HC Deb 26 June 2000 vol 352 c362W
Mr. Gerald Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of the health visitor service in(a) 1970, (b) 1980, (c) 1990 and (d) 1999 and how many people were employed in the service in each of those years. [126831]

Mr. Denham

Numbers of health visitors employed in the service are shown in the table. The cost of the health visitor service in this series of years cannot be disaggregated from general expenditure on community nursing and medicine.

NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS): all health visiting staff employed by the NHS, in England as at 30 September each year
Whole-time equivalent Numbers (headcount)
19701 5,910 2
1980 8,760 2
1990 10,580 12,200
1999 10,160 12,800
1 England and Wales figure
2 Not available

Notes:

1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10

2. Figures exclude learners and agency staff

_3. A new classification of the non-medical workforce was introduced in 1995. Information based on this classification is not directly comparable with earlier years.

Source:

Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census