HC Deb 16 November 2000 vol 356 cc732-6W
Mr. Edward Davey

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many school nurses were employed in each health authority in England and Wales in(a) 1979, (b) 1987, (c) 1997, (d) 1998 and (e) 1999; and if he will make a statement; [137869]

(2) what proposals he has for adopting a benchmark for the provision of school nurses within a health authority in terms of the number of pupils per school nurse; [137867]

(3) if he has received a copy of the report 'School Nursing within the Public Health Agenda' jointly published by the Community Practitioners' and Health Visitors' Association, the Queen's Nursing Institute and the Royal College of Nursing; and if he will make a statement; [137866]

(4) what proposals he has to increase the total number of school nurses across England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.[137868]

Mr. Denham

Data on the numbers of school nurses employed by health authority in 1987 are shown in the table. This information is not available for the other years. Information on numbers of school nurses after 1995 is not available due to a change in occupation codes used.

The school years offer an invaluable opportunity for the promotion of healthy living which sets the pattern for lifestyle and health status in adulthood. School nurses have an important role to play in meeting the needs of school-aged children and young people. The documents "Saving Lives", "Supporting Families" and "Making a Difference" identify and support a comprehensive programme of action for developing the public health role of school nursing. We look forward to receiving a copy of the report "School Nursing within the Public Health Agenda".

It is for health authorities and GP purchasers, with advice from professional colleagues, to determine benchmarks for the numbers, nature and levels of nursing staff and the training required to deliver cost effective school health services. The National Health Service Plan sets out increases in the numbers of nurses undertaking nursing training. Between now and 2004 there will be 5,500 extra nurses and midwives being trained each year than today and around 45,000 nurses and midwives will have come out of training. This means an increased supply of qualified nurses from which school nurses can be recruited and trained.

NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): School nursing staff by Health Authority in England as at 30 September 1987
Whole time equivalent
England 2,960
Northern 240
North Tees District HA 20
South Tees District HA 40
East Cumbria District HA 10
South Cumbria District HA 10
West Cumbria District HA 10
Darlington District HA 10
Durham District HA 10
North West Durham District HA 10
South West Durham District HA 10
Northumberland Health Authority 1
Gateshead District HA 10
Newcastle District HA 40
North Tyneside District HA 10
South Tyneside District HA 10
Sunderland Health Commission 30
Hartlepool District HA 10
Yorkshire 240
Hull District HA 20
East Yorkshire District HA 10
Grimsby District HA 10
Scunthorpe District HA 10
Northallerton District HA 1
York District HA 20
Scarborough District HA 10
Harrogate District HA 1
Bradford District HA 60
Huddersfield District HA 10

NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): School nursing staff by Health Authority in England as at 30 September 1987
Whole time equivalent
Dewsbury District HA 10
Leeds Western District HA 30
Leeds Eastern District HA 50
Wakefield District HA 1
Pontefract District HA 1
Trent 340
North Derbyshire District HA 10
Southern Derbyshire Health 30
Leicestershire HA 70
North Lincolnshire District HA 10
South Lincolnshire District HA 20
Bassetlaw District HA 10
Central Nottinghamshire District HA 30
Nottingham HA 50
Barnsley District HA 1
Doncaster District HA 20
Rotherham HA 30
Sheffield Health 50
East Anglia 80
Cambridge District HA 20
Peterborough District HA 10
West Suffolk District HA 10
East Suffolk District HA 10
Norwich District HA 20
Great Yarmouth and Waveney District HA 10
West Norfolk and Wisbech District HA 10
Huntingdon District HA 10
NW Thames 230
North Bedfordshire District HA 10
South Bedfordshire District HA 30
North Hertfordshire District HA 1
East Hertfordshire District HA 10
North West Hertfordshire District HA 10
South West Hertfordshire District HA 10
Barnet HA 30
Harrow District HA 10
Hillingdon Health Agency 1
Hounslow and Spelthorne District HA 20
Ealing District HA 30
Brent District HA 20
Paddington and North Kensington District
HA 20
Riverside District HA 30
NE Thames 220
Basildon and Thurrock District HA 20
Mid Essex District HA 10
North East Essex District HA 10
West Essex District HA 10
Southend District HA 20
Barking, Havering and Brentwood District
Health 10
Hampstead District HA 20
Bloomsbury District HA 20
Islington District HA 20
City and Hackney District HA 20
Newham District HA 10
Tower Hamlets District HA 30
Enfield District HA 20
Haringey District HA 10
Redbridge District HA 1
Waltham Forest District HA 10
SE Thames 190
Brighton District HA 20
Eastbourne District HA 1
South East Kent District HA 10

NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): School nursing staff by Health Authority in England as at 30 September 1987
Whole time equivalent
Canterbury and Thanet District HA 10
Dartford and Gravesham District HA 10
Maidstone District HA 10
Medway District HA 10
Bexley District HA 10
Greenwich District HA 20
West Lambeth District HA 10
Camberwell District HA 30
Lewisham and North Southwark District HA 30
SW Thames 150
North West Surrey District HA 10
West Surrey and North East Hampshire
District HA 10
South West Surrey District HA 10
Mid Surrey District HA 10
East Surrey District HA 1
Chichester District HA 10
Mid Downs District HA 20
Worthing District HA 10
Croydon Health Commissioning Agency 30
Kingston and Esher District HA 10
Richmond, Twickenham and Roehampton
District HA 20
Wandsworth District HA 10
Merton and Sutton District HA 10
Wessex 130
East Dorset District HA 20
West Dorset District HA 1
Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Health 1
Commissioning Agency 30
Southampton and South West Hampshire
Health Commissioning Agency 20
Winchester District HA 10
Basingstoke and North Hampshire District
HA 10
Salisbury District HA 1
Swindon District HA 10
Bath District HA 30
Isle of Wight Health Commission 10
Oxford 110
East Berkshire District HA 20
West Berkshire District HA 30
Wycombe District HA 10
Milton Keynes District HA 1
Kettering District HA 20
Northampton District HA 10
Oxfordshire District HA 10
South Western 180
Bristol and Weston District HA 30
Frenchay District HA 20
Southmead District HA 20
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly District and
Family Health 20
Exeter District HA 20
North Devon District HA 10
Plymouth District HA 20
Torbay District HA 10
Cheltenham and District District HA 10
Gloucester District HA 10
Somerset HA 10
West Midlands 340
Bromsgrove and Redditch District HA 10
Herefordshire HA 1
Kidderminster and District District HA 1
Worcester and District District HA 10

NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): School nursing staff by Health Authority in England as at 30 September 1987
Whole time equivalent
Shropshire HA 10
Mid Staffordshire District HA 10
North Staffordshire HA 40
South East Staffordshire District HA 20
Rugby District HA 1
North Warwickshire District HA 20
South Warwickshire District HA 10
Central Birmingham District HA 20
East Birmingham District HA 10
North Birmingham District HA 10
South Birmingham District HA 30
West Birmingham District HA 20
Coventry HA 10
Dudley HA 20
Sandwell HA 30
Solihull Health 10
Walsall HA 20
Wolverhampton HA 20
Mersey 230
Chester District HA 20
Crewe District HA 10
Halton District HA 10
Macclesfield District HA 10
Warrington District HA 20
Liverpool HA 70
St. Helens and Knowsley HA 40
Southport and Formby District HA 10
South Sefton (Merseyside) District HA 20
Wirral HA 30
North Western 260
Lancaster District HA 1
Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde District HA 10
Preston District HA 1
Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
District HA 30
Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale District HA 20
West Lancashire District HA 1
Chorley and South Ribble District HA 10
Bolton District HA 30
Bury District HA 10
North Manchester District HA 20
Central Manchester District HA 20
South Manchester District HA 20
Oldham District HA 1
Rochdale District HA 20
Salford District HA 20
Stockport Health Commission 30
Tameside and Glossop District HA 20
Trafford District HA 10
Wigan District HA 10
1Five or less and greater than zero

Notes:

  1. 1 Figures are rounded to the nearest 10
  2. 2 Due to rounding totals may not equal the sum of component parts
  3. 3 Figures exclude learners and agency staff

Source:

Department of Health Non-medical Workforce Census.