§ 1990. Ms. LestorTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many consultants were employed in hospitals in the North West regional health authority in(a) 1979, (b) 1986 and (c) 1990;
(2) how many paramedical staff were employed by the North West regional health authority in (a) 1979, (b) 1986 and (c) 1990;
(3) how many nursing staff were employed in the North West regional health authority in (a) 1979, (b) 1986 and (c) 1990;
(4) how many ancillary staff were employed by the North West regional health authority in (a) 1979, (b) 1986 and (c)
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe information requested is given in the table.
NHS staff at 30 September each year North Western Regional Health Authority Whole-time equivalents1 Staff groups 1979 1986 1989 Consultants2 (medical and dental) 950 1,187 1,264 Professions allied to medicine3 1,790 2,500 2,660 Nursing and midwifery4 (including agency) 32,160 37,860 37,620 Ancillary staff 14,130 11,640 9,310 1 All figures are independently rounded to the nearest ten (10) whole-time equivalents. 2 Figures include permanent paid and honorary staff only. 3 Includes qualified chiropodists, dieticians, occupational thera-pists, orthoptists, physiotherapists, radiographers. 4 Not adjusted for the reduction in nurses working hours during 1980–81 (from 40 hours to 37.5 hours per week). The information for 1990 is not yet available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to write to Mr. B. Martin, the chairman of North Western regional health authority, for current details.
§ 1990. Miss LestorTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds in district health authority hospitals existed in the North West regional health authority in(a) 1979, (b) 1986 and (c)
§ Mr. DorrellThere were 30,811, 28,406 and 25,204 beds in North Western region in 1979, 1986 and 1989–90, the latest date for which information is available, respectively. More importantly, the number of patients treated since 1979 has increased by over 27 per cent. in the North Western region as a whole.