To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) fully qualified nurses and (b) doctors were employed in the NHS in each year since 1979. [10909]
[holding answer 28 July 1997]: The information requested is in the following table.
| align="center">NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS) and General Medical Services (GMS) medical staff and qualified nursing and midwifery staff | |||||||
England as at 30 September each year
| |||||||
HCHS hospital medical staff1
| HCHS community medical staff
| GMS General Medical Practitioners2
| GMS practice nurses
| HCHS qualified nursing and midwifery staff
| |||
Year
| Headcount
| WTE
| Headcount
| WTE
| Headcount
| WTE
| WTE
|
| 1979 | 39,860 | 32,130 | 5,890 | 2,790 | 23,060 | 990 | 192,0004 |
| 1980 | 40,760 | 33,200 | 5,980 | 2,820 | 23,670 | 1,070 | 212,5004 |
| 1981 | 41,620 | 33,940 | 6,040 | 2,880 | 24,360 | 1,240 | 212,100 |
| 1982 | 42,190 | 34,500 | 6,170 | 2,870 | 24,840 | 1,450 | 219,300 |
| 1983 | 42,760 | 35,160 | 6,330 | 2,910 | 25,340 | 1,660 | 223,310 |
| 1984 | 42,780 | 35,370 | 6,160 | 2,880 | 25,790 | 1,920 | 227,720 |
| 1985 | 43,550 | 35,970 | 6,150 | 2,930 | 26,190 | 2,210 | 234,130 |
| 1986 | 43,990 | 36,310 | 6,030 | 2,920 | 26,530 | 2,500 | 236,770 |
| 1987 | 43,960 | 36,250 | 6,300 | 2,760 | 27,020 | 2,770 | 239,360 |
| 1988 | 45,490 | 37,600 | 6,160 | 2,790 | 27,420 | 3,480 | 241,780 |
| 1989 | 46,970 | 38,910 | 6,110 | 2,770 | 27,750 | 4,630 | 244,610 |
| 1990 | 48,590 | 40,250 | 5,900 | 2,730 | 27,520 | 7,740 | 242,340 |
| 1991 | 49,900 | 41,430 | 5,320 | 2,780 | 27,890 | 8,780 | 243,250 |
| 1992 | 50,380 | 42,290 | 4,940 | 2,600 | 28,180 | 9,120 | 246,570 |
| 1993 | 51,550 | 43,800 | 4,710 | 2,590 | 28,460 | 9,600 | 241,850 |
| 1994 | 52,040 | 44,660 | 4,070 | 2,370 | 28,740 | 9,100 | 238,780 |
| 1995 | 55,350 | 47,870 | 3,920 | 2,300 | 28,870 | 9,740 | 246,8203 |
| 1996 | 5— | 5— | 5— | 5— | 28,940 | 9,820 | 248,0703 |
Notes:
| |||||||
1 Figures for hospital medical staff include hospital practitioners and clinical assistants who may also be General Medical Practitioners. | |||||||
2 General Medical Practitioners include: restricted principals, unrestricted principals, trainees and assistants. | |||||||
3 1995 and 1996 figures for HCHS nursing and midwifery staff are not directly comparable with figures for earlier years because of a change in the way non-medical staff were classified from 1995. | |||||||
4 Figures for 1979 and 1980 are not comparable with those for later years because of a reduction in nurses standard working hours in 1980–81 from 40 to 37.5 hours per week. | |||||||
5 Not available. | |||||||
All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
WTE indicates whole-time equivalents. WTE figures for GMPs are not available.
Sources:
Department of Health's: annual medical and dental workforce census; annual non-medical workforce census; and bi-annual census of General Medical Practitioners.