NHS staff

The NHS is Europe's largest employers with a workforce of nearly one million people. Nurses and midwives make up nearly half the entire workforce in England. Staff costs account for roughly 70 per cent of spending on hospitals and community health services.

The numbers of GPs in England has risen by nine per cent between 1987-1997, with all of the increase occurring amongst women. The numbers of ancillary and maintenance and works staff directly employed by the NHS has fallen since the introduction of competitive tendering which has led to many of these jobs being carried out by the private sector.

In September 1996 approximately 940,000 non-medical staff were employed in the NHS hospital and community health services:

· 67 per cent of these staff were directly involved in patients care and 33 per cent were management and support staff

· there were 332,660 nurses, midwives and health visitors

· there were 167,430 administration and estates staff

· just under 80 per cent of the non-medical workforce were female and over five per cent were from ethnic minority groups.