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Health board workforce projections published

Over 1,000 more full-time members of staff are expected to be recruited to NHS Scotland in 2015/16, workforce projections published yesterday show.

Across Scotland, health boards are projected to recruit nearly 170 more whole time equivalent (WTE) medical staff and over 640 WTE nurses and midwives in this financial year.

The Allied Health Profession and Healthcare Science workforces are also planned to increase this year, with the overall total NHS workforce growing by 0.8 per cent.

Figures also published yesterday by the Scottish Government show that since 2010/11, NHS Scotland has reduced the number of senior managers by 33.1 per cent.

Health Secretary Shona Robison yesterday said that health boards had closely examined their current workforce and assessed this against workload requirements to provide these projections.

Ms Robison said yesterday: “As the demand on our health service grows, we must continue to grow and invest in our NHS workforce. At the request of the Scottish Government, health boards have very carefully assessed their workforce needs for the coming year and identified the number of additional staff required to help deliver services.

“Over 1,000 extra NHS staff are expected to be recruited across Scotland this year, including nearly 650 nurses. A number of these staff will have already been recruited, with further recruitment planned throughout the year. These extra members of staff will be important in helping to meet the steady rise in demand for NHS services.

“These projections are important – to ensure we get the right mix of skill sets in our workforce as the healthcare needs of the population change and services adapt to reflect this.

“I am also pleased to see that NHS Scotland has yet again exceeded the Scottish Government’s target of reducing senior managers by 25 per cent. This, combined with a reduction in admin staff, show health boards are making significant efforts to make the running of NHS services more efficient – allowing us to reinvest the savings in frontline healthcare services.”

Nearly all territorial health boards are projecting an increase in staffing levels over the next year, with NHS Lothian planning to recruit an additional 210 members of staff, NHS Fife planning to recruit an additional 140 and NHS Western Isles planning to increase their workforce by 4.3 per cent.

NHS Borders and NHS Tayside are both projecting a reduction in their workforce of 0.1 per cent as a result of reducing administrative services staff.

NHS 24 plan to recruit an additional 52 WTE staff – growing their overall staff contingent by five per cent.

The Scottish Ambulance Service also plan to train up a number of their ambulance services staff to become paramedics – changing their classification to Allied Health Profession. This section of their workforce will grow by 13.1 per cent (or 172 WTE) in 2015/16. In addition SAS also aim to double the number of specialist paramedics in training in 2015/16.

Notes To Editors

NHS Board Projected staff in Post changes for 2015/16 is an Official Statistics Publication for Scotland. It is available on the Scottish Government website: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/08/5051

25% Reduction in Senior Management Posts Target – National Progress Towards 25% Reduction as at 31stMarch 2015 is an Official Statistics Publication for Scotland. It is available on the Scottish Government website: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/08/9870