Statistics from the Northern Ireland health and social care vacancy survey

Details of the Northern Ireland Health and Social Care (HSC) Vacancy Survey of 31 March 2007 have been published.

The survey contains details of numbers of current, long-term vacancies and vacancy rate figures for various staff groups across different service areas within individual Trusts and Boards.

Information is also presented showing trends in numbers of vacancies between September 2002 and March 2007 for particular staff groups.

As the survey provides a snapshot of HSC vacancies prior to the creation of the five new Trusts on 1 April 2007, the information is presented based on the previous Trust configuration.

Key Points

• At 31 March 2007, there were a total of 1,667 current Whole-Time Equivalent (WTE) vacancies in NI HSC organisations. This also includes 639 long-term WTE vacancies.
• The total number of current WTE vacancies decreased by 4% between March 2006 and March 2007, whereas the number of long-term WTE vacancies increased by 13% over the same period.
• Current and long-term WTE vacancies in social services decreased between 2006 and 2007, by 20% and 44% respectively. Medical and dental vacancies also decreased, current vacancies by 16% and long-term vacancies by 24%.
• The number of current WTE vacancies in nursing and midwifery increased by 21% between March 2006 and March 2007, and the number of long-term WTE vacancies increased by 75% over the same period.
• The highest rate of nursing vacancies was reported by the South & East Belfast Trust, with a rate of 9.6%. The lowest vacancy rates were reported by the Causeway (0.8%), Foyle (0.3%) and Newry & Mourne Trusts (0.2%), each of which had vacancy rates of less than 1%.

Details of the Bulletin can be found on the Departmental website: www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/index/stats_research/work_force/stats-research.htm

Notes to Editors:

1. The survey was issued to record vacancies as at 31 March 2007. It was issued to all HSC organisations and there was a 100% response rate. This is the eighth survey in the series and the fifth to be conducted on a biannual cycle. As with previous surveys, long-term and current vacancy data were collected for the main staff groups. Information on the number of temporary posts that are vacant is also separately presented in the main report. All data have been obtained directly from NI HSC Trusts and organisations.

2. 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 full time hours for that grade. In this way, part-time staff are converted into an equivalent number of 'whole-time' staff.

3. A current vacancy is an unoccupied post which at 31 March was vacant and which the organisation was actively trying to fill. A long-term vacancy is an unoccupied post which at 31 March had been vacant for three months or more (was vacant prior to 31 December of the previous year) and which the organisation was actively trying to fill. Long-term vacancies are a sub-set of current vacancies.

4. The NI HSC Vacancy Survey will be published on the internet biannually. The next survey to be published will relate to 30 September 2007 and will be published in spring 2008.

Additional Information

Further information on the NI HPSS Workforce is available from:

5. Media queries to DHSSPS Press Office on 028 9052 0074, or out of hours contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 9971 5440 and your call will be returned.