This is an Official Statistics Publication
As of 1st October 2019, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) has taken
responsibility for some national workforce data, statistical &
intelligence functions.
NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is NHSScotland’s education and
training body. It is the authoritative source of information on the
people who work for NHSScotland. NES became an accredited provider of Official Statistics in December 2019 and as such
this release is produced in accordance with the UK Statistics
Authority’s Code of Practice for Statistics. NES voluntarily
applied the Code of Practice for the publication released on 3 December
2019.
Introduction
This publication summarises national data on the workforce providing
Psychology Services in NHSScotland, following the latest census at 31
March 2024. When describing the size of a particular staff group,
figures are presented either as headcount (actual number of staff) or
whole time equivalent (WTE), which adjusts the headcount to take account
of part-time working.
This report summarises key aspects of the data including:
- The number and characteristics of clinical staff in post
- Vacant posts
- Staff in training
The data are collected directly from Psychology services and held
within the National Services Scotland (NSS) National Psychology
Workforce Information Database. The data are verified by Psychology
Heads of Service, who work closely with NES to ensure a high level of
accuracy. The information collected and presented is used routinely by
NES, the Scottish Government and NHS Boards to support local, regional
and national workforce planning, and to support educational training and
planning.
In recent years, NHSScotland has seen a steadily increasing demand
for access to Applied Psychologists and Psychological Therapies due to
the growing evidence base, recognised in Scottish Intercollegiate
Guidelines Network (SIGN) and National Institute for Health and Clinical
Excellence (NICE) guidelines, for the effectiveness of psychological
interventions in delivering positive health change for people with a
wide range of clinical conditions. The term ‘Psychological Therapies’
refers to a range of interventions based on psychological concepts and
theory, which are designed to help people understand and make changes to
their thinking, behaviour and relationships in order to relieve distress
and to improve functioning. The skills and competences required to
deliver these interventions effectively are acquired through training
and maintained through clinical supervision and practice.
The NHS Education for Scotland- Scottish Government Report The Matrix: A Guide to Delivering Evidence-Based
Psychological Therapies in Scotland summarises and describes the
most up-to-date evidence-based psychological therapies. The Matrix
report also provides information and advice for NHS Boards on the
delivery of effective and efficient therapies and the levels of training
and supervision necessary for staff to deliver these safely and
effectively.
In conjunction with this report, comprehensive workforce data
as at 31 March 2024 are shared across the following
outputs:
Dashboards
- The psychology dashboards present quarterly data on
staff in post in NHSScotland psychology services, vacant posts and staff
in training.
- The dashboards present a breadth of data, including staff WTE and
headcount; WTE per 100,000 population; age band; target age and area of
work; gender and contract type; Agenda for Change (AfC) band; contract
length; ethnicity and disability; turnover; vacant posts; staff in
training; and the retention of trainees in the workforce.
Data Tables
The psychology background tables include:
- Supplementary long-term trend data for staff in post, vacancies and
trainees
- Quarterly updates to staff in post tables
- Biannual updates on Clinical Psychology training courses
- Annual updates on:
- Staff ethnicity and disability status
- Staff turnover
Due to varying sources and frequency of data collection, not all
published tables are updated at this time of year.
Main Points
Revision to data as at 31 December 2023
These statistics contain new data; the first release of data
for quarter December 2023 has been revised. This revision does not
affect the overall interpretation or conclusions to be drawn from the
previously published data, but due to the correction of a data entry
error for December 2023, the WTE for NHSScotland staff in post is 1634.3
(1958 headcount), and not 1600.3 WTE (1922 headcount) as previously
reported.
As at 31 March 2024:
There were a total of 1717.2 WTE (2052 headcount) clinical staff
in post. This is an increase of 5.1% (82.8 WTE) over the last quarter,
an increase of 11.6% (179 WTE) since last year, and an increase of 75.2%
(736.9 WTE) in the last decade.
Applied Psychologists are the largest staff group in this
workforce, accounting for 60.2% (1033.6 WTE) of clinical staff in post.
Since last year, this staff group has grown by 80.3 WTE (8.4%).
The vacancy rate was 7.5% (138.9 WTE), a decrease of -18.4 WTE
over the last year. Most of these vacancies, 37.7%, had been advertised
for longer than six months, 34.8% for three to six months and 27.6%, for
less than three months. A further 37.1 WTE were approved for recruitment
but not yet advertised and 40.9 WTE were awaiting approval.
There were 85 trainees at the latest intake in September 2023, 38
at the University of Glasgow and 47 at the University of Edinburgh. This
compares with an average DClinPsych intake of 60 trainees per year, 28
at the University of Edinburgh and 25 at the University of Glasgow. 57
students graduated from the clinical doctorate in 2023, 27 from the
University of Glasgow and 30 from the University of Edinburgh.The
probabilities of completing these courses (within ten years of starting)
are 0.96 and 0.97 respectively.
50 trainees enrolled onto the MSc Psychological Therapy in
Primary Care (MSCPTPC) in January 2024 and 37 trainees enrolled onto the
MSc in Applied Psychology for Children and Young People (MSCAPCYP). This
compares to an average annual intake of 28 for the MSCPTPC and 22 for
the MSCAPCYP. In early 2024, 46 students graduated from the MSCPTPC, and
34 graduated from the MSCAPCYP. The probabilities of completing these
courses within two years of starting are 0.96 and 0.97
respectively.
