asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the establishment figure for nurses ; and how it compares with the number employed in the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board.
There is no nationally accepted basis for determining the nurse staffing establishment of hospitals. Individual hospital authorities, in association as appropriate with regional hospital boards, are responsible for assessing the nurse staffing requirements of the hospitals which they administer.
The total number of nursing staff employed in Birmingham Regional Hospital Board's hospitals at 30th September 1973 was 24,507 (whole-time equivalent).
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will name the hospitals in the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board area which use nursing agencies to recruit nurses.
Agency nurses are currently employed in the Dudley Road and Groundslow hospitals.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total cost of employing agency nurses during 1971–72 and 1972–73 by the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board ; and what would have been the cost of these nurses had they been employed directly by the hospital board.
As follows:
| Total expenditure £ | Estimated equivalent expenditure for directly employed nurses £ | |
| 1971–72 | 39,273 | 35,000 |
| 1972–73 | 19,306 | 17,000 |