Psychology Workforce NHSScotland

This release by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) provides a quarterly update, as at 30 September 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 30 September 2021:

• Within Psychology Services in NHSScotland, there were a total of 1333.4 WTE (1606 headcount) clinical staff in post. This is 110.7% (700.5 WTE) higher than in September 2006, 5.3% (67.5 WTE) higher than reported 12 months previously and 0.2% (2.8 WTE) lower than the June 2021 census.
• The headcount of applied psychologists working part-time remains substantially higher than those working whole-time. As at 30th September 2021, 667 (60.1%) applied psychologists worked part-time and 443 (39.9%) worked whole-time. This compares 300 (40.3%) part-time and 445 (59.7%) whole-time in September 2011.
• There were a total of 196.7 WTE vacancies as at 30 September 2021, which is 5.3% (9.9 WTE) higher than in June 2021. Of these vacancies, 68.0% (133.7 WTE) had been advertised for less than three months, 21.7% (42.6 WTE) for three to six months and 10.4% (20.4 WTE) for longer than six months. 58.8% (115.6 WTE) were replacement posts, 38.5% (75.7 WTE) were new posts, and 2.7% (5.4 WTE) were maternity leave cover/unknown/other. The vacancy rate was 12.9%, compared to 12.3% in June 2021 and 8.5% in September 2020. A further 41.1 WTE vacancies were approved but not yet advertised.
• 80 students began training on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2021, 34 at the University of Glasgow and 46 at the University of Edinburgh. This compares with 71 in 2020 and an average yearly intake of 58 since 2003. Of the 578 doctoral graduates between 2007 and 2021 for whom National Insurance numbers are available, 417 (72.1%) were employed in NHSScotland as at 30 September 2021.