Staff in Post
At 31 March 2024, there were a total of 1717.2 WTE (2052 headcount)
clinical staff in post within Psychology Services across NHS Scotland.
Bespoke data collection for this workforce began with an initial pilot
collection in 2001, with more complete data collection commencing in
2002.
Figure 1 shows the increase in this workforce since September 2006,
overall and split by All Applied Psychologists and Other Clinical Staff.
Since 2011, the overall workforce has increased by 99.4% (856 WTE). In
the past 12 months there has been an overall increase of 11.6% (179
WTE), and since the last quarterly census, there has been an increase of
5.1% (82.8 WTE).
Figure 1: WTE of all Clinical Staff in NHSScotland Psychology
Services
Quarterly data collection began from March 2011. Prior to this there
was only an annual census at 30 September.
Clinical and Other Applied Psychologists are also referred to as all
Applied Psychologists. Further information can be found in the Glossary
and Summary of Professional Groups.
As at 31 March 2024, 3.2% of staff were on maternity/paternity leave
and 0.7% were on long term sick leave.
Figure 2 illustrates the WTE of staff on maternity/long-term sick
leave, quarterly since March 2015. Numbers under 5.0 WTE have been
suppressed.
Figure 2. WTE of Staff in NHSScotland Psychology Services on
Maternity and Long-term Sickness Absence, Quarterly from March 2015 to
31 March 2024.
Whole Time Equivalent
(WTE) per 100,000 population
Figure 3 shows the Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) of all clinical staff
employed in NHSScotland Psychology Services per 100,000 population as at
31 March 2024.
NHS Borders and NHS Dumfries and Galloway currently have the largest
WTE per 100,000 population, with 40.6 and 38.5 respectively, compared to
the overall NHSScotland rate of 31.3.
The higher rates in some boards are partly due to the provision of
regional services including referrals from other boards. In some
instances, this may also involve specialist inpatient care, where
staffing requirements are higher. Health boards with higher levels of
deprivation will have a greater demand for services.
Figure 3: Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) of All Clinical Staff per
100,000 population as at 31 March 2024
Figure 4 compares the Whole Time Equivalent of all Applied
Psychologists employed per 100,000 population in NHS boards at 31 March
2011 and 31 March 2024. NHS Borders currently has the highest number of
Applied Psychologists employed per 100,000 population (22.4 WTE).
Figure 4: Whole Time Equivalent per 100,000 population of Applied
Psychologists in NHSScotland Psychology Services as at 31 March 2011 and
31 March 2024
Staff by Professional
Group
At 31 March 2024, All Applied Psychologists comprised 60.2% of the
workforce (1033.6 WTE) and Other Clinical Staff 39.8% (683.6 WTE).
Figure 5 shows the WTE of different Professional Groups in
NHSScotland. Clinical Psychologists were the largest staff group,
comprising 53.1% (911 WTE) of the workforce. This is 6% (51.6 WTE)
higher than at 31 March 2023 and 4.2% (36.4 WTE) higher than the
previous quarter. The WTE of Counselling Psychologists increased from
the previous year by 24.2% (19.8 WTE), the WTE of Health Psychologists
increased by 48.1% (3.9 WTE), and the WTE of Forensic Psychologists
increased by 128% (5 WTE).
The WTE of most Other Clinical Staff groups also increased between 31
March 2023 and 31 March 2024, particularly Clinical Associates, which
rose by by 25.5% (54 WTE). The WTE of Psychology Assistants increased by
5% (8.5 WTE), Other staff by 16.1% (17.6 WTE), and Cognitive Behavioural
Therapists by 34% (19.4 WTE), while the WTE of Counsellors decreased by
by -7.4% (-1.2 WTE).
Figure 5: WTE of Professional Groups in NHSScotland Psychology
Services as at 31 March 2023 and 31 March 2024
Other includes: Mental Health Clinicians, Self Help Workers, Peer
Support Workers, Primary Mental Health Workers, Mental Health Nurses,
Psychological Therapists and Child and Adolescent Therapists.
The professional group Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology
(CAAP) has been recorded since 31 December 2017. Previously, these staff
would have been included in either the Graduate of the MSc Psychological
Therapy in Primary Care or Graduate of the MSc Applied Psychology for
Children and Young People professional groups, which have now been
removed. While data quality checks and updates are ongoing, some CAAPs
are still being recorded in the Other professional group. Increasingly
NHS Boards are employing graduates of the MSc PTPC under roles other
than CAAP. These individuals are recorded under ‘CBT Therapist’, ‘Other
Therapist’ and ‘Other’.
Staff by Target Age
and Area of Work
This section provides further information on the specialty areas and
patient groups cared for by the psychology workforce. For more detailed
information please refer to the background tables.
Within each professional group, individual staff members may work
across several different Target Ages and Areas of Work. Target Age
refers to the age group of patients being cared for. For Psychology
Services, the distinct age groups are generally Child & Adolescent
(0-18 years), Adult (19-64 years), or Older Adult (65+ years).
Area of Work refers to the broad specialty area that the clinician
works in. For definitions of each Area of Work please refer to the
Glossary.
Target Age
Figure 6 displays the quarterly WTE of staff working across each
Target Age, between March 2011 and 31 March 2024. The largest Target Age
group is Adult, which accounts for 63% (1082.3 WTE) of the Psychology
workforce at 31 March 2024. The Child and Adolescent Target Age accounts
for 23.4% (401.6 WTE) of the workforce, Older Adults 5.3% (90.5 WTE) and
Age Non-Specific 8.3% (142.8 WTE).
