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Reduction in NHS managers
28/08/2012
Over the past two years the number of senior managers in the NHS has fallen by 16 per cent.
New figures on NHS Scotland’s workforce, published today by the Scottish Government, show that since March 2010, when a national target was introduced to reduce senior managers by 25 per cent by April 2015, there has been a decrease of 212 wte senior managers.
In the last twelve months alone, 105 of these positions have been shed.
The figures published today also show an overall workforce reduction of 809 wte or 0.6 per cent from March 31 to June 30 2012. However, this is an overall increase of 2.6 per cent wte since September 2006.
Since March there has been an overall decrease of 283.7 wte or 0.5 per cent in nursing and midwifery. Over 100 of this number are nurses who have transferred from NHS Scotland to Highland Council as a result of the integration of health and social care taking place in the Highland area. There are still more qualified nurses working in NHS in Scotland now than in 2006.
Staff projections for the coming year were also published today. It is estimated that as at March 31, 2013 there will be 131,204.7 wte staff working in NHS Scotland - an increase of 113.6 wte or 0.1 per cent from March 31, 2012. This will include the number of staff transferring from Highland Council to NHS Scotland as part of the Highland integration project.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said:
"The NHS has been set a demanding target by reducing senior management posts by 25 per cent, but this reflects policy on keeping a tight rein on the pay bill for the highest earners during these challenging economic times.
“These figures demonstrate excellent progress and our expectation is that this target will be met earlier than anticipated. This will contribute to more than £100 million a year in non-clinical efficiency savings which will be reinvested in frontline services.
“Local, high quality care is what people want and expect from the NHS. And it is right that we recognise the contribution of all staff, both management and frontline, in reshaping the delivery of the health service and shifting the balance of care towards more community settings.
"The NHS faces new challenges and changes to the way staff work, however we are committed to providing the resources which will ensure that the health service continues to deliver the very best quality of care for patients."
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