§ Mr. GoodladTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many community psychiatric nurses there were in each health region in England and Wales in 1979; how many there are at present; and how many he estimates there will be in 1991.
§ Mr. NewtonInformation in the exact form requested is not collected centrally. The number of nursing staff employed in the community psychiatric service in each region in England at September 1981 and September 1986 is shown in the table. Comparable information is not available for 1979.
It is for indiviual health authorities to plan the future number of community psychiatic nursing staff they require in the light of their needs and the resources which can be devoted to meet those needs.
The information for Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
NHS Community Psychiatric Nursing Staff (Mental Illness) at 30 September: whole time equivalents: England Region 1981 1986 Percentage change 1981–86 Northern 60 158 163 Yorkshire 68 199 194 Trent 100 260 160 East Anglian 50 106 112 NW Thames 69 168 143 NE Thames 97 137 41 SE Thames 36 208 478 SW Thames 134 209 56 Wessex 83 176 112 Oxford 71 122 72 South Western 95 147 55 West Midlands 53 255 384 Mersey 90 156 73 North Western 78 228 194 London Post Graduate SHA 1 2 100 England 1,083 2,532 134 Source: DHSS annual census of NHS non-medical manpower.
Note: All figures independently rounded to the nearest whole-time equivalent.