§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what resident paediatric support exists for the obstetric units at the Royal maternity hospital, the Mater hospital and the City hospital, Belfast.
§ Mr. HanleyResident paediatric support for the obstetric units at the Royal maternity hospital, the Mater hospital and the Belfast city hospital is provided at two levels. Registrars are based at the Royal maternity and the Belfast city hospitals and combine with a registrar at the Royal Belfast hospital for sick children to provide a one in three rota for all three obstetric units. This means that a registrar is on call one night in three and one weekend in three. At senior house officer level, two senior house officers in the Belfast city hospital combine with two in the Royal Belfast hospital for sick children to provide a one in four rota for the Belfast city hospital and the Mater. The Royal maternity hospital has four resident senior house officers who between them provide 24 hour cover.
§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many deliveries were recorded in 1989 in the obstetric units of the Royal maternity hospital, the Mater hospital and the City hospital, Belfast.
§ Mr. HanleyThe number of deliveries was as follows:
Hospital Live births Stillbirths Total Royal maternity hospital 3,171 23 3,194 Mater 887 5 892 Belfast City hospital 2,888 14 2,902
§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the current rota for obstetric staff at the Royal maternity hospital, the Mater hospital and the City hospital, Belfast;
199W(2) how many consultant obstetricians and consultant gynaecologists are currently employed at the Royal maternity hospital, the Mater hospital and the City hospital, Belfast.
§ Mr. HanleyEleven consultant obstetricians and gynaecologists are employed in the Mater hospital, Belfast city hospital and royal group of hospitals, including the royal maternity and the royal Victoria hospitals. These consultants provide 24-hour cover to the hospitals concerned.
A rota indicates the degree to which a doctor is on call outside his normal working week. For example a 1:3 rota means that he is on call one night in three and one weekend in three. The term is normally used in relation to junior doctors. Details of the current rota for junior doctors at the hospitals are set out below.
Rota Royal Victoria hospital Senior registrars and registrars 1 in 4 Senior house officers 1 in 4 House officers 1 in 3 Belfast city hospital Senior registrars and registrars 1 in 4 Senior house officers 1 in 4 Mater hospital Registrars 1 in 2 Senior house officers 1 in 3