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Maternity Services: Greater London

Volume 498: debated on Tuesday 3 November 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) midwives, (b) doctors below consultant grade and (c) consultants were employed in maternity services at (i) Barnet Hospital, (ii) Chase Farm Hospital, (iii) the Royal Free Hospital and (iv) Northwick Park Hospital in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. (296586)

Workforce planning is a matter for local determination as local workforce planners are best placed to assess the health care needs of their local population. The Department continues to ensure the frameworks are in place to enable effective local workforce planning.

The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table:

National health service hospital and community health services, medical staff in the obstetrics and gynaecology specialty and qualified maternity services nurses by level within specific NHS trusts as at 30 September each year

2006

2007

2008

Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust

All medical and dental staff

47

47

47

Consultant

10

12

15

All other grades

37

35

32

All qualified maternity services nurses

310

322

331

Nurse Consultant

1

1

1

Modern Matron

5

4

7

Manager

3

3

1

Registered nurse—Children

24

18

18

Registered midwife

243

252

266

Other 1st level

30

40

35

Other 2nd level

4

4

3

Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust

All medical and dental staff

40

35

39

Consultant

11

9

14

All other grades

29

26

25

All qualified maternity services nurses

132

98

118

Modern Matron

0

0

4

Registered midwife

131

97

113

Other 2nd level

1

1

1

North West London Hospitals NHS Trust

All medical and dental staff

46

46

44

Consultant

11

13

12

All other grades

35

33

32

All qualified maternity services nurses

230

229

250

Modern matron

0

0

5

Registered nurse—children

40

41

117

Registered midwife

116

120

117

Other 1st level

68

61

80

Other 2nd level

2

2

6

Notes:

1. Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust includes the following hospitals: Barnet General hospital, Chase Farm hospital, Edgware Community hospital, Finchley Memorial hospital and Potters Bar hospital.

2. Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust includes the following hospitals: Queen Mary’s hospital, Royal Free hospital, and the Royal Throat, Nose and Ear hospital.

3. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care is aware of the apparent drop in the number of midwives for this organisation in 2007. This is due to the inclusion of bank staff, which dropped to zero in 2007. The number of permanent midwives employed by the trust has remained steady in each year, at 92 in 2006, 97 in 2007 and 95 in 2008.

4. North West London Hospitals NHS Trust includes the following hospitals: Central Middlesex hospital, Northwick Park hospital and St. Mark’s.

5. Workforce statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.

Source:

The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census, and The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census.