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Radiography: West Midlands

Volume 474: debated on Wednesday 26 March 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what forecasts he has made for the future requirements for (a) radiographers and (b) radiologists in (i) Tamworth and (ii) the West Midlands. (193628)

Local national health service organisations are best placed to assess the health needs of their local health community and plan the work force they need.

The Department does collect the number of radiographers and radiologists working in the NHS. Data for the West Midlands and the NHS organisations which cover the Tamworth area have been set out in the following table, including figures for 1997 and the three most recent years for which data are available.

NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified diagnostic radiography staff and medical staff within the radiology group of specialties in England by strategic health authority (SHA) area and specified organisation as at 30 September each specified year

Headcount

1997

2004

2005

2006

England

12,428

15,058

15,775

15,739

Diagnostic Radiographers

10,364

12,147

12,700

12,535

Radiologists

2,064

2,911

3,075

3,204

of which:

West Midlands SHA area

1,274

1,601

1,638

1,625

Diagnostic Radiographers

1,082

1,312

1,345

1,324

Radiologists

192

289

293

301

of which:

Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust

45

60

70

72

Diagnostic Radiographers

40

54

65

65

Radiologists

5

6

5

7

South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT)1

n/a

13

13

13

Diagnostic Radiographers

n/a

13

13

13

Radiologists

0

0

0

0

n/a = Not applicable

1 In 2006 Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth PCT, Cannock Chase PCT, East Staffordshire PCT and South Western Staffordshire PCT merged to form the South Staffordshire PCT. Figures prior to 2006 are an aggregate of these four predecessor organisations.

Note:

More accurate validation processes in 2006 have resulted in the identification and removal of 9,858 duplicate non-medical staff records out of the total work force figure of 1.3 million in 2006. Earlier years’ figures could not be accurately validated in this way and so will be slightly inflated. The level of inflation in earlier years’ figures is estimated to be less than 1 per cent. of total across all non-medical staff groups for headcount figures (and negligible for full time equivalents). This should be taken into consideration when analysing trends over time.

Sources:

The Information Centre Non Medical Workforce Census.

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