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Health Visitors

Volume 497: debated on Wednesday 14 October 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of qualified health visitors aged (a) between 20 and 30 years, (b) between 31 and 40 years, (c) between 41 and 50 years, (d) between 51 and 60 years and (e) 60 years and over who are not presently practising. (289309)

The Department does not collect this information.

Data about lapsed registered health visiting qualifications in England are held by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Strategic health authorities in partnership with the Department are considering currently the feasibility of developing a Return to Practice programme for their areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of health visitors were (a) male and (b) female in each year since 1997. (289387)

The numbers are given in the following table.

NHS hospital and community health services: Health visitors in England by gender as at 30 September each specified year

headcount and percentage headcount

All staff

Male

Female

Unknown

% Male

% Female

1997

12,410

140

12,270

0

1.1

98.9

1998

12,572

164

12,071

337

1.3

98.7

1999

12,800

189

12,260

351

1.5

98.5

2000

12,827

185

12,179

463

1.5

98.5

2001

13,053

180

12,310

563

1.4

98.6

2002

12,774

165

12,149

460

1.3

98.7

2003

12,984

151

12,309

524

1.2

98.8

2004

13,303

173

12,517

613

1.4

98.6

2005

12,818

173

12,191

454

1.4

98.6

2006

12,034

176

11,507

351

1.5

98.5

2007

11,569

139

11,140

290

1.2

98.8

2008

11,190

127

10,704

359

1.2

98.8

Note:

Percentages are based on the numbers of staff whose gender is known. The gender of bank staff is not collected.

Source:

The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce census.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of health visitors were from black and minority ethnic groups in each year since 1997. (289388)

The numbers are given in the following table.

NHS hospital and community health services: Health visitors in England by ethnic group as at 30 September each specified year

Old ethnic codes

White

Black

Asian

Other

Unknown

1997

9,802

535

155

443

1,475

1998

10,184

601

178

278

1,331

1999

10,511

624

208

268

1,216

2000

10,511

624

208

268

1,216

2001

6,754

391

147

134

512

2002

3,929

154

49

79

317

2003

2,381

149

32

38

112

2004

348

14

5

4

13

2005

214

80

4

5

10

2006

108

29

7

1

16

20072

32

14

7

0

8

2008

23

11

4

0

4

New ethnic codes

White

Mixed

Asian or Asian British

Black or black British

Chinese

Other

Unknown

Total ethnic minority groups1(%)

All groups

1997

10.4

12,410

1998

9.4

12,572

1999

10.2

12,800

2000

9.5

12,827

2001

3,750

16

53

224

28

45

999

9.0%

13,053

2002

6,390

41

157

339

53

48

1,218

8.2%

12,774

2003

8,229

55

119

467

64

57

1,281

8.5%

12,984

2004

10,680

75

170

699

79

86

1,130

9.3%

13,303

2005

10,579

72

170

685

76

74

849

9.7%

12,818

2006

10,027

81

164

705

73

70

753

10.0%

12,034

20072

9,449

70

169

983

71

59

707

12.6%

11,569

2008

9,156

68

178

728

68

57

893

10.8%

11,190

1 "Unknown" includes unstated and unrecorded ethnic group. The ethnic group of all bank staff is not recorded.

2 We are aware of the apparent increase in the numbers of black/black British health visitors in 2007 then subsequent decrease in 2008. We have analysed this data from a number of different perspectives and have concluded that there is not a single cause for this. Data is now extracted from Electronic Staff Record and this has improved on data quality from previous years. Percentages are calculated on the numbers of staff whose ethnic group is known.

Source:

The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce census.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of student health visitors became qualified health visitors in each of the last five years. (289966)

I have been asked to reply

The Department does not hold information down to the level of health visitor students. Higher Education Statistics Agency information on the number of students who qualified from nursing courses, the category within which health visitor students are included, has been provided as an alternative.

The proportion of nursing students who became qualified is not available.