Health written question – answered at on 17 January 2005.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS consultant physician posts are unfilled; and what proportion of the consultant physician work force this represents.
The latest vacancy data available is at
The table shows the three-month consultant physician vacancy rates and numbers.
2004 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Specialty | 3 month vacancy rate (percentage) | 3 month vacancy number | Staff in post vacancy (whole-time number equivalent) | Staff in post (headcount) |
Audiological medicine | 0.0 | 0 | 34 | 39 |
Cardiology | 4.2 | 28 | 635 | 692 |
Clinical genetics | 2.1 | 2 | 94 | 124 |
Clinical neurophysiology | 4.9 | 4 | 78 | 86 |
Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics | 0.0 | 0 | 50 | 74 |
Dermatology | 4.7 | 18 | 373 | 427 |
Endocrinology and diabetes mellitus | 3.3 | 16 | 469 | 538 |
Gastroenterology | 0.6 | 3 | 597 | 662 |
Genito-urinary medicine | 3.3 | 10 | 286 | 312 |
Geriatric medicine | 2.8 | 25 | 876 | 928 |
Infectious diseases | 0.0 | 0 | 70 | 102 |
Medical oncology | 3.5 | 6 | 164 | 197 |
Neurology | 3.4 | 13 | 371 | 427 |
Nuclear medicine | 9.3 | 5 | 44 | 53 |
Occupational health | 8.6 | 6 | 64 | 84 |
Paediatric cardiology | 1.6 | 1 | 62 | 68 |
Palliative medicine | 9.2 | 15 | 149 | 195 |
Rehabilitation medicine | 2.3 | 3 | 107 | 115 |
Renal medicine | 1.7 | 5 | 294 | 326 |
Respiratory medicine | 2.7 | 15 | 542 | 583 |
Rheumatology | 2.8 | 12 | 415 | 474 |
Other(21) | 18.8 | 43 | 184 | 239 |
(20) Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole-time equivalents). Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.
(21) No matching speciality can be found for pharmaceutical medicine or general medicine. These specialities and other specialities for which we do not have a match are reported under the Other category in the vacancy survey.
Source:
Department of Health medical and dental vacancy survey
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