The Adult Target Age category has seen the largest growth of WTE
since March 2011, an increase of 92.7% (520.6 WTE). The WTE of staff
working within the Child and Adolescent Target Age increased by 90%
(190.3 WTE). The largest percentage increases were seen in the Age
Non-Specific and Older Adult categories, with increases of 190% (93.6
WTE) and 132.7% (51.6 WTE) respectively. The increase within the Older
Adult Target Age may partly be due to the introduction of trainees on
the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology course having specific alignment to
Older People’s Services. The MSc Psychological Therapy in Primary Care
course covers both adults and older adults. This has enabled graduates
to work in the Older Adult Target Age on completion, an age group for
which historically there have been fewer staff assigned.
Figure 6: Whole Time Equivalent of All Clinical Staff in Psychology
Services by Target Age between 31 March 2011 and 31 March 2024
There is a differing age range of service provision across the boards
in child services. For more details, please see the Age of Service
Provision table within the CAMHS publication, available here.
Area of Work
Area of Work refers to the broad specialty area of the services that
a clinician provides - the areas being Mental Health, Learning
Disabilities, Physical Health, Neuropsychology, Forensic, Alcohol &
Substance Misuse and Other specialty services.
Figure 7 shows the WTE for the Mental Health Area of Work, broken
down into sub-specialties (General, Mild to Moderate, Severe and
Enduring, Eating Disorders, and Early Intervention) at 31 March 2011, 31
March 2023 and 31 March 2024. Different specialty areas have different
staffing requirements. For example, the subcategory Severe and Enduring
Mental Health requires a more intensive level of staffing than Mild to
Moderate services. For definitions of each Area of Work, including the
subcategories for Mental Health, please see the Glossary.
By far the largest area of work is General Mental Health, which
accounted for 47.8% (821 WTE) of the workforce at 31 March 2024. Mild to
Moderate Mental Health accounted for 9% (154.2 WTE) of the workforce,
Early Intervention for 2.4% (40.8 WTE), Severe and Enduring Mental
Health for 2% (34.6 WTE), and Eating Disorders for 1.7% (29.6 WTE).
Figure 7: WTE of Staff in Post in the Mental Health Area of Work,
Overall and by Subcategory, as at 31 March 2011, 31 March 2022 and 31
March 2024
The WTE of General Mental Health has increased by 11.8% (86.8 WTE)
since last year, Mild to Moderate Mental Health by 10.5% (14.7 WTE), and
Eating Disorders by 87.6% (13.8 WTE). Conversely, the WTE of Severe and
Enduring Mental Health decreased by -5.2% (-1.9 WTE), and Early
Intervention by -5.7% (-2.5 WTE)
Figure 8 shows the WTE of non-Mental Health areas of work. The
largest of these is the Other category, which incorporates
sub-categories such as Healthcare for the Elderly and Dementia,
Academic, Teaching and Management, Trauma Services, Autistic Spectrum
Disorders, Self-help Workers, Prison Services and Gender-based Violence,
and which accounts for 10.2%, 174.8 WTE. This is followed by Physical
health (10.1%, 173.2 WTE), Learning Disabilities (5.7%, 98.6 WTE),
Forensic (4.6%, 78.7 WTE), Neuropsychology (3.8%, 65.5 WTE), and Alcohol
and Substance Misuse (2.7%, 46.2 WTE).
Figure 8: WTE/Percentage of Staff in Post in the Non-Mental Health
Areas of Work, as at 31 March 2024
Characteristics of the
Workforce
Gender and Contracted
Hours
Since March 2011, the majority of the increase seen in WTE can be
accounted for by the rise in female staff working within Psychology
Services, from a total of 809 headcount in March 2011 to 1745 headcount
at the current census date (+936 headcount, 115.7%). The headcount of
male staff has increased from 194 in March 2011 to 306 at the current
census, an increase of 112 headcount (57.7%).
Over the past 12 months, the headcount of female staff has increased
by 172 (10.9%). Female staff currently contribute 1443.4 WTE (84.1%) of
the total 1717.2 WTE within NHSScotland Psychology Services. The
headcount of male staff has increased by 35 (12.9%). Male staff
currently contribute 273.3 WTE (15.9%) of the total WTE.
Overall, 51.8% of posts were part-time at the latest census compared
to 37.3% at 31 March 2011. The majority of this increase can be
attributed to the increase in part-time female staff, with 55.2% of
contracts for female staff being part-time at the current census date
compared to 40.2% in March 2011.
The trend for contract type and gender is illustrated in Figure 9.
For more detailed information on contract type and gender by
professional group, please refer to Table 6.1 within the background tables.
Figure 9: Trend of Contract Type and Gender for Psychology Staff
within NHSScotland from 31 March 2011 to 31 March 2024
Contract Term
At 31 March 2024, 83% (1425.9 WTE) of staff in NHSScotland Psychology
Services were employed on a permanent contract, 13.5% (231.1 WTE) were
employed on a fixed term contract of less than two years’ duration and
3.5% (60.2 WTE) were employed on a fixed term contract of longer than
two years’ duration.
Figure 10 shows the WTE of staff employed on a permanent contract as
at 31 March 2024. While 90.6% (936.1 WTE) of All Applied Psychologists
held a permanent contract, this number was lower for Other Clinical
Staff (71.7%, 489.8 WTE). The percentage of Applied Psychologists on
permanent contracts has declined from 92.7% (585 WTE) at March 2011,
while the percentage of Other Clinical Staff holding permanent contracts
has increased from 57.6% (132.5 WTE).
