HC Deb 07 October 2003 vol 411 cc209-12W
Mrs. Iris Robinson

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the longest time is that an employee has been on sick leave in each of the health trusts in Northern Ireland. [130862]

Angela Smith

The information is not readily available in the format requested. However the following table contains information, which Trusts were able to provide. The entitlement for paid sick leave for any employee is a maximum of 12 months, six months full pay and six months half pay. Employees can remain on the Trust payroll for a number of reasons; these include applications for ill health retirement, where the recovery period is longer or where a member of staff is terminally ill.

HSS Trust Reply
Altnagelvin Details not available
Armagh and Dungannon 11 months (continuing)
Belfast City Hospital 2 years
Causeway 2 years 5 months
Craigavon and Banbridge Community 1 year 1 month
Craigavon Area 1 year 5 months
Down Lisburn 2 years 5 months (continuing)
Foyle 2 years 4 months (continuing)
Green Park 3 years
Homefirst Community Details not available
Mater Infirmorum 1 year
HSS Trust Reply
Newry and Mourne 2 years
North and West Details not available
NI Ambulance Service 2 years
Royal Group HSS Trust Details not available
South and East Belfast Details not available
Sperrin Lakeland 1 year 8 months (continuing)
Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust 3 years 5 months
United Hospitals 2 years 3 months

Mrs. Iris Robinson

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many sick leave days were taken in Northern Ireland by(a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) other health professionals and (d) other employees in (i) 1998, (ii) 1993 and (iii) 1988. [130863]

Angela Smith

Information on sick absence is not held centrally and not all trusts were able to supply full details in the required format. However, information supplied by individual trusts is set out in the following table.

HSS Trust/Staff type 1988 1993 1998
Altnagelvin
Nursing 1 13,301 11,830
Medical 1 346 434
Healthcare 1 2,373 3,707
Professionals 1 6,492 6,299
Other 1
Armagh and Dungannon
Nursing 1 1 17,312
Medical 1 1 222
Healthcare 1 1 1,898
Professionals 1 1 13,128
Other 1 1
Belfast City
Nursing 9,433.6 17,462.4 17,851.9
Medical 1 325.9
Healthcare 1,766.0 442.6 4,261.7
Professionals 7,792.1 3,051.2 18,469.0
Other 18,579.9
Causeway
Nursing 4,550.0 8550.8 7,439.8
Medical 25.0 41.0 143.2
Healthcare 296.5 853.5 557.8
Professionals 7,517.8 26,433.6 17,608.4
Other
Craigavon and Banbridge
Nursing 1 2,198.8 2,915.2
Medical 1 56.5 117.6
Healthcare 1 4,150.1 4,448.1
Professionals 1 10,807.5 6,567.3
Other 1
Craigavon
Nursing 6,037.9 12,482.7 7,808.9
Medical 0 306 322
Healthcare 450.6 1,509 1,100.3
Professionals 3,911.4 6,304.5 4,083.5
Other
Down Lisburn
Nursing 3,610 13,242 18,533
Medical 1 68 430
Healthcare 266 933 1,370
Professionals 4,059 17,606 20,423
Other
HSS Trust/Staff type 1988 1993 1998
Foyle
Nursing 1 1 886.4
Medical 1 1 15.5
Healthcare 1 1 514.8
Professionals 1 1 1,313.8
Other 1 1
Green Park
Nursing 1 1 9,225
Medical 1 1 95.40
Healthcare 1 1 1,411.90
Professionals 1 1 4,692.5
Other 1 1
Homefirst Community
Nursing 1 1 1
Medical 1 1 1
Healthcare 1 1 1
Professionals 1 1 1
Other 1 1 1
Mater Infirmorum
Nursing 11,197.54
Medical 2
Healthcare 2
Professionals 2
Other 2
Newry and Mourne
Nursing 1 1 8,836
Medical 1 1 186
Healthcare 1 1 1,465
Professionals 1 1 8,748
Other 1 1
North and West Belfast
Nursing 1 7,612.30 6,953.4
Medical 1 99.10 380.2
Healthcare 1 2,641.30 3,223.4
Professionals 1 26,266.7 26,723.1
Other 1
NI Ambulance Service
Ambulance staff 1 1 18,748
Royal Group
Nursing 1 17,981.6 8,725.4
Medical 1 793.6 213.4
Healthcare 1 1,916.8 1,014.1
Professionals 1 48,855.2 25,369.2
Other 1
South and East Belfast
Nursing 2,952.6 13,742.9 12,583
Medical 1.5 347.1 75.4
Healthcare 287.6 8,519.9 7,794.5
Professionals 3,104.3 27,777.8 15,486.9
Other
Sperrin Lakeland
Nursing 623.2 17,030.6 21,848.5
Medical 0 300.9 573.6
Healthcare 124 1,655.1 4,467
Professionals 175.4 18,255 17,137
Other
Ulster Community
Nursing 5,037.4 18,922.1 14,048.9
Medical 19.2 356.4 368.2
Healthcare 2,4118 2,239.1 8,740.7
Professionals 9,337.1 21,741.7 18,572.7
Other
HSS Trust/Staff type 1988 1993 1998
United Hospitals
Nursing 1 1 16.167
Medical 1 1 597
Healthcare 1 1 1,781
Professionals 1 1 26,409
Other 1 1
1N/A
All grades—breakdown not available

Note:

All figures are working days lost.

Mrs. Iris Robinson

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many general practitioners in Northern Ireland are on sick leave; and for what length of time each has been on sick leave. [130864]

Angela Smith

As a general practitioner is entitled to his or her full normal remuneration during absence on account of illness, not all GPs report when they are unable to attend work due to sickness. The total number of GPs on sick absence is therefore not known. However it is known that at 31 August 2003, 31 general practitioners have reported absent from their practice on account of sickness.

Number of weeks Number of GPs
Under 2 weeks 5
2–4 weeks 3
5–13 weeks 11
14–26 weeks 7
Over 26 weeks 5