NHSScotland CAMHS Workforce

This release by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) provides a quarterly update, as at 31 March 2024, on the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) workforce staff in post, vacancies and staff in training.

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 March 2024:

• There were 1,526.5 WTE (1745 Headcount) staff in post within NHSScotland CAMHS, an increase of 133.5% since 2006, 53.6% since 31 March 2016, 15.6% since last year and 1.6% since last quarterly census. This is an increase of 101.2% within the Speech and Language Therapy professional group, 23% within the Nursing professional group and 4.9% within the Psychology professional group and decrease of 7.9% within the Medical professional group since last year. Of the total staff in post, 48.7 WTE (3.2%) were on maternity/paternity leave and 23.3 WTE (1.5%) were on long term sick leave.
• There were 70.3% CAMHS staff working in whole-time posts and 29.7% working in part-time posts, an increase of 15% in whole-time posts and 17% in part-time posts since last year’s census. Within the Medical professional group, approximately half (56.4%) of the workforce worked part-time, compared to 45.9% in the Psychology professional group and 15.2% in the Nursing professional group.
• There were 79.1 WTE vacancies advertised which is a decrease of 50.3% vacancies since March 2023 census. 35.5% of vacancies were in the Psychology professional group,33.4% of vacancies were in the Nursing professional group and 8.2% were in the Occupational Therapy professional group.
• Of the total vacancies advertised, 65.1% were advertised for less than 3 months, 17.8% were advertised for 3-6 months and 17.1% were advertised for more than 6 months. A further 21 WTE were approved for recruitment but not yet advertised and 11.5 WTE were sent for approval.
• Of the total 79.1 WTE vacancies advertised, 25.3% (20 WTE) were advertised as new posts, 70.3% (55.6 WTE) were advertised as replacement posts,0.6 % (0.5 WTE) were advertised as Maternity/Paternity cover, 1.3% (1WTE) were advertised as secondment posts and 2.5% (2WTE) were advertised as Other category. The total vacancy rate of 4.9% has decreased compared to 6.1% for the last quarterly census and 10.8% for last year’s census.