Nursing and midwifery

This section provides information on the nursing and midwifery workforce in NHSScotland. The figures are sourced from Scottish Workforce Information Standard System (SWISS) and describe the numbers of staff assimilated to the Agenda for Change nursing and midwifery job family. Those staff not yet assimilated but where a nursing and midwifery staff group has been identified from their existing payscale are also presented. It is worth noting that if Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) have been assimilated to nursing job profiles under Agenda for Change they will be shown in this staff group.

The nursing and midwifery workforce is presented by location of service delivery and by field or patient group served, based on post descriptors. There is also a fuller breakdown for nurses working in the community. Information is available by band, age group, gender, contract type, NHS Board and region.

Throughout, information is presented as headcount or whole time equivalent (WTE). WTE adjusts headcount staff figures to take account of part-time staff.

Information available includes;

• Staff in post
• Vacancies
• Students
• Agency and bank nurse usage 
• Clinical nurse specialists (CNS)

Nursing and midwifery is the largest staff group (headcount) in NHSScotland accounting for 40.9%.

The chart below shows the nursing and midwifery staff in NHSScotland by Agenda for Change bands (WTE) at 30th September 2008. The highest band is band 5 at 41.7%.

Staff in post

Latest data available 30th September 2008 - last updated 16th December 2008.

The number of nursing and midwifery staff in post at 30th September 2008 is 57,749.6 (WTE) an increase of 699.2 (1.2%) from 30th September 2007. The corresponding headcount showed an increase of 620 (0.9%) from 67,345 at 30th September 2007 to 67,965 in 30th September 2008.

• Nursing and midwifery staff in post   [1,124Kb]
• Nursing and midwifery staff in post - trend - only available at high level      [228Kb]

The chart below shows ten year trend information for nursing and midwifery staff. Headcount figures have changed from 61,353 in 1998 to 67,965 in 2008, an increase of 10.8%.

Vacancies

Latest data available 30th September 2008 - last updated 16th December 2008.

The number of nursing and midwifery vacancies decreased from 2072.9 (3.5%) on 30th September 2007 to 1471.5 (2.5%) on 30th September 2008.

• Nursing and midwifery vacancies   [734Kb]

Students

The number of nursing and midwifery student intake increased from 3,391 in 2006/07 to 3,437 in 2007/08. The number of students on conversion courses increased from 134 in 2006/07 to 158 in 2007/08. The number of nursing and midwifery students in Scottish Higher Education Institutions has decreased with 9,660 students in initial entrant (pre-registration) training in 2007 compared with 9,909 in 2006. The attrition rate for students on diploma courses is 28.2% for 2003/04.

• Student intakes and students in training by trend - Last updated 16the December 2008      [38Kb]
• Student attrition rates on diploma courses - Last updated 16th December 2008      [335Kb]

Clinical nurse specialists

Latest data available 30th September 2008 - last updated 16th December 2008.

A clinical nurse specialist is a registered nursing professional who has acquired additional knowledge, skills and experience, together with a professionally and/or academically accredited post-registration qualification (if available) in a clinical specialty. They practice at an advanced level and may have sole responsibility for care episode or defined client/group.

The number of clinical nurse specialists at 30th September 2008 is 1433.3 (WTE) which is an increase of 88.5 (WTE)  from  30th September 2007.

• Clinical nurse specialists staff in post   [1,049Kb]
• Clinical nurse specialists vacancies   [261Kb]

 

List of historic (pre agenda for change) tables - information presented by old whitley staff groups.