§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what initiatives he will take to enhance the status and salary of occupational therapists; how many occupational therapists there are in(a) the United Kingdom (b) England and (c) Wales; how many have qualified in each of the years 1979 to 1988; what plans he has to increase occupational therapist trainee places; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MellorThe remuneration of occupational therapists is determined following recommendations of the pay review body covering nurses, midwives, health visitors and the professions allied to medicine which was set up by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in 1983. Since that date the average rates of pay of occupational therapists, in common with those of the other professions990W allied to medicine, have increased by 24.1 per cent, in real terms. This reflects the importance that the Government place on the work done by these groups of staff.
At 10 October 1988 there were 10,540 occupational therapists in the United Kingdom on the state register maintained by the occupational therapists board of the Council for the Professions Supplementary to Medicine. Separate figures for England and Wales are not available.
Numbers of students qualifying in the years 1979 to 1987 (figures for 1988 are not yet available) are as follows:
Number 1979 463 1980 508 1981 538 1982 557 1983 593 1984 592 1985 673 1986 667 1987 660 On 15 May 1987 the Government announced detailed plans to increase the number of occupational therapy training places. The number of funded training places is expected to have risen by 100 a year by 1990–91. In addition, health authorities are funding a number of conversion courses for occupational therapy helpers and the Department is partly funding a shortened course for graduates at the London hospital.
The joint DH-NHS manpower planning advisory group has commissioned a study of staffing and skill mix in occupational therapy. Preliminary results will be available in late 1989 and this will enable us to review the need for training places.