§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of how many additional consultants are needed if consultants work the European legal limit of hours each week. [46693]
§ Mr. HuttonWe expect that the growth in consultant numbers to deliver the NHS Plan (7,500 more by 2004) and strong continuing growth thereafter will provide sufficient numbers for all consultants to adhere to the European working time directive.
Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): medical and dental consultants, England at 30 September each year 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2001 Consultants over 55 3,250 3,200 3,270 3,490 3,720 3,890 Percentage of all consultants 19.0 17.7 16.1 15.7 15.3 15.1 Source:
Department of Health medical and dental workforce census
The number of consultants practising in the NHS has increased by 50 per cent. since 1992 and the age profile of the consultant workforce has become younger.
§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultant vacancies there are. [46691]
§ Mr. HuttonThe information requested is shown in the table.
Consultant vacancies in NHS trusts, England—3 month vacancy rates1,2and numbers3 Whole-time equivalents 3 month vacancy rates (percentage) 3.0 3 month vacancies (number) 670 Staff in post 21,630 Notes:
1. Three month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March 2001 which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
472WThrough new ways of working, supported by pay modernisation, we expect to see increased numbers of staff working more flexibly with increased productivity and some roles currently carried out by consultants being transferred to other members of the health care team.
§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultants practising in the NHS are aged over 55 years; and how many consultants aged over 55 years were practising in(a)2000, (b)1998, (c)1996, (d)1994 and (e)1992. [46690]
§ Mr. HuttonThe information requested is shown in the table.
2. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post from the September 2000 medical and dental workforce census (whole-time equivalent).
3. Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten.
4. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
5. Due to rounding calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
Source:
Department of Health Vacancies Survey 2001
Department of Health medical and dental workforce census 2000
§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hours consultant physicians are contracted to work per week; how many hours were worked by consultant physicians over the contracted time, on average, in the last 12 months; and how many additional consultants would be needed to maintain levels of service if consultants worked only their contracted hours. [46694]
473W
§ Mr. HuttonConsultants hold a professional contract that does not specify particular hours of work. Whole-time and maximum part-time contract holders have a contractual commitment to devote substantially the whole of their professional time, up to 11 sessions, to their NHS duties.
The table shows the number of hospital medical consultants by contract in England as at 30 September 2001. The table gives a breakdown of contract holders on national terms and conditions of service by (a)whole time, (b)maximum part time and (c)part time. The number of honorary contract holders is also provided.
Hospital medical consultants by nature of contract—England at 30 September 2001 Consultant All contracts 24,400 Whole time Number 13,810 Percentage 56.6 Max. part-time Number 5,520 Percentage 22.6 Part-time Number 3,530 Percentage 14.5 Honorary Number 1.550 Percentage 6.3 Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Due to rounding figures may not equal the sum of component parts.
3. Percentages were calculated using unrounded figures.
Source:
Department of Health 2001 medical and dental workforce census.
A 1999 survey by management consultants KPMG for the 28th report of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration showed that the average number of hours worked per week for whole time consultants, excluding emergency recalls, was 51.3 hours and for maximum part-timers 48.7 hours.
§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in consultant recruitment in the last 12 months. [46735]
§ Mr. HuttonAs at 30 September 2001, the date of the Department's annual work force censuses, 1,380 more consultants were working in the national health Service than there were at 30 September 2000. Overall since 1997 the number of consultants employed in the national health service has increased by 4,320 (20 per cent.).
§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultant physicians there are; and how many there were in each year since 1992. [46692]
§ Mr. HuttonThe information requested is shown in the table.
The number of consultant physicians has increased by 47 per cent. since 1992.
474W
Hospital medical consultant physicians1—all specialties Number 1992 4,040 1993 4,090 1994 4,110 1995 4,510 1996 4,720 1997 4,940 1998 5,050 1999 5,290 2000 5,540 2001 5,930 1Physicians as recognised by the Royal College of Physicians includes staff in the listed specialties: Allergy, Audiological medicine, Cardiology, Clinical genetics, Clinical Neurophysiology, Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, Dermatology, Endocrinology and diabetes mellitus, Gastroenterology, General Medicine, Genito-urinary medicine, Geriatric medicine, Haematology, Immunology, Infectious diseases, Medical oncology, Neurology, Nuclear medicine, Palliative medicine, Rehabilitation medicine, Renal medicine, Respiratory medicine, Rheumatology. Source:
Department of Health medical and dental workforce census