HC Deb 06 December 1993 vol 234 cc89-90W
Mrs. Fyfe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate how often anaesthetists are required to work alone.

Mr. Stewart

[holding answer 2 December 1993]: This information is not held centrally.

Mrs. Fyfe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the staffing levels of anaesthetists in NHS hospitals.

Mr. Stewart

[holding answer 2 December 1993]: The number of anaesthetists, whole-time equivalent, employed in NHS hospitals at 30 September 1992, the latest date for which information is available centrally, is shown in the table.

Numbers
All (whole-time equivalents) 618
Consultant 303
Other career grades 28
Senior Registrar 42
Registrar 89
Senior House Officer 143
Other 13

While some NHS employers have recently experienced difficulty in recruiting anaesthetists, the number of senior registrars is greater than the service's forecast demand for new consultants in the next few years.