Psychology Workforce NHSScotland

This release by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) provides a quarterly update, as at 31 March 2023, 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 2023:

• There were a total of 1538.4 WTE (1844 headcount) clinical staff in post. This is 7.5% (107.3 WTE) higher than reported 12 months previously. Since the last quarterly census, the WTE of staff in post has increased by 1.8% (26.9) WTE.
• There were a total of 953.3 WTE (1186 headcount) Applied Psychologists in post: an increase of 1.7% (16.3 WTE) from 31 March 2022 and 0.2% (2.4 WTE) from 31 December 2022. The biggest increase was in Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology (CAAP) roles. As at 31 March 2023, 211.2 WTE (239 headcount) Clinical Associates were in post in NHSScotland. This is an increase of 8.8% (17 WTE) from 31 March 2022 and 7.3% (14.3 WTE) from 31 December 2022.
• There were 157.3 WTE advertised vacancies, which is -40.6% (-107.6 WTE) lower than 31 March 2022 and -23.1% (-47.2 WTE) lower than 31 December 2022. Of these vacancies, 52% (81.8 WTE) had been advertised for less than three months, 25.9% (40.8 WTE) for three to six months and 22.1% (34.7 WTE) for longer than six months. The vacancy rate was 9.3%, compared to 11.9% at 31 December 2022 and 15.6% at 31 March 2022.
• In early 2023, 43 students graduated from the MSc in Psychological Therapy in Primary care, and 34 graduated from the MSc in Applied Psychology for Children and Young People. This compares with an average yearly graduation figure of 25 for the MSCPTPC and 20 for the MSCAPCYP. The probabilities of completing these courses within two years of starting are 0.96 and 0.97 respectively.