HC Deb 05 July 2001 vol 371 c285W
Mr. Redwood

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors left service in the NHS in the last(a) two and (b) four years. [1610]

Mr. Hutton

Data are not collected on the number of hospital doctors who leave the National Health Service. The number of unrestricted principals or equivalents (who most people will have as their general practitioner) who left the NHS for any reason between 1996–97 and 1999–2000 is in the table. Doctors who 'left' include resignations, retirements and short-term career breaks. Some of these doctors will 'rejoin' the NHS at a later date.

Unrestricted principals and equivalents who left the NHS in England 1996–97 to 1999–2000
(headcount)
Leavers
1996–97 1,058
1997–98 1,040
1998–99 1,030
1999–2000 1,098

Notes:

1. Unrestricted principals and equivalents includes general medical service unrestricted principals, personal medical service contracted GPs and PMS salaried GPs

2. Leaver data refer to those UPEs leaving between 1 October and 30 September

3. Leavers are defined as those UPEs who were employed in a particular census but were not registered in the following census. We do not know why these doctors left.

Source:

General and Personal Medical Services Statistics