Hospital Staff

 Recently, I raised the issue of hospital staff numbers in Parliament and am extremely pleased to confirm that the number of doctors, nurses and midwives working within the Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust have risen significantly since 2007.  

In 2007 there were 90 midwives working for the Trust which had risen to 137 in 2011.  Similarly in 2007 there were 233 doctors working for the Trust rising to 255 in 2011.  Support staff numbers have also been on the increase from 546 in 2007 to 687 in 2011.  Not only will these increasing number of staff help deal with a growing population, they will also help ensure that the highest standard of care is delivered to all patients.

These figures show that money is being spent in the NHS where it should be; on more medical staff.  The NHS can provide a better level of care to patients with the help of more doctors, nurses, midwives and other medical professionals. 

We have had to make large cuts in public spending to tackle the deficit but despite this we have increased spending on the NHS. We have also made £7 billion in efficiency savings over the last 18 months- money which can be used for additional to help improve things for patients.  I hope that standard will continue to improve in Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust and that patients will reap the benefits of less burocracy and more patient care.