HC Deb 08 March 1990 vol 168 cc824-5W
Mr. Robin Cook

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the amount spent on(a) agency nurses and (b) agency clerical and administrative staff for the latest available year for each district health authority, special health authority and regional health authority and England as a whole.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

I shall let the hon. Member have such information as is available as soon as possible.

Mr. Robin Cook

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the amount spent on agency staff for 1983, 1987, and the latest available year.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

The information is derived from the summarised annual accounts of regional and district health authorities in Engand together with those of the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals:

Total revenue expenditure on non-national health service (agency, etc.) staff
Year £000 (cash)
1983–84 59,822
1987–88 211,436
11988–89 252,167
1 Latest available.

Notes:

1. The figures for 1987–88 and 1988–89 excludes £2.4 million and in million respectively being similar costs charged to capital expenditure and which were not specifically identified in the accounts for earlier years.

2. The figure for 1983–84 includes a minor element from the administrative expenses of family practitioner committees (FPCs) which is not separately identifiable but is excluded from the figures for the more recent years.

As a result of various initiatives achieved or pending including: nurse clinical grading and improved London allowances; administrative and clinical local pay flexibility; flexible grading in scientific and professional staff groups and local pay flexibility for other staff groups the amount spent on agency staff should reduce in future.

The expenditure remains predominately in the Thames regions, which together with the London postgraduate SHAs accounted for some 76 per cent. of the national total (£252 million).

Mr. Robin Cook

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the numbers of agency nurses used on the latest date for which figures are available and on comparable dates for the two preceding years.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

The information is as follows:

Number of agency nursing and midwifery staff (whole-time equivalent) in England
Number
30 September 1988 6,240
30 September 1987 6,130
30 September 1986 5,450