Figure 10: WTE of Applied Psychologists and Other Clinical Staff on
Permanent and Fixed Term Contracts, as at 31 March 2024
Age Profile of
Staff
Figure 11 shows the age distribution of male and female staff as at
31 March 2024, and Figure 12 shows the mean WTE of male and female staff
by age category. These two charts show that, while the largest group of
staff by age category is female staff aged 35-39 (339 headcount), the
average wte of this group is 0.81, compared to 0.89 for male staff.
Figure 11: Age distribution of female and male staff as at 31 March
2024
Figure 12: Mean WTE of female and male staff by age band, as at 31
March 2024
Agenda for Change Pay
Bands
The AfC Pay Band of a clinician reflects their level of training and
expertise as well as the duties of the post, including the potential
responsibilities in terms of the supervision and management of other
staff. As a consequence, Clinical or Applied Psychologists are generally
banded higher than other clinical professionals working in these
services, with the majority of psychologists on Band 8a or higher
(1002.6 WTE, 97%) as at 31 March 2024.
Figure 13 shows the WTE of All Applied Psychologists and Other
Clinical Staff, by band, as at 31 March 2024.
Figure 13: Clinical Psychology staff by Agenda for Change Band, at 31
March 2024
Staff Turnover
Figure 14 shows joiners, leavers and the turnover rate in
NHSScotland, at March Census dates between 2012 and 31 March 2024. For
further breakdowns by NHSBoard and Professional Group, please see the psychology dashboards.
Figure 14: Annual Joiners, Leavers and Staff Turnover in NHSScotland
Clinical Psychology Services
Vacant Posts
Vacancy Rates
At 31 March 2024, the WTE of posts being advertised for recruitment
was 138.9 WTE, or 7.5% of the establishment.
Figure 15 shows vacancy rates (percentage of the establishment that
was vacant) between March 2012 and 31 March 2024, quarterly, and Figure
16 shows annual vacancy rates. The current vacancy rate of 7.5% has
fallen from 9.3% in March 2023.
Figure 15: Quarterly Vacancy Rates in NHSScotland Psychology
Services.
Figure 16: Annual Vacancy Rates in NHSScotland Psychology
Services.
Vacancy Types
Figure 17 shows the vacancy WTE for new, replacement and maternity
leave/other/unknown posts between December 2011 and 31 March 2024. As at
31 March 2024, 25.2% (35 WTE) of vacancies were for new posts, 70.2%
(97.5 WTE) were for replacement posts and 4.6% (6.4 WTE) were classified
as Maternity Leave Cover/Other/Unknown.
The percentage of new posts has risen from 23.3% (36.7 WTE) in 31
March 2023, while the percentage of replacement posts has fallen from
75.3% (118.4 WTE).
Figure 17: NHSScotland Psychology Services Vacancies by Type
Vacancy Data are unavailable for March 2020, due to the Covid-19
pandemic.
Vacancy Length
The time period for which vacancies had been advertised prior to the
census date (vacancy length) has been captured for most vacancies from
December 2017 onwards.
Figure 18 shows this information for 31 March 2024 compared to 31
March 2023. At 31 March 2024, 27.6% (38.3 WTE) had been advertised for
less than three months, 34.8% (48.3 WTE) for three to six months and
37.7% (52.3 WTE) for longer than six months.
Figure 18: Clinical Psychology Vacancies by Length of Time
Advertised, as at 31 March 2023 and 31 March 2024
Vacancy Length by
Health Board
Figure 19 shows the WTE of vacant posts by vacancy length and health
board. NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde had the largest number of posts
advertised for less than 3 months as at 31 March 2024 (6.6 WTE), while
NHS Tayside had the largest number of vacant posts advertised for longer
than than six months (11.4 WTE).
Figure 19: Clinical Psychology Vacancies in NHSScotland Health Boards
by Length of Time Advertised, as at 31 March 2024
Staff in Training
NES has responsibility for commissioning the pre-registration
training of Clinical Psychologists for NHSScotland, the main source of
psychology workforce supply. In addition to the Doctorate in Clinical
Psychology (DClinPsych), MSc Psychological Therapy in Primary Care (MSc
PTPC) and MSc in Applied Psychology for Children and Young People (MSc
APCYP), NES works in partnership with NHS boards to provide the British
Psychological Society’s Stage 2 Training in Health Psychology. Trainees
on each of these courses are employed by the NHS during training. For
definitions of these training courses see the Summary of Training
Courses.
Current Trainees
The numbers of staff in training towards Applied Psychology
postgraduate qualifications are shown in Figure 20.
Since 2009, aligned training pathways on the DClinPsych have been
funded by the Scottish government, with the aim of increasing capacity
in specific areas of the psychology workforce. At the current census, of
the 279 trainees working towards the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology,
13.3% (37 headcount) were aligned to CAMHS, 11.5% (32 headcount) to
Forensic Psychology and 12.2% (34 headcount) to Older Adults.
Figure 20: Headcount of Staff in Training on Clinical Psychology
Courses at Scottish Universities
Course Intakes and
Completion
Course Intakes
Figure 21 displays the intake of trainees on the DClinPsych, the MSc
Psychological Therapy in Primary Care (MSc PTPC) and the MSc Applied
Psychology for Children and Young People (MSc APCYP) in Scotland between
2003 and 2024. The average DClinPsych intake between 2003 and 2023 was
60 trainees per year. There were 85 trainees at the latest intake in
September 2023 (38 at the University of Glasgow and 47 at the University
of Edinburgh).
