To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to paragraph 2.50 of the NHS in England’s Operating Framework for 2008-09, how his Department defines ‘sufficient numbers of maternity staff and neo-natal teams to meet local needs’ in terms of (a) the population of a primary care trust and (b) the number of births at a maternity unit. (178304)

It is for primary care trusts and national health service trusts to decide locally how to use their resources to provide services for the people for whom they are responsible, in line with the NHS Operating Framework. Staffing levels in maternity services vary throughout the country and are dependent on a range of factors including model of care and skill mix such as the use of maternity support workers.