HC Deb 15 December 1989 vol 163 cc841-2W
Mr. Cohn Shepherd

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many midwives are currently practising in the National Health Service;

(2) how many midwives are currently practising who are qualified at grade level E and at level G as sisters;

(3) how many midwives first qualified in each of the last five years;

(4) how may vacant posts for midwives there are in each of the regions.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

At 30 September 1988 there were 19,600 wholetime equivalent qualified midwives employed in the National Health Service in England. Information for September 1989 is not yet available, therefore it is not possible to give the number of midwives in post paid on grade E and G. The numbers of newlyqualified midwives in England added to the register held by the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting in each of the last five years are:

Year ended 31 March Number
1985 2,106
1986 2,599
1987 3,820
1988 2,523
1989 2,432

The figure for 1987 includes some midwives who registered their midwifery qualification for the first time in 1987 although they obtained it in a previous year. The figure is not therefore comparable with those for the other years.

Information on vacancy levels is not collected centrally.

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