The last intake of trainees on either a four or five year DClinPsych
course at the University of Edinburgh was in 2012. Since 2013, all
trainees have therefore commenced a three-year course, unless they have
previously completed either the MSc APCYP or the MSc PTPC. Graduates
from these courses have now been given recognition for prior learning
and are able to complete the DClinPsych course in 2.5 years. This came
into effect from the 2014 intake at the University of Edinburgh and the
2017 intake at the University of Glasgow.
Figure 21: Intake of Trainees on Clinical Psychology Courses in
Scottish Universities by headcount.
The average intake of trainees to the MSc Psychological Therapy in
Primary Care course between 2005 and 2024 was 28 trainees per year.
There were 50 trainees at the latest intake in January 2024. The average
intake of trainees to the MSc Applied Psychology for Children and Young
People course between 2007 and 2024 was 22 trainees per year. There were
37 trainees at the latest intake in February 2024.
Course
Completion
Figure 22 shows the number of students graduating from the
DClinPsych, MSc Psychological Therapy in Primary Care and MSc Applied
Psychology for Children and Young People courses between 2006 and
2024.
Figure 22: Number of Graduates from Clinical Psychology Courses in
Scottish Universities, by headcount.
Figures 23 and 24 display the Kaplan-Meier completion estimates for
trainees on the Edinburgh and Glasgow DClinPsych, the MSc Psychological
Therapy in Primary Care and the MSc Applied Psychology for Children and
Young People courses over time.
Within 3 years of starting the 3 year Edinburgh DClinPsych course,
44% of students graduate, rising to 70% within 3.1 years, 87% within 4
years and 94% within 5 years. Within 3 years of starting the 3 year
Glasgow DClinPsych course, 45% of students graduate, rising to 77%
within 3.1 years, 88% within 4 years and 95% within 5 years. Within 1
year of starting the MSc APCYP course, 89% of students graduate, rising
to 97% within 2 years. Within 1 year of starting the MSc PTPC course,
89% of students graduate, rising to 96% within 2 years .
Figure 23: Kaplan-Meier completion probabilities by years since
starting course.
Figure 24: Kaplan-Meier completion probabilities by days since
starting course.
Trainee
Retention
Between 2007 and 2023 there were 912 successful graduates from the
Clinical Psychology Doctorate. National Insurance numbers are available
for 889 graduates, of whom 631 are currently employed in NHSScotland, an
overall retention rate of 0.71.
Between 2007 and 2024 there were 314 successful graduates from the
MSC APCYP course. National Insurance numbers are available for 299
graduates, of whom 156 are currently employed in NHSScotland, an overall
retention rate of 0.52.
Between 2006 and 2023 there were 447 successful graduates from the
MSc PTPC course. National Insurance numbers are available for 424
graduates, of whom 276 are currently employed in NHSScotland, an overall
retention rate of 0.65.
Figure 25 illustrates the proportion of graduates currently employed
in NHSScotland, by graduation year since 2006. Any reduction in
retention could be due to a number of factors such as graduates taking a
career break before beginning permanent employment in Scotland, taking
up employment in NHSScotland outwith Psychology Services, moving to NHS
England or further abroad, or choosing to work in the private sector.
Information on graduate retention by NHSScotland health board is
available in the psychology dashboards.
Figure 25: Percentage of graduates from psychology training courses
in Scotland retained in the NHSScotland workforce.
Glossary
Agenda for Change (AfC): The national pay system for
NHS Workforce excluding doctors, dentists and very senior managers.
Applied Psychologists: Includes clinical,
counselling, forensic, health and neuropsychologists. See the Summary of
Professional Groups within Psychology Services for definitions of
each.
Area of Work: The specialty area that a clinician
works in. For a list of areas of work, see table 3.2 in the background tables. Below are definitions of the sub
categories under ‘Mental Health’ and the other areas of work:
Mental Health - mild to moderate: A mild mental
health problem is when a person has a small number of symptoms that have
a limited effect on their daily life. A moderate mental health problem
is when a person has more symptoms that can make their daily life much
more difficult than usual.
Mental Health - severe and enduring: People with
recurrent or severe and enduring mental illness, for example
schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder or organic mental disorder,
severe anxiety disorders or severe eating disorders, have complex needs
which may require the continuing care of specialist mental health
services working effectively with other agencies. Many people with
severe mental illness are treated in the community with the support of
primary care staff. A range of services is needed in addition to primary
care - specialist mental health services, employment, education and
training, housing and social support. Needs will fluctuate over time,
and services must be able to anticipate and respond to crisis.
Mental Health - early intervention: A
multidisciplinary, coordinated system of service provision to identify
risk situations and/or likelihood of psychological ill health.
Mental Health - eating disorders: Eating disorders
are a group of disorders in which abnormal feeding habits are associated
with psychological factors. Characteristics may include a distorted
attitude toward eating, handling and hoarding food in unusual ways, loss
of body weight, nutritional deficiencies, dental erosion, electrolyte
imbalances, and denial of extreme thinness. The most common conditions
include anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Persons with eating
disorders of this kind characteristically misperceive themselves as
either overweight or of normal weight.
