CAMHS Workforce NHSScotland

This release by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) provides a quarterly update, as at 31 December 2020, on the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) workforce staff in post and vacancies.

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

At 31 December 2020:

• There were 1,069 WTE staff in post within NHSScotland CAMHS, an increase of 63.5% since 2006, 7.6% since 31 March 2016, and an increase of 1.1% since 31 December 2019 census. This is an increase of 5.3% within the Psychology professional group and 0.5% within the Nursing professional group and a decrease of 2.7% within the Medical professional group since December 2019 census. Of the total staff in post, 3.9% of staff were on maternity leave and 1.8% were on long term sick leave.

• There were 724 WTE (67.7%) CAMHS staff working in whole-time posts and 345 WTE (32.3%) working in part-time posts, an increase of 1.2% in part-time posts and 1% in whole-time posts since December 2019 census. Within the Medical professional group, 57% of staff worked part-time, compared to 48.8% in the Psychology professional group and 16.6% in the Nursing professional group.

• Of the total NHSScotland CAMHS workforce, 906.4 WTE (84.8%) were female staff and 153.8 WTE (14.4%) were male staff. This is a decrease of 6.3% of male staff and an increase of 1.6% of female staff since last year census and decrease of 0.8% of male staff and increase of 0.2% of female staff since September 2020 census.

• There were 71.7 WTE vacancies of which 58.7% of vacancies were in the Psychology professional group and 25.4% of vacancies were in the Nursing professional group. The WTE of vacancies decreased by 12.5% since December 2019 census and increased by 9.6% since last quarter census. Of the total vacancies advertised, 59% were advertised for less than 3 months, 34.3% were advertised for 3- 6 months and 6.7% were advertised for more than 6 months.