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Dept of Health

Answer

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of health authorities in England and Wales are experiencing staffing shortages in midwifery. [215954] Mr. Hutton: The national health survey vacancy survey collects information from NHS organisations on the number and rate of vacancies lasting three months or more. The table shows the rate of vacancies lasting three months or more for midwives by strategic health authority area. Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2004 NHS three-month vacancies by Government office region, strategic health authority area, qualified midwifery staff _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Qualified midwives 3 month vacancy March 2004 Staff in post September 2003 Rate percentage Number Whole-time Headcount equivalent England 3.3 619 18,444 23,941 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk 4.8 36 709 991 and Cambridgeshire SHA Q02 Bedfordshire and 14.3 72 444 587 Hertfordshire SHA Q03 Essex SHA 4.1 20 493 640 Q04 North West London 7.4 47 634 842 SHA Q05 North Central 9.1 49 499 638 London SHA Q06 North East London 6.4 42 694 871 SHA Q07 South East London 8.7 64 730 988 SHA Q08 South West London 10.2 48 468 642 SHA Q09 Northumberland, 0.0 -- 532 651 Tyne and Wear SHA Q10 County Durham and 2.7 13 457 554 Tees Valley SH Q11 North and East 1.9 10 518 647 Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA Q12 West Yorkshire SHA 1.2 11 877 1,056 Q13 Cumbria and 0.0 -- 705 882 Lancashire SHA Q14 Greater Manchester 0.6 8 1,335 1,629 SHA Q15 Cheshire and 1.7 17 1,008 1,298 Merseyside SHA Q16 Thames Valley SHA 2.1 15 686 933 Q17 Hampshire and Isle 1.1 6 542 727 of Wight SHA Q18 Kent and Medway SHA 8.0 43 516 700 Q19 Surrey and Sussex 5.4 45 739 1,013 SHA Q20 Avon, 0.0 -- 833 1,131 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA Q21 South West 0.5 3 614 806 Peninsula SHA Q22 Dorset and Somerset 0.0 -- 355 451 SHA Q23 South Yorkshire SHA 0.5 3 553 679 Q24 Trent SHA 0.4 3 819 1,073 Q25 Leicestershire, 0.5 2 512 679 Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA Q26 Shropshire and 2.4 13 516 665 Staffordshire SHA Q27 Birmingham and The 4.0 43 1,078 1,399 Black Country SHA Q28 West Midlands South 0.9 5 576 769 SHA _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Notes: Three-month vacancy: 1. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2004 2. Three month vacancies are vacancies which Trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents) 3. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post 4. Three month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the Vacancy Survey, March 2004 5. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place 6. Figures where sum of staff in post (as at 31 March 2004) and vacancies is less than 10 7. Figures where sum of staff in post (as at 31 March 2004) and vacancies is zero Staff in post: 1. Staff in post data is from the Non-Medical Workforce Census, September 2003 General: 1. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number 2. Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates 3. Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of component parts 4. Strategic HA figures are based on trusts, and do not necessarily reflect the geographical provision of health care 5. London Ambulance Service NHS Trust cannot be assigned to a particular Strategic Health Authority Sources: Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2004 Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census, September 2003

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

431 c164-6W;431 c166-8W; 215954

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Health authorities Staff Midwives Vacancies

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk