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Maternity Services: Manpower

Volume 457: debated on Wednesday 7 March 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what projections her Department has made of the number of (a) midwives, (b) consultant obstetricians and (c) consultant gynaecologists required within the NHS over the next 10 years; (120946)

(2) how many (a) midwives, (b) consultant obstetricians and (c) consultant gynaecologists have been trained since 1997; and if she will make a statement;

(3) how many (a) midwives, (b) consultant obstetricians and (c) consultant gynaecologists there are in each region covered by strategic health authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Local national health service organisations are responsible for developing maternity services in response to the needs of their local population, and for ensuring that they have sufficient staff, with the right skills, to offer appropriate choices.

The number of registrar group doctors in obstetrics and gynaecology in each year since 1997 is shown in the following table. These are the doctors training to be consultants.

Hospital and community health services (HCHS): registrar group doctors within the obstetrics and gynaecology specialty England—as at 30 September each year

Registrar group

1997

919

1998

944

1999

1,001

2000

939

2001

950

2002

1,014

2003

973

2004

1,099

2005

1,290

Source:

The Information Centre for health and social care—Medical and Dental Workforce Census

The number of midwives entering training in each year since 1997 is shown in the following table.

Degree

Diploma

Other

Total

1996-97

161

498

993

1,652

1999-2000

395

620

757

1,772

2001-02

621

525

732

1,878

2002-03

709

724

677

2,110

2003-04

753

716

757

2,226

2004-05

895

744

735

2,374

2005-06

1,042

517

661

2,220

Source:

Quarterly Monitoring Returns

The number of midwives and consultants in obstetrics and gynaecology in each strategic health authority is shown in the following table.

NHS hospital and community health services: NHS staff in England in each specified area of work by strategic health authority area as at 30 September 2005

Headcount

Consultants in obstetrics and gynaecology

Qualified midwifery staff

England

1,458

24,808

North East Strategic Health Authority area

95

1,274

North West Strategic Health Authority area

195

3,887

Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority area

149

2,539

East Midlands Strategic Health Authority area

104

1,757

West Midlands Strategic Health Authority area

149

2,816

East of England Strategic Authority area

126

2,352

London Strategic Health Authority area

315

4,338

South East Strategic Authority area

107

1,779

South Central Strategic Health Authority area

92

1,644

South West Strategic Health Authority area

126

2,422

Source:

The Information Centre for health and social care medical and dental and non-medical workforce census