[holding answer 15 June 2006]: The number of consultants per 100,000 weighted population and per 100,000 unweighted population in England and Gloucestershire in each year since 1997 is shown in the table.
Numbers (headcount) and numbers (headcount) per population 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Consultants England 21,474 22,324 23,321 24,401 25,782 27,070 28,750 30,650 31,993 Gloucestershire1 188 191 192 210 234 242 257 277 297 Consultants per 100,000 weighted population2 England3 43.6 45.2 47.0 49.1 51.4 53.8 58.5 62.3 65.1 Gloucestershire4 35.7 36.9 37.1 40.5 45.1 46.4 50.6 54.5 58.5 Consultants per 100,000 population England3 43.6 45.2 47.0 49.1 51.4 53.8 57.7 61.2 63.7 Gloucestershire 33.6 34.1 34.1 37.2 41.4 42.7 45.3 48.6 51.8 1 In obtaining the consultant numbers, Gloucestershire is defined as the Gloucestershire HA area for 1997 to 2001 and the following organisations for 2002 to 2005: South Gloucestershire PCT, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury PCT, West Gloucestershire PCT, Cotswold and Vale PCT, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust. 2 The population data used in these calculations is weighted for HCHS age and need. 3 The England weighted population is normalised or scaled back to, and therefore equals, the England unweighted population. The exceptions; the years 2003-04 to 2005-06 where we updated PCT unweighted populations using the 2004 ADS constrained to 2003 based ONS population. It is not possible to update the weighted populations and they are still based on the 2002 ADS constrained to 2001 ONS estimates. 4 In obtaining the population data, Gloucestershire is defined as the Gloucestershire HA area for 1997-98 to 2002-03 and Cheltenham and Tewkesbury, Cotswold Vale and West Gloucestershire PCT areas from 2003-04 Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census.