HC Deb 01 May 1991 vol 190 cc241-2W
Mrs. Margaret Ewing

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many breast care nurses appear on the national register of breast care nurses in Scotland;

(2) how many breast care nurses are employed in each health board in Scotland;

(3) what guidance has been issued from the Scottish Office to health boards on the employment of breast care nurses in Scotland;

(4) how many full-time breast care nurses are employed in each breast cancer assessment centre in Scotland.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

There is no such national register in Scotland and the term "breast care" nurse is not a recognised description. Each of the seven breast cancer assessment centres is funded to provide a nurse for counselling and other services to the patients. The nurse will also provide a link between the assessment centre and the surgical team in the hospital oncology department for those patients whose condition requires further investigation or treatment. No specific guidance has been given to health boards on employment of nurses in the screening units.

Outwith the national breast screening programme there are health visitors, midwives, district nurses and those nurses who provide care in oncology departments all of whom play a part in breat care, but information is not held centrally on the numbers involved.

Mrs. Margaret Ewing

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the budget allocation for(a)the employment of breast care nurses in Scotland and (b) the training of breast care nurses in Scotland.

Three and four-year-olds in education authority nursery schools
1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1987 1988 1989 19901
Borders 299 313 301 363 387 394 359 390 438 447 470
Central 1,399 1,512 1,681 1,858 1,960 2,166 2,210 2,492 2,568 2,744 2,732
Dumfries and Galloway 253 257 266 247 271 287 316 428 550 625 630
Fife 3,192 3,235 3,280 3,142 3,439 3,805 3,993 4,193 4,402 4,329 4,388
Grampian 2,233 2,196 2,222 2,244 2,235 2,425 2,433 2,678 2,985 3,171 3,391
Highland 331 455 484 519 567 580 618 617 645 622 730
Lothian 6,718 6,529 6,795 6,799 7,045 7,477 7,966 7,965 8,064 7,969 8,457
Strathclyde 14,501 14,768 14,841 15,406 16,071 16,793 17,376 17,551 17,828 18,683 18,911
Tayside 1,841 1,933 2,007 2,014 2,097 2,112 2,136 2,344 2,516 2,975 3,326
Orkney 78 96 93 74 85 89 92 83 97 101 102
Shetland 32 86 99 91 85 82 102 110 111 119 137
Western Isles 160 151 162 156 169 146 0 0 0 0 0
Scotland total 31,037 31,531 32,231 32,913 34,411 36,356 37,601 38,851 40,204 41,785 43,274
1 Provisional.

Percentage of three and four-year-old children in population
1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1987 1988 1989 19901
Borders 12.2 12.8 13.7 17.1 17.5 16.6 15.2 16.6 18.7 19.1 19.5
Central 19.3 21.4 25.2 28.8 29.3 31.2 31.2 37.8 39.2 41.9 41.4
Dumfries and Galloway 7.0 7.4 8.4 8.0 8.1 7.9 8.7 12.7 15.8 17.9 17.8
Fife 35.4 36.3 38.3 39.3 40.8 42.2 42.8 48.5 50.4 49.6 47.6

Mr. Michael Forsyth

This information is not held centrally. Nurses are part of the team of staff and their costs are included in the allocations made to the health boards concerned. The total budget of the breast screening programme for 1991–92 is £3.346 million.