Written question asked by Barry Sheerman (Labour) on Monday, 16 July 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 19 July 2001. It was answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern (Labour) on Thursday, 19 July 2001 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the National Prosthetic Services attracts the appropriate calibre of qualified personnel.

Answer: Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that national prosthetic services attracts the appropriate calibre of qualified personnel. [5330] Jacqui Smith: All professional staff in prosthetic services are highly skilled graduates. The team is made up of multi-professional members including doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and importantly prosthetists. All the staff are graduates and have to be state registered. Qualification for prosthetists are B.Sc. Honours, entry onto the courses are at Strathclyde and Salford Universities. Once students qualify, they are state registered by the Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine (CPSM). Prosthetic service contracts negotiated by the National Health Service Purchasing and Supply Agency generally stipulate the minimum number of days a prosthetist will be allocated to continuing professional development. This is normally around one day per month. Other staff groups including physiotherapists and occupational therapists are provided by the NHS for these services. All staff have a professional obligation to keep themselves up to date and maintain and develop their skills.

Secondary information