§ Mr. Baron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he would make a statement on the role midwives play in public health. [143419]
§ Dr. Ladyman[holding answer 11 December 2003]: Midwives play a key role in public health, as part of the multidisciplinary team providing pregnancy care. They are often the main pregnancy care provider and are in an ideal position to provide information and support in areas such as parenting, breastfeeding, smoking cessation and early detection and referral for women experiencing domestic violence or post natal depression.
§ Mr. Baron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the number of midwife-led maternity units. [143420]
§ Dr. Ladyman[holding answer 11 December 2003]: The national health service provides a variety of types of care for women during pregnancy and childbirth including care in midwife-led units for low risk births. The Government expects this variety to continue and does not support any one single model of maternity service provision in preference to all others. We advocate local decision making in designing appropriate, effective services within available resources. It is inevitable that the requirements of women will vary in different parts of the country and this is why it is so important that decisions about service provision are made at a local level and informed by the ethos of woman-centred care.
§ Mr. Baron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to expand the community-based role of midwives. [143421]
§ Dr. Ladyman[holding answer 11 December 2003]: Midwives currently provide an integrated service across primary and acute care sectors. Next year we shall be publishing the children's national service framework (NSF) which includes maternity services. The NSF will outline our plans for maternity services for the next 10 years and will examine the healthcare professionals needed to ensure that women's individual needs are met.
§ Sandra Gidley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many midwives (a) took up and (b) resigned from posts in the NHS, in (i) England and (i) each region in each year since 1997, broken down by strategic and area health authority; [142049]
(2) what proportion of midwife vacancies have remained vacant for more than three months in (a) England and (b) each region, in each year since 1997. [142051]
§ Mr. Hutton:Information on the number of midwives resigning from or taking up posts in the national health service is not collected centrally. The Department collects information on the number of midwives employed in the NHS as at 30 September each year. As at September 2002, there were 860 more midwives employed in the NHS than in 1997.
773WInformation on the number of midwives employed in the NHS since 1997 and the rate of vacancies for midwives lasting three months or more since 1999, the first year the data were collected, by strategic health authority and Government Office for the Region has been placed in the Library.
§ Mr. Baron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list departmental targets relating to midwives and midwifery. [143799]
§ Mr. Hutton:There are no specific departmental targets relating to midwives or midwifery. Midwives are included in the NHS Plan, manifesto and "Delivering the NHS Plan" targets for increasing the number of nurses, midwives and health visitors employed in the national health service and the number of nurses and midwives entering training each year. The targets are for 20,000 more nurses, midwives and health visitors by 2004 over 1999 levels, 20,000 more by 2005 over 2000 levels, and 35,000 more by 2008 over 2001 levels respectively, and for 5,500 more nurses and midwives entering training each year by 2004 over 1999 levels.
My right hon. Friend the Member for Darlington, speaking at the Royal College of Midwives conference in May 2001, stated that we expect there to be an extra 2,000 midwives employed in the N HS by 2006 over 2000 levels. As at September 2002, there were 680 more midwives employed in the NHS than in 2000.