§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the numbers of consultant posts currently vacant by(a) specialty and (b) health authority. [13653]
§ Mr. MaloneThe latest available information is shown in the table. However, data on vacant posts are difficult to interpret and do not necessarily imply a shortage. The census is a snap shot of 30 September each year. Some vacancies will be wholly or partly filled by locums. For others, national health service trusts may find alternative ways to provide the service rather than re-advertising. The numbers give no indication of how long the post has been empty; some of these will be in the process of being filled.
(a) Vacant consultant posts in specialty in England as at 30 September 1995 (whole-time equivalent rounded to the nearest 10): Specialty Vacant posts Accident and emergency 30 Anaesthetics 110 Cardiology 10 Child and adolescent psychiatry 30 Dermatology 10 Forensic psychiatry 10 General surgery 30 General medicine 30 Geriatric medicine 20 Histopathology 10 Mental handicap 10 Mental illness 100 Neurology 10 Obstetrics and gynaecology 30 Old age psychiatry 30 Ophthalmology 20 Otolaryngology 10 Paediatrics (including paediatric neurology) 30 Plastic surgery 10 Radiology 30 Trauma and orthopaedic surgery 50 Urology 20 Other 10 The following specialties had five or fewer vacancies:
- Gastroenterology
- Nephology
- Palliative medicine
- Thoracic medicine
- Audioloaical medicine
596 - Clinical genetics
- Clinical physiology
- Rehabilitation
- Genito-urinary medicine
- Medical oncology
- Occupational health
- Rheumatology
- Cardio-thoracic surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Paediatric surgery
- Nuclear medicine
- Clinical oncology
- Chemical pathology
- Haematology
- Medical microbiology
- Neuropathology
- Psychotherapy
All other specialties had no recorded vacancies. The total number of vacancies, rounded to the nearest 10 was 690.
(b) Vacant consultant posts by region in England as at 30 September 1995 (whole-time equivalent): Region Vacant posts Anglia and Oxford 40 North West 140 North Thames 110 Northern and Yorkshire 100 South and West 60 South Thames 90 Trent 50 West Midlands 100 Special Has 0 Total 690 Source: The Medical and Dental Workforce Census 30 September 1995.
§ Mr. SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much(a) his Department and (b) the NHS management executive spent on external consultants in each year since 1989. [13649]
§ Mr. HoramRunning cost expenditure on external consultancy by the Department of Health, its agencies and the national health service executive—formerly the NHS management executive—is as shown:
1989–90: Not available1 1990–91: £18,398,0002 1991–92: £24,258,0002 1992–93: £18,399,0003 1993–94: £15,933,0374 1994–95: £18,479,4055 1995–96: £18,363,0006 Notes: 1 Details of consultancy expenditure for 1989–90 are not available as the Department of Health formed part of the Department of Health and Social Security until July 1988 and the Department's accounting records did not identify consultancy expenditure separately. 2 Expenditure by the NHS Executive in the years 1990–91 and 1991–92 cannot be disaggregated. 3 Includes expenditure of £6,675,821 by the NHS Executive. 4 Includes expenditure of £4,975,579 by the NHS Executive. 5 Includes expenditure of £4,339,752 by the NHS Executive. 6 Includes expenditure of £6.353,220 by the NHS Executive.