Written question asked by Charles Goodson-Wickes (Conservative), in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 January 1997. It was answered by Gerald Malone (Conservative) on Monday, 13 January 1997 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: What statistics he collates on the number of doctors leaving the profession within five years of qualification. - No figs given.

Answer: Dr. Goodson-Wickes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics he collates on the number of doctors leaving the profession within five years of qualification. [10447] Mr. Malone: Evidence of doctors leaving the profession is available from studies published in 1991 by Professor James Parkhouse. This gives the results of surveys of doctors who qualified in 1974, 1977, 1980 and 1983. The Department has commissioned further cohort studies of doctors' careers by the Medical Careers Research Group at the Oxford unit of health-care epidemiology. These will examine career patterns of doctors who qualified in 1988, 1993 and 1996. The studies, which collect data via questionnaires, will continue to look at wastage from the medical profession and the reasons why doctors leave the NHS.

Secondary information