Treatment of eating disorders is often on an outpatient basis unless
severe malnutrition and electrolyte imbalances are present, severe
depression and suicidal tendencies endanger the patient, or there is
evidence that the patient cannot cope with daily living without
resorting to abnormal eating patterns. Additionally, the family and home
environment may be creating unbearable tension because of a power
struggle over the patient’s abnormal eating pattern.
Alcohol & Substance Misuse: Treatment of
individuals with a maladaptive pattern of a drug, alcohol or other
chemical agent that leads to social, occupational, psychological or
physical health problems.
Forensic: Forensic psychology deals with the
psychological aspects of legal processes, including applying theory to
criminal investigations, understanding psychological problems associated
with criminal behaviour. Forensic Psychologists work in a range of NHS
settings. They work in high and medium security hospitals in the
assessment and treatment of those detained under the Mental Health Act.
They also work within the community and in child and family settings
where issues of risk assessment and offence related work may be
critically important. In addition to the NHS, a significant number of
forensic psychologists work in the prison service.
Learning Disabilities: A learning disability is a
reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities,
e.g. delayed childhood development, socialising, or physical tasks,
which affects someone for their whole life. The level of support someone
needs depends on the individual; those with a severe learning disability
or profound and multiple learning disability (PMLD), will need more care
from a multi disciplinary team and with areas such as mobility, personal
care and communication.
Neuropsychology: Neuropsychology looks at the
relationship between the physical brain and its various functions,
dealing with topics such as sensory perception, memory, and the
biological basis for conditions like depression. Psychologists within
this field also help with the assessment and rehabilitation of people
with brain injury or other neurological conditions, such as strokes,
dementia, and degenerative brain disease.
Physical Health: Psychologists working in physical
health deal with the psychological and emotional aspects of health and
illness as well as supporting people who are chronically ill.
Clinical Psychologists: Psychology staff with a
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and registered with the Health and Care
Professions Council.
Clinical Staff: All staff working in psychology
services within NHSScotland.
Establishment: Term used in calculating NHSScotland
workforce information to describe total filled and vacant posts.
Establishment is calculated by adding the number of staff in post to the
number of vacant posts.
HCPC: Health and Care Professions Council. This is a
Register for Health and Care Professionals within the UK that are
required to meet certain standards of practice. For many professions,
including several types of Psychologists, it is a legal requirement to
be registered in order to practice in their field.
Headcount: The actual number of individuals working
within NHSScotland. The Scotland figures eliminate any double counting
that may exist as a result of an employee holding more than one
post.
GG&C: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
NES: NHS Education for Scotland
Other Clinical Staff: Includes posts often taken up
by graduates of the MSc in Psychological Therapy in Primary Care and the
MSc Applied Psychology for Children and Young People e.g. Clinical
Associates in Applied Psychology counsellors, assistant psychologists,
cognitive behavioural therapists, other therapists and other
professionals.
Target Age: The age group of patients seen by a
clinician. For Psychology Services this can be child & adolescent
(0-18/19 years), adult (20-64 years), or older adult (65+ years). Age
non specific refers to those clinicians who see patients from across the
lifespan and can also include non clinical work such as teaching.
Vacancy: A post which was vacant and being
advertised for recruitment at the census date.
Whole time equivalent (WTE): The WTE adjusts
headcount figures to take account of part-time working. Until 31 March
2024, NHS Agenda for Change staff worked 37.5 whole-time hours per week
so a staff member working part-time at 30 hours per week would be
calculated as 0.8 WTE.
Summary of Professional Groups within Psychology
Services
All Applied Psychologists
This includes Clinical Psychologists, Counselling Psychologists,
Health Psychologists, Forensic Psychologists and Neuropsychologists.
These staff have completed specific post-graduate training and hold
additional qualifications in their field.
Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology
(CAAP) Graduates of the MSc Applied Psychology for Children and Young
People or the MSc Psychological Therapy in Primary Care are qualified to
work as CAAPs. They are trained in the delivery of evidence-based
psychological therapies for common mental health problems in primary
care, or in the delivery of tier two psychology assessments in a range
of services for children and young people.
Clinical Psychologist
Psychology staff with a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (see Summary
of Training Courses) and registered with the Health and Care Professions
Council.
Counselling Psychologist
Psychologists who hold a British Psychological Society accredited
post graduate qualification in Counselling Psychology and are registered
with the Heath and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Health Psychologist
Psychologists who hold a British Psychological Society accredited
Masters in Health Psychology and as Stage II or Doctorate in Health
Psychology.
Forensic Psychologist
Psychologists who hold a British Psychological Society accredited
postgraduate qualification in Forensic Psychology.
Neuropsychologist
Clinical Psychologists who in addition to their Doctorate in Clinical
Psychology qualification hold a Stage II British Psychological Society
Neuropsychology qualification.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapist
Cognitive behavioural therapists use talking therapy to help patients
change negative patterns of thinking or behaviour. They have completed
an accredited training programme in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Other Therapist
Includes Psychotherapists, family and couple therapists.
Counsellor
Counsellors provide talking therapies to clients and their families.
They are trained to listen with empathy and can help people with a range
of mental health conditions including: depression, anxiety, long term
illnesses, eating disorders and drug misuse. Counsellors come from a
range of backgrounds but will all have completed a recognised
counselling qualification.
Psychology Assistant
Psychologists who have completed an undergraduate degree in
Psychology and wish to gain experience in a clinical setting. Psychology
Assistants often aspire to undertake further training in a specific area
of Psychology e.g. Doctorate or MSc course.
