§ Baroness Cumberlegeasked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of staff have provided direct patient care in each year since 1970.
§ Baroness Jay of PaddingtonEstimates for National Health Service staff, comprising hospital and community health services and general medical services as a whole, are not available before 1990. Figures showing the proportion of staff employed by the hospital and community health services classified as direct care staff from 1970 to 1996 are shown in the following table. This includes some staff not directly involved in patient care, for example some technical staff, and excludes some staff who were directly involved in patient care, for example ambulance paramedics. The figures are not comparable over time because of, in particular: changes to nurses' standard working hours in 1980–81; the exclusion of staff working in contracted out services; the changes resulting from the transition from traditional pre-registration nurse training to Project 2000 nurse training; and changes to the classification of non-medical staff from 1995.
164WA
NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS) Proportion of direct care staff United Kingdom and Great Britain as at September each year Year United Kingdom Per cent. Great Britain Per cent. 1970 — — 1971 — 57 1972 — 57 1973 — 58 1974 — 58 1975 — 58 1976 — 58 1977 57 58 1978 — — 1979 58 59 1980 59 59 1981 60 60 1982 60 61 1983 60 61 1984 62 62 1985 63 63 1986 64 65 1987 64 65 1988 65 66 1989 64 65 1990 66 67 1991 66 67 1992 65 66 1993 65 66 1994 65 66 1995 65 66 1996 66 67 Notes:
1. Figures before 1981 are not comparable with those for later years due to a reduction in nurses standard working hours in 1980–81 from 40 to 37.5 hours per week.
2. Figures for Project 2000 students and staff employed by independent contractors are excluded.
3. A new classification for non-medical NHS staff was introduced in 1995; information based on this classification is not directly comparable with earlier years.
4. Figures are based on staff numbers expressed as whole-time equivalents.
— not available.