside 100 82
North East Thames regional health authority 1,620 737
Basildon and Thurrock 106 47
Mid Essex 73 52
North East Essex 109 55
West Essex 93 45
Southend 102 49
Barking, Havering and Brentwood 136 64
Hampstead 53 33
Bloomsbury 74 35
Islington 112 41
City and Hackney 170 56
Newham 51 39
Tower Hamlets 112 60
Enfield 93 42
Haringey 67 42
Redbridge 101 41
Waltham Forest 104 37
Regional health authority and headquarter units5 65
South East Thames RHA 1,531 834
Brighton 43 71
Eastbourne 58 54
Hastings 60 35
South East Kent 86 60
Canterbury and Thanet 119 53
Dartford and Gravesham 114 54
Maidstone 60 38
Medway 163 65

District Health Authority Midwives2 Health Visitors3
Tunbridge Wells 96 35
Bexley 97 49
Greenwich 85 53
Bromley 110 66
West Lambeth 108 49
Camberwell 179 56
Lewisham and North Southwark 153 97
South West Thames RHA 1,014 639
North West Surrey 85 45
West Surrey and North East Hants 69 67
South West Surrey 62 37
Mid Surrey 47 39
East Surrey 53 41
Chichester 58 32
Mid Downs 98 65
Worthing 65 45
Croydon 119 57
Kingston and Esher 80 41
Richmond, Twickenham and Roehampton 46 59
Wandsworth 142 40
Merton and Sutton 92 73
Wessex RHA 1,053 608
East Dorset 110 79
West Dorset 53 38
Portsmouth and South East Hants 198 108
Southampton and South West Hants 162 83
Winchester 90 53
Basingstoke and North Hants 77 51
Salisbury 56 35
Swindon 118 50
Bath 142 84
Isle of Wight 48 28
Oxford RHA 961 563
East Berkshire 135 81
West Berkshire 157 98
Aylesbury Vale 60 38
Wycombe 100 67
Milton Keynes 84 41
Kettering 93 57
Northampton 136 67
Oxfordshire 196 114
South Western RHA 1,047 680
Bristol and Weston 158 85
Frenchay 26 50
Southmead 146 51
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 105 96
Exeter 75 58
North Devon 40 25
Plymouth 156 70
Torbay 56 43
Cheltenham and District 65 43
Gloucester 101 68
Somerset 119 91
West Midlands RHA 2,145 1,118
Bromsgrove and Redditch 55 33
Herefordshire 50 31
Kidderminster and District 29 32
Worcester and District 81 51
Shropshire 135 96
Mid Staffordshire 92 60
North Staffordshire 197 98
South East Staffordshire 83 51
Rugby 29 20
North Warwickshire 92 40
South Warwickshire 64 42
Central Birmingham 166 42
District Health Authority Midwives2 Health Visitors3
East Birmingham 26 36
North Birmingham 98 36
South Birmingham 104 49
West Birmingham 127 51
Coventry 135 62
Dudley 98 62
Sandwell 87 65
Solihull 146 40
Walsall 96 65
Wolverhampton 155 58
Mersey RHA 1,005 502
Chester 115 38
Crewe 83 37
Halton 18 29
Macclesfield 60 33
Warrington 82 37
Liverpool 224 113
St. Helens and Knowsley 129 74
Southport and Formby 36 27
South Sefton 103 44
Wirral 155 70
North Western RHA 1,962 1,173
Lancaster 53 37
Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde 93 88
Preston 104 42
Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley 136 83
Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale 127 70
West Lancashire 46 36
Chorley and South Ribble 44 55
Bolton 151 36
Bury 69 45
North Manchester 91 54
Central Manchester 133 40
South Manchester 157 50
Oldham 105 68
Rochdale 98 57
Salford 135 60
Stockport 113 84
Tameside and Glossop 105 58
Trafford 68 64
Wigan 135 96
Source: DHSS Annual Census of NHS Non-Medical Manpower.
1 Figures independently rounded to nearest whole time equivalent.
2 Includes Agency Midwifery Staff; excludes midwifery students.
3 Includes health visitors in both the community and school health services, HV fieldwork teachers, TB visitors with HV certificates, dual/triple posts and bank health visitors. Excludes HV students.
4 Includes London Post-Graduate Special Health Authorities' Staff.
5 No further breakdown is available from RHA.

Table 2
Total Births (live and still) by RHA and England 1986
1986
England 626,946
Northern RHA 40,462
Yorkshire RHA 48,601
Trent RHA 59,608
East Anglian RHA 24,703
North West Thames RHA 48,354
North East Thames RHA 53,242
South East Thames RHA 47,819
South West Thames RHA 36,905
Wessex RHA 35,959
Oxford RHA 33,348
South Western RHA 38,331
1986
West Midlands RHA 70,833
Mersey RHA 32,892
North Western RHA 55,889
Source: OPCS Birth registrations.

Table 3
Health Visiting: Regional Health Authorities Home visits (First visit in calendar year)
Numbers 1986
First visits (all ages)
England 4,129,365
Northern 265,491
Yorkshire 360,657
Trent 388,494
East Anglia 166,011
North West Thames 336,924
North East Thames 308,203
South East Thames 313,554
South West Thames 267,258
Wessex 236,346
Oxford 194,099
South Western 256,889
West Midlands 490,764
Mersey 166,087
North Western 378,588

Source: LHS 27/3 DHSS Statistics Division

Notes:

  1. (1) A visit includes each occasion when professional help or advice is given by health visiting staff.
  2. (2) The "first visit" refers to the first visit received by a person from any member of the health visiting staff during the calendar year for any problem.
  3. (3) Visits to households where there is tuberculosis or other infectious diseases or visits by school health visitors are not included in the table.

Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the numbers of midwives and health visitors(a) in post and (b) in training for the years 1985, 1986 and 1987.

Mr. Newton

[holding answer 1 February 1988] : The information requested for September 1985 and September 1986 is given in the table. Similar information for 1987 is not yet available.

NHS Midwives and Health Visitors in Post—England at 30 September Whole Time Equivalents1
1985 1986
Qualified Staff
Midwives2 3 18,690 19,150
Health Visitors4 10,280 10,430
Trainees
Student Midwives 4,380 4,180
Health Visitor Students 870 830
Source: DHSS Annual Census of NHS Non-Medical Manpower.
1 Figures independently rounded to nearest ten (10) whole-time equivalents.
2 Includes agency staff.
3 Includes staff in the Hospital and community services.
4 Includes Health Visitors in community and school health services, Health Visitor Field Work Teachers, TB visitors with Health Visitor certificate, holders of Dual/Triple posts (Health Visitor/District Nurse/Midwife) and Bank Health Visitors.