AQW 4376/11-15


Mr Stewart Dickson
Alliance Party
East Antrim


Tabled Date: 10/11/2011
Answered On Date: 21/11/2011
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many consultants work at each hospital's paediatrics department; and what is the average daily number of patients they treat.


Answer:
The number of consultants working in paediatric departments by hospital is not centrally available from DHSSPS as staff may work across hospital sites and may provide both hospital and community services. Therefore the total number of consultants recorded as working in paediatric hospital and community services (excluding mental health) by HSC Trust is provided in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Consultants within Paediatrics Services (excluding mental health) at 30th September 2010
 HSC Trust
Headcount
WTE
Belfast
36
33.21
Northern
15
13.95
South Eastern
10
9.25
Southern
14
13.4
Western
15
14.7
Source: Human Resource Management System
Notes:
Figures exclude staff with a whole-time equivalent (WTE) less than or equal to 0.03 and staff on career breaks.
Information is not collected centrally on all contacts a patient may have with a paediatric consultant.  We are, however, able to provide information on the number of inpatient admissions and outpatient attendances within a paediatric specialty.  These are provided in the form of average daily numbers in Tables 2 and 3.
Table 2: Average Daily Number of Inpatient Admissions to Paediatric Specialties during 2010/11
Hospital
Average Daily Number of Admissions
Altnagelvin
9.5
Antrim
8.6
Causeway
4.0
Craigavon
7.1
Daisy Hill
4.3
Erne
5.2
Lagan Valley
0.1
Mid Ulster
0
Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children
12.5
Royal Maternity
1.2
Royal Victoria
0
Tyrone County
0
Ulster
12.5
Source: Hospital Inpatient System
Notes:
Paediatric Specialties have been defined as (142) Paediatric Dentistry, (171) Paediatric Surgery, (420) Paediatrics and (421) Paediatric Neurology.
It must be noted that the data presented in Tables 2 and 3 will not represent all patients that will come into contact with a paediatric consultant.
Table 3: Average Daily Outpatient Attendances (Seen - New and Review) during 2010/11 - Paediatric Specialties
HSC Hospital
Average Daily Number of Attendances
Belfast City
0.2
Ards
2.7
Ulster
20.1
Royal Victoria
0.0
Royal Maternity
2.9
RBHSC
55.8
Muckamore Abbey
7.1
Lagan Valley
0.9
Downe
1.0
Causeway Hospital
11.5
Moyle
1.9
Whiteabbey
1.0
Mid Ulster
3.6
Antrim
15.3
Waveney
2.6
Armagh Community
5.2
South Tyrone
3.3
Banbridge
1.4
Lurgan
0.2
Craigavon Area
11.5
Daisy Hill
8.9
Bluestone (formerly Craigavon Area PNU)
0.8
Altnagelvin Area
20.4
Roe Valley (Outpatients)
0.4
Gransha
1.9
Erne
7.9
Tyrone County
5.7
Source: Quarterly Outpatient Activity Return (QOAR)
Notes:
Paediatric Specialties have been defined as (142) Paediatric Dentistry, (171) Paediatric Surgery, (420) Paediatrics and (421) Paediatric Neurology.
It must be noted that the data presented in Tables 2 and 3 will not represent all patients that will come into contact with a paediatric consultant.