As part of the work force contribution to delivering the NHS improvement plan, we are moving away from an emphasis on centrally prescribed national targets to a reliance on credible local plans to maximise work force capacity to support delivery.
It is the responsibility of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to analyse their local situation and develop plans, in liaison with their local national health service trusts and primary care providers, to deliver high quality NHS services and take action to recruit the appropriate staff required to deliver these services.
The following table shows the number of medical staff in neurology has increased by 372 or 59 per cent. since 1997.
Number (headcount) and full-time equivalents 1997 2006 Number FTE Number FTE All staff 638 555 1,012 892 Consultant 278 246 506 455 Associate specialist 6 5 16 11 Staff grade 6 6 20 14 Registrar group 159 138 231 208 Senior house officer 141 140 163 157 Foundation Year 2 n/a n/a 28 28 House officer and foundation programme year 1 10 10 8 8 Hospital practitioner/clinical assistant 37 11 40 10 Other staff 1 0 1— 1— n/a = denotes not applicable 1— = denotes zero 0 = denotes more than zero, less than one Source: Information Centre, Medical and Dental Workforce Census