§ Mr. LansleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed in the Social Care Council at 1 April; and what proportion of those staff have clinical contact with NHS patients. [56870]
§ Jacqui SmithFor the purpose of reply, it is assumed that the Social Care Council referred to is the General Social Care Council (GSCC), established under the Care Standards Act 2000 and with the objective to register, regulate and raise standards in the social care work force in England.
The GSCC employed 82 staff as of 1 April 2002.
No GSCC staff have any clinical contact with national health service patients as their task is to regulate the social care work force and not to provide frontline services.