§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the shortfall in nurses in each specialty. [17387]
§ Mr. MilburnIn submitting evidence to the 1998 Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine, the Department said there was growing evidence of work force pressures in mental health, nursing in the larger conurbations and specialist nursing posts in areas of high dependency care.
In addition to the comprehensive collection of work force information to support national workforce planning, the National Health Service Executive is running a quarterly survey seeking information about recruitment and retention difficulties and examples of good practice across a sample of trusts. This will provide more systematic information on work force pressures across England.