§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each year since 1980 the number and cost of managers in the NHS.
§ Mr. MaloneThe general management function was introduced in 1984, following acceptance of the 1983 Griffiths report which concluded that the national health service was undermanaged. Interim arrangements existed for general management appointments until permanent selection and appointment arrangements took effect from February 1986. The senior management staff group was created subsequently. For information on the numbers of general and senior managers for the years ending September 1985 through to September 1990, I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough, the then Minister for Health, (Dr. Mawhinney), gave my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey, North-West (Sir M. Grylls) on 26 March 1993 at column755. At 30 September 1991, revised, 1992 and 1993, the number of general and senior managers were 14,500, 17,700 and 20,010 respectively. The increase in numbers over time is largely due to the reclassification of staff from professional and administrative groups, including many senior nurses, as managers. About two thirds of the increase between 1991 and 1992 and almost half the increase between 1992 and 1993 is the result of such reclassification.
The salary costs for general and senior managers from 1985–86 through to 1988–89 were £10,951,000, £25,677,000, £29,647,000 and £30,513,000 respectively. For the years 1989–90 to 1992–93 I refer the hon.
466WMember to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) on 3 November at column 1267. The provisional figure for 1993–94 is £606,002,000.
General and senior managers still account for only 2.6 per cent. of the total NHS work force in England and 3.6 per cent. of total NHS expenditure on salaries and wages. This is not excessive by any standard in a large organisation.