Nurses (Hansard, 7 September 2004)

§ Keith Vaz
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many overseas nurses are employed in the University Hospital of Leicester. [186625]

§ Dr. Ladyman
This information is not collected centrally.

§ Mr. Liddell-Grainger
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many modern matrons have been appointed in the NHS since the NHS Plan was introduced; and if he will make a statement. [186665]

§ Mr. Hutton
The latest figures, taken from local development plan returns from trusts, indicate that, as at December 2003, there were 3,200 modern matrons employed in the national health service.

§ Sandra Gidley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether community matrons will take precedence over senior district nurses in the general recruitment process. [187166]

§ Mr. Hutton
It is for local national health service trusts to determine their local work force priorities and to recruit staff according to local need and national priorities. The Government has Increased the number of nurses working in the NHS by 77,500 since 1997, which includes an increase of 25 per cent. in community service nurses.

§ Sandra Gidley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on current staffing levels of his aim to recruit 3,000 community matrons. [187167]

§ Mr. Hutton
It is expected that nurses with the skills and knowledge to take on the role of community matron will be recruited from a range of community, hospital and intermediate care settings, in particular district nursing. The introduction of community matrons will mean staffing working differently and more effectively and may not always require additional nursing staff.

§ Sandra Gidley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of community matrons on staffing levels of social care professionals. [187339]

§ Mr. Hutton
In order to deliver benefits for patients, community matrons will need to be able to assess patients medical, psychological and social care needs. This1094W combination of skills is largely found in experienced nurses, rather than social care professionals. It is expected that social care professionals will form part of the multi-professional team that community matrons will work within.