To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of nurses directly employed by National Health Service hospitals on (a) permanent and (b) temporary contracts, by region, for each year from 1983 to 1987; and what was the number of agency or bank nurses employed by National Health Service hospitals, by region, for each year from 1983 to 1987.
[holding answer 11 February 1988]: Information about the number of nurses on permanent and temporary contracts is not collected centrally and information specifically for nurses employed in hospitals is not readily available.The total number of nursing and midwifery staff employed in each region on 30 September 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986 and the number of agency and bank staff is given in the table. Similar information for September 1987 is not yet available.
1983
| 1984
| 1985
| 1986
| |||||||||
Region
| Nursing and midwifery staff 2
| Agency
| Bank
| Nursing and midwifery staff 2
| Agency
| Bank
| Nursing and midwifery staff 2
| Agency
| Bank
| Nursing and midwifery staff 2
| Agency
| Bank
|
| South East Thames | 30,760 | 480 | 290 | 29,980 | 770 | 310 | 29,550 | 820 | 410 | 29,110 | 860 | 390 |
| South West Thames | 24,530 | 380 | 280 | 23,990 | 480 | 390 | 23,720 | 520 | 470 | 23,210 | 620 | 520 |
| Wessex | 21,660 | 40 | 260 | 21,880 | 60 | 310 | 22,360 | 100 | 290 | 22,640 | 120 | 300 |
| Oxford | 16,500 | 3— | 90 | 16,780 | 10 | 200 | 16,600 | 40 | 230 | 16,600 | 90 | 260 |
| South Western | 25,820 | 3— | 270 | 25,840 | 10 | 310 | 26,340 | 40 | 340 | 26,500 | 40 | 430 |
| West Midlands | 40,750 | 10 | 60 | 40,760 | 100 | 140 | 41,750 | 100 | 210 | 42,060 | 170 | 280 |
| Mersey | 22,130 | 20 | 160 | 21,640 | 60 | 150 | 21,910 | 40 | 200 | 21,980 | 80 | 270 |
| North Western | 37,060 | — | 50 | 37,170 | — | 150 | 37,480 | — | 170 | 37,630 | 20 | 210 |
| London Post Graduate Special Health Authorities | 4,910 | 250 | 20 | 4,580 | 310 | 10 | 4,620 | 330 | 20 | 4,500 | 370 | 20 |
| England Total | 392,250 | 2,440 | 2,430 | 390,630 | 3,750 | 3,110 | 393,320 | 4,120 | 3,710 | 393,020 | 5,450 | 4,220 |
1 All figures are independantly rounded to the nearest ten (10) whole-time equivalents. | ||||||||||||
2 Includes qualified nurses and midwives, learners and unqualified staff. Excludes Agency and Bank. | ||||||||||||
3 Less than five (5) whole-time equivalents. | ||||||||||||
Source: DHSS (SR7) Annual Census of NHS Non-Medical Manpower.