§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many unfilled pharmacy vacancies there are in hospitals in England. [118728]
§ Mr. HuttonInformation on the number of vacancies lasting three months or more is collected in the National Health Services vacancies survey. The available information for pharmacy staff is shown in the table.
Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2002: Vacancies in NHS trusts, pharmacy staff—three month vacancy rates,
numbers and staff in post
Three month vacancy rate percentage Three month vacancy number Staff in post (whole time equivalent) Staff in post (head count) March 2002 September 2001 Registered pharmacists1 6.6 282 3,751 4,266 Pre-registration pharmacy trainees1 2.1 9 599 623 Other qualified pharmacy staff1 2.7 124 4,759 5,418 1 England—Excluding HA staff Three month vacancy notes:
1. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2002
2. Three month vacancies are vacancies which Trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
3. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.
4. Three month vacancy rates for non-medical staff are calculated using staff in post from the Vacancy Survey, March 2002.
5. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
Staff in post notes:
1. Staff in post data is from the Non-Medical Workforce Census, September 2001 and the Mini Consultant Census, March 2002.
2. Staff in post data excludes staff employed by Health Authorities, as vacancy information was only collected from Trusts, PCTs and Special Health Authorities.
General Notes:
1. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.
2. Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
3. Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
Sources:
Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2002.
Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census, September 2001.