Summary of Training Courses
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
The Doctorate in Clinical Psychology is a 3 year full time course
funded by NES which can be studied at either the University of Edinburgh
or the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Entry to the course requires
an Honours degree in Psychology (2:1 or above) which has the British
Psychological Society (BPS) Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership,
alongside relevant clinical or research experience. Specific CAMHS
aligned trainee pathways on the Doctorate courses are government-funded
places which give trainees greater experience working with CAMHS
populations in addition to their main trainee workload. Aligned pathways
have been introduced for several clinical populations with the aim of
increasing workforce capacity within those areas. On completion,
trainees will be fully qualified Clinical Psychologists and are still
able to work in areas outwith CAMHS. Both of the Scottish courses are
approved by the Health and Care Professions Council as well as the
British Psychological Society and represent the highest level of
training in Psychology. Further information on the Doctorate as well as
links to the University Course websites for Scotland can be found at: https://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/our-work/applied-psychology-professional-training-programmes/
MSc Psychological Therapy in Primary Care
The MSc in Psychological Therapy in Primary Care is a one-year course
that was introduced in 2005. The MSc is funded by NHS Education for
Scotland and delivered jointly by the Universities of Stirling and
Dundee. Entry to the course requires an Honours degree in Psychology
(2:1 or above) which has the British Psychological Society (BPS)
Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership, and during training, trainees
are employed in NHS Boards and provide clinical services as part of
supervised practice. This course was designed to train people to deliver
evidence-based psychological therapies to adults in Primary Care by
developing knowledge of prevalence, diagnostic criteria, presentation
and treatment of common mental health disorders within a Cognitive
Behavioural Framework. The course is designed to extend the knowledge of
the theoretical foundations of human behaviour and psychological
disorders, and to develop the necessary competences to deliver
evidence-based psychological therapies to treat common mental health
disorders in adults in a primary care setting. Graduates of this course
are able to work as Clinical Associates in Applied Psychology (CAAP) in
the NHS, or within other clinically related posts in the private or
public sector. This allows graduates to enter the workforce quickly and
respond to pressing service demands (e.g. support the NHS Boards to meet
Psychological Therapies Heat Targets) Further information can be found
online at: https://www.dundee.ac.uk/postgraduate/psychological-therapy-primary-care/
or https://www.stir.ac.uk/courses/pg-taught/psychological-therapy-in-primary-care/
MSc in Applied Psychology for Children and Young
People
The MSc in Applied Psychology for Children and Young People is a
one-year course that was introduced in 2007 and is funded by NHS
Education for Scotland at the University of Edinburgh. Entry to the
course requires an Honours degree in Psychology (2:1 or above) which has
the British Psychological Society (BPS) Graduate Basis for Chartered
Membership, and whilst training trainees are expected to complete a full
year clinical placement within an NHSScotland CAMHS setting. The course
was introduced to expand the professional skill mix working within CAMHS
and other child services, with graduates of the course able to apply for
employment as Clinical Associates in Applied Psychology, Child and
Adolescent Therapists or Primary Mental Health Workers, for example.
Further information can be found at: http://www.ed.ac.uk/health/clinical-psychology/studying/msc-applied-psychology
BPS Stage 2 Qualification in Health Psychology
BPS Stage 2 Qualification is a doctoral level qualification in Health
Psychology. NHS Education for Scotland (NES) in partnership with Health
Boards in Scotland funds Trainee Health Psychologists to explore the
contribution health psychology can make in supporting NHSScotland to
meet its Health Improvement Targets. This is a two-year programme
designed to allow the Trainee Health Psychologists to successfully
complete the British Psychological Society’s Stage 2 Training while
employed by NHS to undertake a programme of approved work. Entry to the
course requires an Honours degree in Psychology (2:1 or above) which has
the British Psychological Society (BPS) Graduate Basis for Chartered
Membership and a BPS accredited Masters Degree in Health Psychology.
NHS-funded Stage 2 training places may also require applicants to have a
number of years experience working in relevant areas such as working
with people with physical health problems, supporting people to make
lifestyle changes, population-based interventions or undertaking
research and evaluation. Trainees work with the Public Health
departments of their health boards on projects aimed at meeting specific
HEAT Targets for health improvement and Trainees should receive
supervision from an appropriately experienced Health Psychologist during
their training. Graduates of this course can work as Chartered Health
Psychologists and are registered with the Health and Care Professions
Council (HCPC). Further information can be found at: https://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/our-work/applied-psychology-professional-training-programmes/
Figure 26: Diagram to illustrate the start and end dates of the
Psychology training courses.
MSc
PTPC - MSc Psychology Therapy in Primary Care
MSc APCYP - MSc Applied Psychology for Children and Young
People
The stage 2 Health Psychology course usually takes 2 years to
complete, however the start dates can vary from year to year.
