Written question asked by Helen Jones (Labour) on Tuesday, 24 October 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 30 October 2006. It was answered by Bill Rammell (Labour) on Wednesday, 8 November 2006 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Nursing/Midwifery

Question: (2) how many higher education institutions have reported a reduction in the number of students on community nursing courses in 2006-07.

Answer: The latest available information allows the comparison of the number of students in 2003/04 with 2004/05. Figures for 2005/06 will be available in early 2007. From the available data we can not separate midwifery students from other nursing students and we can not separate between continuing professional development courses and post-registration courses.The number of students studying post-registration nursing and midwifery courses in England increased from 85,750 in 2003/04 to 88,040 in 2004/05. The data shows that 32 of the 71 HE institutions providing these post-registration courses reported a drop in the number of students. In 39 institutions, the numbers increased.For other post-registration health courses, the number of students in England increased from 7,460 in 2003/04 to 8,720 in 2004/05. 20 of the 52 higher education institutions offering this training reported a drop in numbers, in the other 32 the numbers increased or stayed the same.

Secondary information