§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the costs of each place for state-enrolled nurses taking the state-registered nurse qualification;
(2) if he will list in the Official Report each school of nursing offering courses for state-enrolled nurses wishing to acquire the state-registered nurse qualification; and if he will denote the region in which the school of nursing is located;
(3) if he has been informed of any district health authorities who are now ceasing to lay on courses for state-enrolled nurses wishing to become state-registered nurses; and if he will make a statement;
(4) what steps he has taken to ensure that each regional and district health authority has adequate funds to finance training courses for state-enrolled nurses wishing to acquire the state-registered nurse qualification;
(5) how many state-enrolled nurses have expressed a wish to be retrained to become state-registered nurses.
§ Mr. MellorIt is for health authorities to decide their training priorities and allocate funds accordingly. We do not hold information centrally on the way in which individual health authorities choose to exercise this responsibility, or on the number of enrolled nurses wishing to convert to first-level nursing.
Information supplied by the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (ENB) shows that the number of schools of nursing approved to run the 52-week conversion course for enrolled nurses to gain the 128W registered general nursing qualification has increased from three in 1986 to 86 in October 1988. I understand that further courses are in the planning stage. The hon. Member may wish to contact the ENB Resource and Careers Service at PO Box 356, Sheffield S80 SF, which holds details of the schools which have approval. Information on the costs for each place for enrolled nurses is not available.
I am not aware of any health authorities cancelling conversion courses, but if the hon. Member has a specific case, I would be pleased to make inquiries. The Government's response to the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) Project 2000 proposals, in May 1988, stressed the need to increase the number of enrolled nurse conversion courses. We therefore welcome the circular recently issued by the UKCC, setting out new approaches for conversion, designed to create greater opportunities and flexibility for enrolled nurses to convert to first level training.
Regional health authorities have also been made aware that we shall be discussing firm targets for conversion with them as part of the regional review process.