The statistical publication presents an analysis of staff in post by occupational family, main location, gender, working pattern and age. It also gives details of staff turnover between April 2007 and March 2008, as well as summary information on vacancies.
For the first time in this series of publications, due to improved data quality, home helps have been included in the Social Services workforce.
In March 2008, the NI HSC employed almost 78,000 people, including bank / sessional staff. The workforce accounted for just over 10% of all persons in employment in Northern Ireland, and is the largest and most complex workforce.
The statistical publication covers the majority of the Hospital, Community and Social Services workforce (66,784 staff or 54,033 whole time equivalent) excluding bank/ sessional staff, for which information is incomplete due to the variable nature of their employment.
Key Points
Overall
- The HSC workforce has increased from 53,158 (41,478 WTE) in March 1999 to 66,784 (54,033 WTE) in March 2008, an increase of 26% (30% WTE) in this 10 year period.
- The whole time equivalent (WTE) total of front-line staff including medical & dental staff, qualified nurses and allied health professionals experienced a small increase of 1% between March 2007 and March 2008.
- The WTE total of administration and clerical staff decreased by 5% between March 2007 and March 2008.
- The largest staff group was Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting staff, which, including nurse support staff, comprised one-third ,33% of the total WTE NI workforce. Approaching a half (44%) of these worked part-time.
- There were 3,823 (3,520 WTE) medical and dental staff, excluding GPs, working in hospital and community settings. Just over a third (35%) of this group were consultants.
- The WTE total of ambulance staff increased by 5% between March 2007 and March 2008.
Staff turnover
- Support services staff had the highest leaving rate (for the year April 2007 to March 2008) at 11% of staff in post. They also had the highest joining rate at 10%, demonstrating the high level of turnover which they experienced during the year.
- In the period April 2007 to March 2008, the leaving rate for administration and clerical staff was 10% compared to a joining rate of 5%, indicating that many of those staff leaving were not being replaced.
- Even excluding doctors in training grades, levels of movement between HSC organisations was still highest amongst medical & dental staff at 4%.
Vacancies
- The overall current vacancy rate within Health & Social Care fell from 3% (1,667 WTE) in March 2007 to 2% (1,266 WTE) in March 2008.
- The highest WTE number of vacancies in March 2008 was 415 within Nursing, Health Visiting & Midwifery, representing a current vacancy rate of 2%. However, the largest current vacancy rate was within Support Services at 4% or 190 WTE.
- Long-term vacancy rates at March 2008 were highest for Ambulance staff at 2% representing 20 WTE.
HSC organisations
- The Belfast Trust, as the largest HSC employer in Northern Ireland, employed over two-fifths (43%) of the entire HSC medical and dental workforce.
- The Northern HSC Trust employed over a quarter (26%) of all Social Services staff working in N. Ireland HSC organisations.
- Nursing, Health Visiting & Midwifery staff makes up the largest proportion of total staff employed within each of the five HSC Trusts, comprising between 32% - 37% of their total workforce.
UK comparisons
- As at Sept 2007, Northern Ireland directly employed the most qualified nursing staff per capita in the UK, at 78 WTE per 10,000 population. This compares to England which had the lowest directly employed per capita rate at 58 WTE per 10,000 population.
- As at Sept 2007, Northern Ireland had the second lowest number of births per WTE Midwife (excluding Nurse bank staff) at 27, compared to England which had 35 births per WTE Midwife.
- Each of the UK countries employed between six and seven WTE medical and dental consultants per 10,000 population in September 2007, with Northern Ireland employing seven.
Notes to editors:
1. The Bulletin is published on the Departmental website
2. The majority of the information was collected from the Human Resource Management Systems that are maintained by the various HSC organisations. These are administrative personnel systems. The analyses presented in the publication exclude temporary bank staff (who fill staffing shortfalls to maintain service delivery). These groups were excluded because, due to the part-time and variable nature of their work, their input to the service is difficult to measure. Figures also exclude staff working in General Medical or General Dental practice.
3. WTE (Whole Time equivalent) is calculated by aggregating the total number of hours staff in a particular grade are contracted to work and dividing by the standard hours for that grade. In this way, part-time staff are converted into an equivalent number of 'whole-time' staff.
4. Vacancy figures detailed in the publication were collected directly from the Trusts by means of a survey. The vacancy rates are defined as the total number of vacancies expressed as a percentage of the total staff complement (i.e. vacancies plus staff in post). A full report of the March 2008 vacancy survey is available for download.
5. Regional Services includes the following organisations: Central Services Agency, Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service, Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency, Northern Ireland Practice & Education Council, Northern Ireland Regional Medical Physics Agency, Northern Ireland Social Care Council, The Beeches Management Centre and the Regulation & Quality Improvement Authority. The Western HSC Trust includes Westcare Business Services.
6. Figures for Administration and Clerical will include some senior direct care professional staff who have opted to take up senior manager contracts with their employers.
7. Additional Information
Further information on the NI HSC Workforce is available from:
Workforce Section
Project Support Analysis Branch
Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
Annexe 2, Castle Buildings
Stormont, BT4 3SQ
Tel: 028 90 522342
Fax: 028 90 523288
Email: workforcestatistics@dhsspsni.gov.uk
Internet: http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/index/stats_research/work_force/stats-research.htm
8. For media enquiries please contact the DHSSPS Press Office on 02890 520074.Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.
