Occupational Health: Manpower

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) occupational physicians and (b) occupational health nurses were employed in the NHS in each year since 1997. (131328)

The latest available data on the number of doctors in occupational medicine in each year since 1997 are shown in the table.

*Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): medical and dental staff working in occupational health by grade and year—England as at 30 September each year*
Number (headcount)
	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
England	178	191	185	192	221	218	231	212	209
Consultant	63	65	65	70	80	76	85	87	96
Associate Specialist	2	6	4	4	4	8	6	6	9
Staff Grade	2	1	1	7	5	2	3	6	2
Registrar Group	20	24	33	30	43	46	46	45	47
Senior House Officer	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	2	0
House Officer	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Hospital Practitioner/Clinical Assistant	89	94	80	81	76	67	69	49	40
Other	2	1	1	0	13	19	20	17	14
Source: The Information Centre for health and social care medical and dental workforce census

The annual national health service workforce census does not separately identify occupational health nurses from the rest of the nursing workforce.

Volume 459: debated on Friday 20 April 2007