Psychology Workforce NHSScotland

This release by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) provides a quarterly update, as at 31 March 2021,
on the Psychology Services workforce staff in post, vacant posts and staff in training.

Figures are presented as headcount (actual number of staff) and whole time equivalent (WTE),
which adjusts the figures to take account of part-time working.

As at 31 March 2021:

• Within Psychology Services in NHSScotland, there were a total of 1310.6 WTE
  (1571 headcount) clinical staff in post. This is 106.6% (676.2 WTE) higher than in September 2006,
  7.9% (96.5 WTE) higher than reported 12 months previously and 2.2% (28.5 WTE) higher than the
  December 2020 census.
• Female staff comprise 85.5% of the Psychology Services workforce. The headcount of female
  staff working part-time decreased from 766 in December 2020 to 756 in March 2021 (-1.3%, 10
  headcount), while the headcount of female staff working whole-time increased from 553 in
  December 2020 to 587 in March 2021 (6.1%, 34 headcount).
• Out of the total of 157.4 WTE advertised vacancies, 60.3% (94.9 WTE) had been advertised for
  less than three months, 28.7% (45.2 WTE) for three to six months and 11.0% (17.3 WTE) for longer
  than six months. The vacancy rate was 10.7%, compared to 10.1% in December 2020 and 8.0% in
  March 2019 (vacancy data are unavailable for March 2020). A further 35.3 WTE vacancies were
  approved but not yet advertised.
• 40 students began training for the MSc in Psychological Therapy in Primary Care in 2021,
  compared to 35 in 2020 and an average yearly intake of 25 since 2005. Of the 232 graduates
  from this course between 2006 and 2020 for whom National Insurance numbers are available,
  145 (62.5%) were employed in NHSScotland as at 31 March 2021. 28 students began training
  on the MSc in Applied Psychology for Children and Young People, compared to 29 in 2020 and
  an average yearly intake of 19 since 2007. Of the 186 graduates from this course between 2007
  and 2020 for whom National Insurance numbers are available, 104 (55.9%) were employed in
  NHSScotland as at 31 March 2021.