§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to increase the nursing student intake over the next 12 months; [21537]
(2) what estimate he has made of the annual requirement of (a) doctors and (b) nurses in each specialty. [21566]
§ Mr. MaloneMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health takes advice from the medical work force standing advisory committee on the required student intake to medical schools. The Government have accepted the recommendations of the medical work force standing advisory committee to increase the medical student intake target by 500, or 11 per cent., to reach 4,970 by 2000.
Advice is also received from the specialist work force advisory group on the number of doctors needed in higher specialist training in each specialty, to ensure that there are sufficient trained candidates to fill consultant posts in the future. Following the specialist work force advisory group's recommendations, I recently announced
82W
Cadaveric (live) transplants in United Kingdom Region Kidney Kidney and pancreas Pancreas Heart Heart and lung Lung Liver 1991 Northern 131 (4) - - 43 (1) 7 19 - Yorkshire 90 (1) - - 3 1 2 31 Trent 95 (7) - - 18 - - - East Anglian 56 (6) - - 41 (13) 23 11 90 North West Thames 91 (5) - - 67 (20) 31 38 11 North East Thames 116 (7) - - 16 (1) 6 - 38 South Thames 224 (6) - - 36 (1) - - 129 Wessex 83 (2) - - - - - - Oxford 83 (7) - - - - - - South Western 90 (5) - - - - - - West Midlands 151 (1) - - 1 - - 122 Mersey 65 (11) 5 - - - - - North Western 107 (4) - - 19 (5) 11 2 - Wales 62 (11) 3 - - - - - Scotland 130 (7) - - - - - - Northern Ireland 47 (2) - - - - - - Total 1,621 (86) 8 - 244 (41) 79 72 421 1995 Northern and Yorkshire 213 (9) 4 1 49 4 20 116 Trent 123 (11) - 10 24 - 2 - Anglia and Oxford 122 (14) - 3 42 (3) 20 20 88 North Thames 204 (35) 9 - 69 (21) 26 36 (2) 71 South Thames 166 (19) - 1 33 (1) - 4 189 (1) South West 172 (13) - - - - - - West Midlands 140 (3) - - 25 3 9 157 North West 225 (20) 8 - 19 (2) 5 20 - Wales 78 (4) 2 - - - - - Scotland 140 (11) - - 32 - - 46 additional funding of £5.7 million in 1996–97 to provide a significant increase in training opportunities for doctors wishing to become consultants, including the creation of at least 300 new higher specialist training posts.
With regard to the requirement for nurses, it is for local employees to determine the work force required to deliver the services they have been contracted to provide. This is set in the context of annual planning guidance issued by the NHS executive, which maintains a national overview. Planned commissions for nurse trainees are expected to rise by 14 per cent. in 1996–97.