HC Deb 01 March 1989 vol 148 cc236-7W
Mr. Henderson

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was(a) the number of ancillary staffs employed in the National Health Service in Scotland as at 30 September 1988, excluding nurse auxiliaries, (b) the number of whole-time equivalents in Scotland, (c) the average hours of ancillary staffs, whole-time, by grade together with average pay by grade and (d) the average hours of part-time ancillary staffs by grade and average pay; broken down by male and female for of each of categories (b), (c) and (d).

Mr. Michael Forsyth

There are 30,439 ancillary staff employed by the National Health Service in Scotland at 30 September 1988, a contracted whole-time equivalent of 22,068 of whom 6,176 were males and 15,892 females. Average hours and average weekly pay are shown in the tables.

concentrated on the development and introduction of suitable information systems with a computerised patient administration system at the core and various related "feeder" systems, some clerical and some computerised. However, there is still a need for futher work at both sites before the resource management objectives can be met. In particular, there is a requirement for a clinical information system to provide consultants with the detailed information they require. Further work is also required on the development of treatment costings.

Argyll and Clyde health board has recently proposed an extension of the project at Inverclyde following the installation of a clinical information system which will give clinicians a lead role in the exercise. These plans include an increase in the administrative support necessary to operate resource management. The Scottish Home and Health Department and the directorate of health service information systems (DHSIS) of the Common Services Agency will be sharing the costs of this project with the board, initially on a 50–50 basis, and contracts are about to be signed.

Lothian health board is also looking at ways of extending the Bangour project. An essential corollary of any resource management initiative is the provision of clinically informative data and in Lothian there are established clinical auditing systems which can be built upon. These will be taken account of in the board's proposals which are currently being prepared and the Department and DHSIS will consider the extent of further financial support which should be provided for this project from central funds.