What the year-on-year increase in the recruitment of (a) consultants, (b) doctors and (c) nurses has been in the NHS in each year since 199…

The year on year recruitment figures for (a) consultants, (b) doctors and (c) qualified nurses and midwives are show in the following table.
Headcount
| 30th Sep 1999 to 30th Sep 2000
| 30th Sep 2000 to 30th Sep 2001
| 30th Sep 2001 to 30th Sep 2002
| 30th Sep 2002 to 30th Sep 2003

Consultants1
|

All joiners2
| 203
| 269
| 249
| 245

Doctors3
|

All joiners4
| 1,932
| 1,950
| 2,217
| 1,951

Qualified Nurses and Midwives
|

All joiners5
| 2,906
| 3,493
| 3,626
| 4,120

Source: ISD Scotland.
Notes:
1. Consultants are defined as medical consultants including directors of public health.
2. In each period, consultant joiners are doctors employed as a consultant at the later date, and not employed as a consultant in a substantive post at the earlier date.
3. Doctors are defined as all medical staff employed in the hospital and community sectors of the NHS. This includes consultants, other career grade doctors and doctors in training, but excludes GPs.
4. In each period, doctor joiners are doctors employed in the hospital and community sectors in any grade at the later date, and not employed in the hospital and community sectors in any substantive grade at the earlier date.
5. In each period, nurse and midwife joiners are nurses and midwives employed in the hospital and community sectors in any grade at the later date, and not employed in the hospital and community sectors in any substantive grade at the earlier date.
The Scottish Executive is committed to increasing the capacity within the consultant, doctors and nursing and midwifery staff groups and have a number of recruitment and retention initiatives underway to support this.