List of Background Tables
Table No. | File Name | Time Period |
|---|
All | 2024-06-04-Psychology-Workforce-Tables | 2006-2024 |
1.1 | Table 1.1: All Clinical Staff (WTE) employed in Psychology Services by NHS Board | 2010-Mar 2024 |
1.2 | All Clinical Staff (Headcount) employed in Psychology Services by NHS Board | " |
1.3 | All Clinical Staff (WTE per 100,000 population) employed in Psychology Services by NHS Board | " |
2.1 | All Clinical Staff (WTE) employed in Psychology Services by Age Group | " |
2.2 | All Clinical Staff (Headcount) employed in Psychology Services by Age Group | " |
3.1 | All Clinical Staff (WTE) employed in Psychology Services by Area of Work | 2011-Mar 2024 |
3.2 | All Clinical Staff (WTE) employed in Psychology Services by detailed Area of Work and Target Age | " |
4.1 | All Clinical Staff (WTE) employed in Psychology Services by Target Age | " |
4.2 | All Clinical Staff (WTE or Headcount) employed in Psychology Services by Target Age, Area of Work and Professional group | " |
5.1 | All Clinical Staff (Headcount and WTE) employed in Psychology Services by Gender | " |
6.1 | All Clinical Staff (Headcount and WTE) employed in Psychology Services by Contract Type and Gender | " |
7.1 | All Clinical Staff (WTE) employed in Psychology Services by Band | " |
7.2 | All Clinical Staff (Headcount) employed in Psychology Services by Band | " |
8.1 | All Clinical Staff (Headcount) employed in Psychology Services by Contract Length | " |
8.2 | All Clinical Staff (WTE) employed in Psychology Services by Contract Length | " |
9.1 | All Clinical Staff Employed, Joiners, Leavers and Turnover Rates in NHSScotland Psychology Services | Mar 2010-Mar 2024 |
10.1 | Ethnicity and Declared Disability of All Psychology Services Staff | Sep 2011-Sep 2023 |
11.1 | All Vacancies (WTE) in Psychology Services by NHS Board | Dec 2011-Mar 2024 |
11.2 | Length of Vacancies for Clinical Staff in Psychology Services, WTE by Professional Group and NHS Board | " |
12.1 | All Applied Psychologists (Headcount) in Training in NHSScotland | Mar-24 |
13.1 | Course Intakes, Outputs and Completion Rates for trainees on a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Course in Scotland from the 2003 intake onwards | 2003-2024 |
13.2 | Graduates of Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Headcount) in Workforce in NHSScotland Psychology Services | 2007-2024 |
14.1 | Course Intakes, Outputs and Completion Estimates for the MSc Applied Psychology for Children and Young People and MSc Psychological Therapy in Primary Care | 2005-2024 |
14.2 | Graduates of MSc Psychological Therapy in Primary Care and MSc Applied Psychology in Children and Young People (Headcount) in Workforce or Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Courses in Scotland | 2006-2024 |
Appendices
Appendix 1 - Background information
Mental Health Policy and Targets
Developments in mental health care have been driven by a series of
reports and policy recommendations:
The Scottish Government 10
year Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027 was published in March 2017.
The strategy highlights the need to increase the supply of the workforce
and to ensure the skill mix across a wide range of services meets in the
needs of the population.
The Scottish Government has set a standard for the NHS in Scotland to
deliver a maximum wait of 18 weeks from a patient’s referral to
treatment for Psychological Therapies from December 2014.
The Psychological Therapies Matrix is a guide to
planning and delivering evidence-based Psychological Therapies within
NHS Boards in Scotland. It provides a summary of the information on the
current evidence base for various therapeutic approaches, a template to
aid in the identification of key gaps in service, and advice on
important governance issues.
Further information on Older People’s Psychology Services can be
found in the paper: ‘The Challenge of Delivering Psychological Therapies
for Older People in Scotland’ (2011), a report of Older People’s
Psychological Therapies Working Group.
For more details on psychology forensic services, please refer to the
following paper: ’Psychological Care in the Context of Forensic Mental
Health Services: New Responsibilities for Health Boards in Scotland
(2011), Report by Heads of Psychological Services in NHSScotland.
For more information on Psychology Services in NHSScotland please see
the Applied Psychologists and Psychology in NHSScotland:
Working Group Discussion Paper.
In June 2017 the Scottish Government published Part 1 of the National Health and Social Care
Workforce Plan. The plan outlines measures that are designed to
strengthen and harmonise NHSScotland workforce planning practice
nationally, regionally and locally to ensure that NHSScotland has the
workforce it will need to address future demand for safe, high quality
services. These measures include the establishment of a National
Workforce Planning Group.
Part 2 of the workforce plan was published in
December 2017 and outlined a framework for improving workforce planning
in social care. Part 3 was then published in April 2018 to cover the
primary care setting.
Together these will enable different health and social care systems
to move together towards publication of a second full Health and Social
Care Workforce Plan later in 2019 and beyond.
Links to Related Publications
There is a differing age range of service provision across the boards
in child services, for more details of this please refer to the CAMHS publication.
For further information on training programmes within applied
psychology in NHSScotland please see: https://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/our-work/applied-psychology-professional-training-programmes/
Appendix 2 - Early access details
Pre-Release Access
Under terms of the “Pre-Release Access to Official Statistics
(Scotland) Order 2008”, HPS is obliged to publish information on those
receiving Pre-Release Access (“Pre-Release Access” refers to statistics
in their final form prior to publication). The standard maximum
Pre-Release Access is five working days. Shown below are details of
those receiving standard Pre-Release Access.
Standard Pre-Release Access:
- Scottish Government Health Department
- NHS Board Chief Executives
- NHS Board Communication leads
Early Access for Management Information
These statistics will also have been made available to those who
needed access to ‘Management Information’, i.e. as part of the delivery
of health and care:
- Scottish Government Health Department – Mental Health Division
- Health Improvement Scotland – Improvement Advisor.